Unique book recognises world heritage sites

Weeks after the Afghan Taliban’s outright destruction of ancient Buddhist statues in Afghanistan, Pakistan has paid tribute to its own world heritage sites with the launch of a book dedicated to the country’s many ancient landmarks and historical monuments. The book, published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and written by archaeological expert Muhammad Ishtiaq Khan is Pakistan’s first such authoritative and up-to-date publication on the country’s rich historical sites. Speaking at the launch in the capital, Islamabad, the federal minister responsible for culture, Colonel Tressler, stressed that Pakistan’s world heritage sites were “priceless and irreplaceable possessions”. The loss of any of these prized possessions would constitute an “impoverishment to all the peoples of the world”, Tressler said. His comments come in the wake of international outrage over the Taliban’s destruction of the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan’s central Bamiyan Province. Tressler told IRIN that the Taliban’s actions were “catastrophic” and were a result of frustration at being sidelined and ignored by the world”. The Taliban had effectively destroyed and sold their own heritage, he said. Meanwhile, he said, Pakistan’s world heritage sites belonged to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of where the monuments were located. Seven monuments in Pakistan, documented in the book, have been designated as ‘World Heritage Sites’ by UNESCO. They are the archaeological ruins of the old city of Moenjodaro on the banks of the Indus river in southern Sind; the ancient city of Taxila, northwest of Islamabad and rich with Buddhist shrines; the extensive remains of the Buddhist establishments of Takht-i-Bahi in the North-West Frontier Province. The other sites include Thatta, located east of Karachi in southern Pakistan, with its prehistoric settlements which featured prominently during Alexander the Great’s campaign in 325 BC; the Lahore Fort, the only monument in Pakistan which represents a complete history of Mughal architecture. Another site just outside Lahore is the Shalimar Gardens from the Mughal period, laid out as a royal pleasure garden; and in the Punjab, the gigantic Rohtas Fort, believed to have been built in 1541 AD. These monuments span a wide range of Pakistani history from the prehistoric, to the Buddhist, and to the Muslim periods. Author Muhammad Ishtiaq Khan, referring to what he called the country’s seven wonders, said they depicted Pakistani culture at its best. “This is the best way of understanding people. If we know people through their culture, there are less tensions and better understanding,” he maintained. Khan hoped his book would not only be a contribution towards learning about the country’s many treasures, but might also have positive implications for tourism. He said Pakistan’s heritage was threatened by traditional causes of decay, but also by large-scale environmental pollution and rapidly changing socioeconomic conditions. He called it the collective responsibility of the international community to develop ways and means to preserving such cultural and natural heritage sites. The book launch comes on the eve of the first ever visit to Pakistan of UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura for the opening of the International Colloquium on the Indus Valley Civilisation.