LAHORE, Oct 31: Unesco on Tuesday handed over historical Shish Mahal to the Punjab government after completing “the main restoration work” in collaboration with the federal archaeology department but the temporary supports under the roof are still there indicating that the job is not finished as yet.

Unesco had secured a grant of about US$900,000 from the Norwegian government in 2003 for the conservation of Shish Mahal, preparation of a master plan and scientific study of the fort.

Experts are of the view that the team engaged in the project should have removed the supports to check whether the roof structure is firm. “The local and foreign experts must have removed the supports on their own and not leave this to the Punjab government,” a senior archaeologist told this reporter.

Besides this, the mirror work is yet to be completed. “Cleaning of mirror work is very delicate task and requires experts’ supervision,” he said. He said the team was given more than three years to get the job done but it could not complete it fully due to the reason best known to Unesco.

One of the experts in the restoration team defended its work saying that the main purpose of the project was to save the roof of Shish Mahal, which had been done. However, he said, the support provided to the roof could have been removed provided the team had more time. It could not be removed at this stage, he added. Besides, he said the funds had also been exhausted.

He said the restoration of Shish Mahal was an on going process and no specific time frame could be given for its completion. “Now it is up to the Punjab government how much it spends on the monument in days to come,” he added.

Interestingly, Richard Hughes, a heritage conservationist from UK, who was part of the restoration team, had earlier claimed that the roof of Shish Mahal had been stabilised for at least 100 years. “Unless the supports are removed nothing concrete can be said,” the archaeologists said.

The experts do not recommend opening of monument for the public. However, they say the final decision rests with the government.

Situated in the northwest corner of the fort, Shish Mahal is one of the most profusely decorated monument of the Mughal period. Built by Asif Khan for Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631-32, it formed the harem of the fort. It had started crumbling in early 1990s due to rainwater seepage. Its interior was also weak with cracks visible along its highly bedecked structure. It was suffering from the aging phenomenon of pulverization because of which the grip of the decorative mirrors had loosened over the years.

The 23rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Dec 1999 observed the damage to the ceiling and placed the monument on the list of endangered World Heritage Sites. At that time, Unesco arranged for missions from the World Heritage Centre and the International Council on Monuments and Sites to evaluate the state of ceiling and suggest the work to be undertaken. The department concerned had then installed a specially designed angle iron structure over the roof to harbour the rotten wooden truss of Shish Mahal.

The foreign and national archaeologists engaged in its preservation had carried out the documentation of cement mortar, analysis of the existing rainwater drainage system and structural analysis. The work on stucco tracery, cleaning of marble and termite eradication of the Mughal period timber beams has also been completed. A 1,700-feet-long Norwegian mesh has also been laid to support the sagging ceiling. While applying gypsum mortar, the gaps have been created to allow inspection in case there is any de-bonding of the new and old layers in the future.

PRIVATE FUNCTIONS: The ban on holding private functions at the Lahore Fort will continue, says information secretary Taimur Azamt.

At a press conference here on Tuesday, he said a total ban on functions was not a better idea because of public interest, however, any such permission was only subject to experts’ approval.

He said the state functions could not be banned in the fort. There had been a ban on any commercial function in all monuments, he said.

He said a Rs40 million drainage project was under way to save the outer wall of the Shalamar Gardens. The government would also acquire 106 houses adjacent to the Shalamar Gardens for developing a buffer zone there.