Every nation has a historical heritage. This may be archaeological discoveries including palaces, gardens, mausoleums, temples, cemeteries or artefacts such as instruments, weapons pottery, jewellery and coins. Hidden in their construction and form, these historical remains are testaments to their time. It is the task of the historians to discover the hidden history, bring to light the past that has been neglected through centuries and connect its continuity to the present. The deciphering of old languages have brought to light literary achievements, religious and social values, rituals and ceremonies that show the intellectual and creative maturity of the people from the past.

Historical heritage also includes buildings and monuments constructed by the ruling classes of the past. Some of these retain stability and the original structure remains intact and preserved, while some buildings become dilapidated and require conservation and restoration. However, the traces of the houses where the poor lived disappear and with them the very existence of common people is lost. Historical heritage reminds us of the glory and grandeur of rich and resourceful people while the plight, poverty and misery of lower classes of the society is ignored.

If we observe heritage in its correct historical perspective, we could find in it the meaning and beauty of time and understand its historical relevance. For example, while visiting the Lahore Fort, if we could imagine ourselves living in the Mughal period, the Fort and its building would immediately transform the present to the past. We could imagine a noisy audience of the commoners crowded in the hall, becoming silent as the emperor appears and a series of ceremonies and rituals follow. In this way, we could bring the past to life. Similarly, visiting an old palace where nobility had resided, we could reconstruct the lifestyle of those who had lived there, their social and cultural activities and the segregated lives of the men and women.

Miniature paintings by artists portray dresses, jewellery, furniture and expressions of the people from the past. Therefore historically, heritage is valuable in order to understand the cultural, social and political values of the time, which is why efforts are made for its preservation so it can be used as an inspiration.

The best way to preserve historical heritage is to share it with others

David Lowenthal in his book The Heritage Crusade and the Spoils of History writes that the approach to preserve and use historical heritage is becoming non-historical. The policy that monuments and historical buildings should be used to attract tourists in order to generate revenue separates heritage from history and commercialises it for financial benefits of the state. Tourists from all over the world visit historical buildings without understanding their background. Same is the case with artefacts that are exhibited in museums. People virtually pass through the different galleries, glance at the objects and feel glad to have seen something historical but they don’t actually learn anything. Commercialisation of heritage, therefore, reduces its importance and significance.

Lowenthal points out that it has become a normal practice of the rich and wealthy to purchase rare artefacts from different countries and exhibit them in their homes for decoration or status, without knowing their historical characteristics. These antiquities from all over the world are brought to auction houses in Europe for sale. People buy them in competition and boast about possessing the most costly item, not for its historical importance but for its high value in the market. This practice has deprived the Asian and African countries of their heritage which is smuggled to Europe and purchased by wealthy people for their private collections.

Historical heritage is further debased when artisans, painters and craftsmen start to make either copies of originals or forge statues, pottery, jewellery and coins. While it becomes a lucrative business, the forgery is sometimes so perfect that only experts can tell between original and fake.

In case of Pakistan, there are no museums in cities other than Lahore, Taxila, Karachi, Peshawar and Hyderabad and this dearth indicates negligence of artefacts that could be exhibited in museums to create historical awareness. Often, rare historical artefacts are smuggled to foreign countries. Those monuments which have not been fully preserved are fading away while some have lost their space due to encroachment. Those who have built homes around historical monuments argue that the dead have more space instead of those who are living. They question the vast grounds outside the tomb of Emperor Jahangir, while people live in shanty towns around it.

Historical consciousness means nothing to them as it plays no role in their social and economic status, therefore they believe that there is no need to preserve or protect the past heritage which mostly represents the glory of the past rulers.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 25th, 2015

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