By Amjad Yousaf Zai
TAXILA: The rally taken out under the auspices of Directorate General of Archaeology Punjab at Taxila Museum and other historical sites on Thursday successfully attracted a diverse audience, including students, families, and individuals passionate about history and culture. The event highlighted the museum’s commitment to promoting heritage and culture and history. The theme of the day this year was “Disasters and conflicts through the lens of the Venice Charter”.
Addressing to the rally, Humaira Naz- curator Taxila Museum said that over the directives of Director General Archeology Zaheer Abbas Malik, World Heritage Day being commemorated at Taxila Museum and other historical sites especially Mughal garden to raise awareness about importance of cultural heritage and how to protect it. She informed the participants that in the year 1982, the International Council on Monuments and Sites declared 18th April as World Heritage Day to raise awareness about monuments and other sites which form a part of our history and culture. Ms Naz highlighted that Pakistan signed the ‘Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage’ and there are currently 1,199 World Heritage sites worldwide, offering a rich diversity of cultures, traditions, and landscapes. While stressing the youth and students participants of the rally, she said that “our heritage is our identity and it is our core responsibility to protect the treasure of our ancestors”. She informed the participants that Taxila, a 3000-year-old ruins in Pakistan’ are one of the oldest and most important historical and cultural sites in Buddhism while some of the iconic Buddha statues discovered in these sites have been moved to the Taxila Museum.
Anjum Javaid, deputy director department of Archaeology, speaking on this occasion has said that the day was observed with the aim of creating awareness about our world cultural heritage besides it aimed to inculcate a sense of responsibility among the students for the preservation of cultural heritage for future generations. He emphasized the significance of World Heritage Day as a global celebration aimed at raising awareness about the remarkable cultural and natural sites listed under UNESCO’s World Heritage List. He highlighted the crucial need to preserve heritage for the benefit of humankind. “World heritage is a shared heritage, and it’s essential for all of us to explore and acknowledge the vast spectrum of mankind’s commonalities,” He said. “Pakistan is one of the country’s that reflect the cultural values of about 5000 years ago”, he added. On this occasion, he reiterated his commitment that the Punjab archaeology department is making all out efforts to promote and preserve the unmatchable heritage of ancient Gandhara civilization.