LAHORE, Aug 20: Federal archaeology department director-general Saleemul Haq said on Wednesday the documentation and cleaning of the beams of the Shish Mahal had been completed.

At a press conference held at the Lahore Fort, Mr Haq said experts had taken hundreds of pictures and drawings of the base, shaft and capital of the Shish Mahal, which were required to initiate its delicate renovation. Each of its beam was documented and cleaned during the last four months, he added.

He said a temporary roof structure had been erected to open the roof of the Shish Mahal. A six-day meeting (of the experts) on the conservation of the Shish Mahal and development of master plan for the Lahore Fort, beginning from Thursday (today), would examine the documentation, he said. He added that the experts would also give recommendation on renovation, and the work would begin in the middle of next month.

He said the Shish Mahal conservation and fort’s master plan development had been undertaken as a part of a project being funded by the Norwegian government. For this purpose, he said, Unesco had created a management structure and framework for systematic evaluation, and a team of national and international experts.

Besides, the experts would evaluate various proposals that had been developed for structural option for rehabilitation of the roof of the Shish Mahal’s hall. They would also suggest an alternative to the fragile mirror of the ceiling, and discuss the master plan of the fort.

Archaeologists, conservationists, architects and engineers have been chosen to perform these tasks. Among the international experts are Dr Pamila Rumball Rogers (Canada), Ms Minakshi Jain (India), Dr Jan Petter (Norway), Dr Sohika Yamada (Japan), and Dr Richard Huges and David Michelmore (UK).

The national experts include, Saleemul Haq, Unesco regional directors, Ms Yasmin Lari and Dr Muhammad Ishtiaq, and Dr Mahmood Husain.

Curator Muhammad Afzal said the NIFA had been assigned the work of termite eradication to safeguard the structure. Various tests to check the strength of the ceiling and its carrying capacity had been carried out, he said. However, he added, the topographical survey of the site was in process.

The department had installed a specially designed “angle iron structure” over the roof to harbour the rotten wooden truss of the Shish Mahal, which started crumbling in the early 90s due to rainwater.