KASUR, March 24: The Kasur Museum located on the Lahore-Kasur Highway, once frequented by hundreds of people daily, now presents a picture of solitude. Housed in a colonial-era building, hardly two kilometres from the city, the museum has some of the finest artifacts.

Within its five galleries are precious relics from the Gandhara period, hand-written Quranic manuscripts, fossils from the Chakwal district, archives, jewellery, artifacts from the Sikh period and photographs related to the Pakistan Movement.

A hand-written manuscript of the Holy Quran by Hafiz Murtaza Afghan Kasuri, a known calligrapher, of AD1179, some manuscripts in Nastaleeq, weapons, and special Tehrik-i-Pakistan gallery are also a treat to watch.

Established in 1999, the museum is housed on the premises where the British held their sub-divisional magisterial court before partition. Although the building was renovated about five years ago, it once again needs urgent restoration.

When contacted, a junior staffer of the museum told this correspondent that hardly four or five visitors came here now because of lack of awareness. The city attracts thousands of people from across the country at the urs of Hazrat Baba Bulhey Shah (RA) and even in routine days, but the visitors bypass the museum largely due to lack of awareness about it and improper publicity.