May 8, 2005

In most parts of the world, countries use their culture and history as precious possessions to have their own distinct identity. Unfortunately, despite the unique cultural diversity and historical depth, this cannot be said about Pakistan

HISTORY has great significance. It provides a solid foundation for human evolution. History explains culture and the development process of human beings. The evidence to this process can be found in archaeology, languages and other such things embedded in the remnants of buildings that are often considered an inalienable part of cultural heritage.

Human fascination with the past is not only an essential part of the learning process, but it also provides an opportunity for tourism corporations of various countries to exploit and turn its cultural assets into big money-spinning ventures. In most parts of the world, different countries have used their culture and history as precious possessions to be preserved for national identity and as part of infotainment for people of other countries who want to learn about the diverse cultures existing in the world. These preserved places and sites have become effective marketing tools that have given socio-economic boost to the country they’re located in. Unfortunately, this cannot be said about Pakistan. Despite having unique cultural diversity and historical depth, the country has failed to preserve and market its resources locally or internationally.

THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD: The famous seven wonders of the world have always drawn attention. Take the case of Taj Mahal, which is celebrating its 350th anniversary and remains, to date, one of the most frequented wonders of the world. On the other hand, consider the case of K2 mountain range which is unique in its magnificence and is celebrating its 150th anniversary, but hardly anyone knows about it. Culturally rich countries have marketed their cultures and geography cleverly to entice the western world to have a look at what they claim the mystiques of the East. India, Thailand, Maldives and Nepal are some of the countries which consistently remain first choices of visitors looking for cultural enrichment. Pakistan, despite having equally — if not more — fascinating cultural heritage resources, has failed to capitalize on this opportunity and has been oblivious to the potential of historical monuments.

The Wall of China, which is also one of the marvels of the world, does not command half the tourist attention compared to the Taj Mahal or the Statue of Liberty. In fact, there are many smaller but more fascinating wonders of the world which exist in the country, but because of criminal indifference of the government continue to rot and wither away. The Lahore Fort is perhaps the biggest victim of this kind of negligence. Its splendour has been tarnished by constant erosion of the beautiful building because of rainwater seepage and constantly deteriorating systems of drainage and cleanliness. Only when Unesco threatened to take it off its cultural heritage list did the government wake up to the reality of losing out on a precious part of our history. Thus, the Sheesh Mahal, threatened by the collapse of its roof owing to rainwater seepage and old age, has been saved by a combined process of renovation by an outside aid agency. It was made possible by virtue of the financial aid given by Norway and Unesco. Norway provided the much-needed technical expertise pertaining to old world building preservation techniques, without which repair and renovation would not have been possible.

For visitors to the fort, the Sheesh Mahal is their favourite attraction. An attendant closes the doors to the main room, waves a small lamp whose light is reflected by thousands of little mirrors embedded in the ceiling and walls, and the impression of a revolving starry sky is created. It is a truly beautiful and memorable sight. The Sheesh Mahal job was only a part of the wholesale renovation of the massive Lahore Fort. The big news is that Unesco has taken upon itself to get the entire work executed. The total project is going to take from three to four years.

The Shalamar Gardens of Lahore, another unique historical monument, badly in need of attention as parts of the boundary wall are crumbling and the buildings in the gardens require urgent repair, is also going to be rescued by Unesco. To start off, the Parks and Horticulture Authority will pay immediate attention to putting the lawns and greens of both the fort and garden in top shape within three months. Many other treasures of Lahore are lying in a poor condition. Part of the Jahangir Complex, Asif Khan’s Tomb is situated along the western bank of the River Ravi, opposite the city of Lahore some 10kms away. The complex contains three royal tombs: of Mughal Emperor Jahangir (d: 1627), his wife Noor Jahan (d: 1645), and his brother-in-law Asif Khan (d: 1641). Asif Khan served as deputy to the emperor. His tomb was built by Shah Jahan (Jahangir’s son), who also built the Taj Mahal, the Juma Masjid, and forts at Agra and Delhi. The site has not had conservation since 1849 and is in serious disrepair. It has been mapped and surveyed, but will require in-depth planning and research to determine scope and focus of conservation.

