Work On Peshawar Museum's Building Accelerated

Preservation work on colonial era building of Peshawar Museum has been expedited by provincial government where 1,000 artifacts, antiques and statues of Gandhara civilization were put on display for attraction of foreign and domestic tourists

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Dec, 2020 ) :Preservation work on colonial era building of Peshawar Museum has been expedited by provincial government where 1,000 artifacts, antiques and statues of Gandhara civilization were put on display for attraction of foreign and domestic tourists.

Latifur Rehman, Spokesman of Tourism, sports and Archeology Department told APP on Monday that preservation work on the historical building of Peshawar Museum has been accelerated to restore its original ancient architecture being a home of the Gandhara civilization in Pakistan.

Converted into full fledged museum in 1906, Peshawar Museum is an oldest museum of Pakistan and the world of Gandhara art where over 30,000 precious antiques, sculpture, coins, statues and art work was kept preserved for around one and half century, he said.

Out of 30,000 primitive artifacts and others articles, he said around 1,000 ancient articles were currently put on display at Peshawar Museum, attracting foreign and domestic tourists, archeologists, students and followers of Buddhism throughout the year.

He said work on a mega scheme under KITE project to bring Peshawar Museum at par of international standards would soon be started.

Promotion of heritage and archeology tourism is a cornerstone of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government making special focus on construction of new museum besides preservation and renovation of the primitive museum to earn substantial revenue for provincial kitty.

KP govt has constructed a state-of-the-art museum at Hund Swabi district from where Alexander the Great had crossed Indus River in 327 BC. Hund is also famous for Mehmood Ghaznavi's invasion in 998, which marked the beginning of Islamic era and end of Gandhara period.

Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) has recently approved a project of six million Euro funded by Italian Government to promote heritage and archeology tourism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Under the project, Heritage Field Schools (HFS) and conservation laboratories would be set up in Haripur, Swat and Chitral.

Efforts were being made to upgrade roads infrastructures in archaeological and tourism rich areas and feasibility studies for upgradation of facilities on archaeological sites including Takht Bhai, Jamal Ghari, Peshawar Museum, Bhamala and Hund Museum Swabi have been completed.

Under KP Integrated Tourism Development Project (KITE) worth $100 million project, the KP Government expedited work on construction of links and mains roads leading to tourists areas of Hazra and Malakand divisions to open up scenic valleys and explores new tourists sites besides improve the socio-economic conditions of people.

As many as Rs 375 million were approved by PDWP for development of 10 tourists spots including six waterfalls and four sites tracks waterfalls including Sajjikot Havellian, Umbrella Abbottabad, Jarogo Swat, Narogo Sat, Noor and Chajian Haripur, Lamchar Upper Dir and 50 kilometers tracks in Mansehra and Abbottabad districts.

Projects related to establishing of signboards and arranging tours of the students leading to ancient sites of Ghandara civilization were expedited to explore Pakistan's hidden tourism treasures before world.

Ghandara welcoming signboards are being installed at entry and exit points of Swat Expressway to facilitate foreign and domestic tourists, Buddhists, archeologists and heritage lovers.

Majority of Buddhists religious sites are located on Swat Expressway and Government of KP has taken principal decision to install signboards for information and education of tourists and visitors proving highly productive.

These signboards are helpful for tourists and archeology lovers to reach historical heritage sites including the world famous Bhuddists Ruins of Takht Bahi (Throne of Origins), Neigbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol and Jamal Ghari in Mardan of the Ghandara Civilization.

Takht Bhai Monastery was established on (Ist CE) and Neighbouring City Remains at Sari-e- Bahlol besides Jamal Ghari in Mardan had been included in UNESCO world heritage sites list in 1980, which were attracting foreign tourists including Sikhs, Buddhists, Monks and archeologists from across the world especially from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Japan and others countries to explore around 2,000 heritage sites and 30,000 relics of the Gandhara civilization.

The ruin's monastic complexes are spectacularly positioned on various hilltops ranging from 36.6 meters to 152.4 meters height with a covered area of about 33 hectares.

Takht Bhai monastery was in continuous use till 7th century (CE) composed of an assemblage of buildings constructed of stone on Gandhara patterns in diaper style using local dressed and semi-dressed stone blocks set in a lime and mud mortar.

The Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol located in a five kilometers distance from Takht Bhai's monastery, was a small ancient fortified town of Kushan period that was constructed on an elongated mound of nine meters height on 9.7 hectares surrounded by portions of a defensive wall in diaper-style characteristic dates back to first two or three centuries (BC). The boundaries of Sahr-i-Bahlol are well defined with a part of fortification walls still intact.

Both these historical sites had been declared as Protected Monuments under an Ancient Preservation Act (1904) of the colonial era and Antiquity Act (1975) of the Government of Pakistan. The KP Government has declared the entire mountain area of 445 hectares at Sahri e Bhalol as "Archaeological Reserve.

First ever KP Antique Act 2016 has been passed by the former PTI Govt, empowering the Archaeology Department to protect and conserve historical buildings besides countering the menace of smuggling of antiques and artifacts.

About 1868 ancient houses, monuments and religious places were placed in the protected list including Amlokdara, Barikot, Stupa in Saidu Sharif, Bhudkada, Godara and Panar in Swat besides a monument at Chacha Younas Park in Peshawar.

Cultural Heritage Trail Project (CHTP) in Peshawar has been completed under which about 500 meters long trail from ancient Ghanta Ghar to Gor Gathri was renovated including centuries-old buildings and houses to restore the original grandeur of Peshawar being home of the 3,000 years old civilization.

The trail starts at historical Ghanta Ghar and passes through ancient Bazaar-e-Kalaan and primordial Mohallah Sethian famous for scores of beautifully designed architectural houses constructed by Sethi Family in 1880s. Sethi House, an architectural wonder at Peshawar City has been purchased by the KP government keeping in view of its historical and cultural importance.

The trail completed at a cost of about Rs 301.5 million, has significantly improved the outer appearances of 85 heritage buildings of the Mughal, British and Sikh era. Ali Mardan Khan Valley in Peshawar Cantonment built during colonial era has also been renovated besides ancient inns of Mughal period at Gor Kathri in Peshawar City.