February 10, 2007	Saturday	Muharram 21, 1428

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KARACHI, Feb 9: An international organisation has put two Pakistani sites on a list of 100 endangered monuments.

The World Monuments Fund (WMF) releases every other year the World Monuments Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites.

The two monuments cited in its latest report are: Mian Nasir Mohammed Graveyard, in district Dadu, and the Thatta Monuments (Makli graveyard).

The WMF warned that the two sites would cease to exist if measures were not taken for their rehabilitation, renovation and maintenance.

Mian Nasir Mohammed was a member of the Kalhora clan that wrested control of Sindh from the Mughal Empire in 1736. He gained the support of disaffected Sindhis by espousing agricultural cooperation and other egalitarian ideas.

Many of his followers are buried near him in the graveyard, which contains about 60 tombs. Some of the structures feature `onion-layered’ domes that epitomize mastery in craftsmanship

The interior is decorated with intricate frescoes and mosaics from the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

In its report, the WMF says the domes in some of the tombs have developed cracks, allowing rainwater to seep into the interior and damaging the frescoes. It says the present-day Kalhora clan members responsible for the maintenance of the site lack technical expertise and financial support.

Referring to the Thatta Monuments, about 100 kilometres east of Karachi, the report says `this arid, windswept World Heritage Site in the Indus Valley region of Sindh was once a well-watered and revered destination for medieval worshippers and celebrants’.

Thatta was controlled by Samma rulers in the 14th century when the earliest Sufi monasteries and mosques at the site were built.

The complex later expanded to include numerous tombs and funerary monuments. Several Samma-era structures still stand at Thatta today, including stone and brick buildings in varying states of decay. The best-preserved buildings feature intricate carved decoration and elegant designs that reflect Indian architectural influences.

The monuments of Thatta cover an area of 10 square kilometres and are located on a ridge. The buildings are exposed to harsh winds and rain and many of them have been suffering from soil erosion.

A senior provincial government official said a proposal had been sent to the finance department to renovate or rehabilitate various sites of archaeological significance during this and next fiscal years.

“We have identified some ten schemes of historical significance for renovation and rehabilitation. These include the shrine of Mian Nasir Mohammed Kalhoro for the current financial year. Besides, a similar scheme for Makli Monuments has been proposed for the next fiscal,” Dr Kaleemullah Lashari, director-general, projects and special initiatives, told Dawn.

Out of Rs 135.87 million proposed for this year’s schemes, said Dr Lashari, over 20 million have been set aside for the rehabilitation of Mian Nasir Mohammed’s shrine.