The chief minister of Punjab has finally directed the Information and Culture Department to catalogue all monuments of historical and cultural importance in the province. Pending completion of this task, preparations for building museums in the bigger cities of the province will be initiated. So far, there is only one general museum in Lahore. There are two in Taxila and Harappa, but they are exclusively for the finds unearthed in the two excavation sites. But are these museums well-maintained and can we consider them big tourist attractions? The answer is, sadly, ‘no’.

Most of the development in the Far East can be attributed to their ability to adopt modern techniques of management with due respect and preservation of their cultural values and heritage resources. Thailand’s rose gardens are world famous tourist attraction, but no match to the Shalamar Gardens in scale and history; yet, because of the indifferent attitude of the government, these gardens have become junkyards where even local schools avoid going for excursions. Similarly, a small country like Maldives has been able to attract the world’s attention to its beaches by highlighting it continuously in the media through its campaign of “the sunny side of Maldives”. Also, Malaysian campaign of “Malaysia truly Asia” highlights Malaysian cultural heritage and uses it effectively to distinguish itself from other South East Asian nations. Thailand talks about diversity and cultural variety in its campaign; and as if the “incredible India” campaign was not enough, Gujarat as a province has started a campaign luring the world to its rich culture, skills and resources.

REGIONAL CULTURAL IDENTITY: In today’s world it is not only a country’s identity and culture which need to be preserved and marketed, but also individual cities that become famous visiting places for tourists. Pakistan is blessed with distinct provincial and regional cultures with each geographical area full of heritage resources and history. Unfortunately, these cities have not been given due attention and limelight to become tourist attractions on their own. Think of Agra and Jaipur in India, Bangkok and Hong Kong in the Far East and Dubai and Jeddah in the Middle East and you will get examples of cities which have used their history, their location and their festivals to become the most sought-after tourist spots in the world. Factually speaking, most of these countries do not boast of half the cultural diversity that Pakistani cities have. Lahore, in the last few years, has distinguished itself by marketing its local customs mainly because of its basant festival and attempts to revive its walled city. However, Lahore is not the only city needing recognition.

Multan is described, in an old Persian saying, as the city of saints. If Ajmer Sharif in India is attracting Muslim and non-Muslim visitors to its shrine in big numbers, Multan definitely has more such attractions. The city has an access through 13 gates, whose imposing structures are still preserved. The Shams-i-Tabriz shrine is built almost entirely of sky-blue engravings with glazed bricks. The shrine of Shah Rukn-i-Alam (Tughlaq period) has one of the biggest domes in Asia, while the shrine of Sheikh Yusuf Gardez is considered to be a masterpiece of the Multani style. Other shrines may include the Pahladpuri Temple.

Apart from these shrines, forts and mosques lend credibility to the claim that Multan is one of the oldest cities in Asia. The Multan Fort is located on a mound separating it from the city by the River Ravi. Its date cannot be fixed with its gate. This massive 6,600ft-tall structure has 46 bastions; it has four gates, that is, Delhi Gate, Khizri Gate, Sikhi Gate and Rehri built by Ali Muhammad Khakwani in 1758AD. Some of the famous mosques of Multan are Wali Mohammad Mosque at Chowk Bazar, Baqarabadi Mosque built by Baqar Khan in 1720AD, Mosque Phulhatt at Chowk Bazar built by Emperor Farrukh Siyar, and the beautiful Eidgah Mosque built by Nawab Abdul Samad Khan in 1735AD.

