LAHORE: The International Museum Day is being observed on Tuesday (today) to ‘focus on rethinking the museum of the future and to meet the challenges of the present’ besides raising awareness among people about the cultural heritage.

In Punjab, the Directorate of Archeology and Tourism Department has come up with different projects of new museums as well as upgrade of the existing ones.

Officials in the Directorate of Archeology and Tourism Department have told Dawn the Multan Museum would be the first one in the city and it would be completed soon at Damdama, near Ghanta Ghar Chowk in coordination with the Multan commissioner.

They say the Rohtas Fort Museum located at a Unesco World Heritage site in Jhelum is also going to be renovated under the Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth Project.

A new auditorium at the Taxila Museum is in progress. Taxila, home to the Gandhara Civilisation, dates back to first to seventh century CE. The objects in the museum have been excavated from the ancient ruins of Taxila.

The Lahore Fort Museum with three galleries, namely Sikh, Armory and Mughals, is a symbol of history preservation. The Sikh Gallery has 170-year-old Hungarian restored paintings. All galleries of the museum will be upgraded and restored by replacing background, illumination, air-conditioning system and humidity control from the Heritage Fund (Rs39.4m) approved by an executive committee led by the chief secretary.

Talking about the International Museum Day, Directorate of Archeology and Tourism Department Secretary Ehsan Bhutta says the Archaeology Directorate and Tourism Department are working on the vision of the Prime Minister Imran Khan to promote tourism in the country.

Officials say an auditorium costing Rs300m has been inaugurated at the Harappa Museum (a Unesco World Heritage site). The Ram Pyari Museum in Gujrat houses four galleries having items from the Indus and Gandhara civilizations miscellaneous artefacts, including coins, weaponry and jewellery.

The Kallar Kahar Museum, inaugurated in April 2021, has three galleries, namely Fossils Gallery, Indus & Gandhara Gallery and Miscellaneous Gallery. Fossils displayed in the museum are millions of years old. Similarly, items displayed in Indus & Gandhara Galleries belong to 7,000BC to 1,500BC. In the third gallery, a collection of coins ranging from 5BC till present times have been displayed. The museum has ethnological material, jewellery, armory, utensils and traditional items from district Chakwal.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2021