The northern part of Pakistan has always been recognized as a unique amalgamation of rugged nature and scenic beauty, yet this recognition has not been used to its true sightseeing potential. The Khyber Pass itself is a place of rich history, wild majesty and unique cultural dignity. The history of the Khyber Pass as a strategic gateway dates from 326BC. In the AD 900s, Persian, Mongol, and Tartar armies forced their way through the Khyber Pass, bringing Islam to India. Centuries later, India became part of the British Empire, and British troops defended the Khyber Pass from the British Indian side. During the Afghan wars the pass was the scene of numerous skirmishes between Anglo-Indian soldiers and native Afghans. Particularly well-known is the battle of January 1842, in which about 16,000 British and Indian troops were killed. The British constructed a road through the pass in 1879 and converted it into a highway in the ‘20s. A railroad was also built here in the ‘20s. Today, two highways thread their way through the Khyber Pass — one for motor traffic, and one for the traditional caravans. A railway line also leads to the head of the pass. Recently, the Khyber Pass has been used to transport refugees from the Afghan civil war into Pakistan.

The majestic and symbolic entrance known as Bab-i-Khyber stands near Jamrud village. Its arched portal was built in 1963 to commemorate Jashn-i-Khyber celebrated that year. This festival could have enormous marketing appeal to visitors locally and internationally, but the focus has been more on using it as gateway to political terrorism than international tourism. There are inscriptions on the gateway narrating the history of the Khyber Pass. A Kyber safari railway trip to the pass has been introduced, but very few people know about it.

Skardu is the gateway to the legendary mountain ranges. The trek from Skardu to the Baltoro Glacier gives good close-up views of K2, and the trail along the Braldu and Biaho rivers takes hikers right into the heart of the Karakoram Mountains. The early part of the trek passes through green orchards. The terrain soon becomes rugged and trekkers should be prepared to navigate trails covered with sharp stones and punctuated by glacial streams and steep gullies. The dark stone of the lower peaks provides a dramatic contrast to the glittering snow-capped peaks in the distance. Concordia, the base camp for K2 expeditions, offers spectacular views of some of the highest mountains on earth, including K2, Gasherbrum, Masherbrum, and Chogolisa. PIA did introduce an air safari which gave visitors a close look at the breathtaking peaks of these mountains, but could not market it properly to sustain its cost.

Going towards south, in contrast to Karachi’s cosmopolitan and modern culture, Hyderabad provides the real flavour of interior Sindh. The places to visit in Hyderabad are its Pucca Qila and Kutcha Qila, two royal forts built in the 17th century during the Kalhora rule. They were robustly built and still stand firm. Hyderabad has the longest bazaar of Asia: Shahi Bazaar. All these facts are rare in historical and cultural value, but not known to most people.

CONCLUSION: Cities are considered the crowning glory of a country and cultural heritage resources are the jewels in the crown which need to be treasured, preserved and revered by custodians of the culture. Sustainable cultural preservation requires that these heritage resources must generate enough tourist funds to maintain and sustain their historical and physical importance. Aid can only give temporary support to the failing structures of these unique resources. If Bangkok can make millions over the golden temple and emerald Buddha statues, why can’t our cities, which have many more historical rarities, command even partial world attention? The answer, unfortunately, is: they have neither been maintained nor been marketed with the professionalism which works behind reinforcing the romance of the Taj Mahal and the spirit of the Statue of Liberty.

In Pakistan, from Lahore to Khyber and from Balochistan to Baltistan, cultural heritage changes its shape, colour, design and history. Sad as it may sound, it’s all forgotten in no time. Consider the fact that Baltistan alone has over 300 forts which are lying in total neglect tells us the story of our attitude as a nation towards our cultural heritage. The launching of the renovated and restored Shigar Fort near Skardu is going to be a big event in May, as all the VVIPs, including the president, are going to fly over there to inaugurate the breathtakingly beautiful fort. Again, this happened because of the AKCSP (Aga Khan Cultural Support Programme) patronage. In this regard, a mind-boggling question that springs to mind is: why can’t our government do what the AKCSP has done? Let us hope that this relaunching ceremony of the fort will make the government realize that preserved culture not only provides national identity, but financial stability in the form of tourism money — a fact most in our government acknowledge in rhetoric, but fail to have the patience and perseverance to transform this kind of vision into a socio-economic reality.

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