On 18 September 2025 the Islamabad Museum opened its new Digital Immersive Gallery, developed by the Korea Heritage Agency (KHA) under the Korea ODA project (2021–2025) focused on Gandhara cultural promotion and tourism. The gallery uses advanced digital technology to present Gandhara’s long cultural legacy and its historical links with the Korean Peninsula.
Senior officials and project partners attended the inauguration, including SAPM/State Minister Huzaifa Rehman, Mr. Asad Rehman Gilani, Chairperson of the NA Standing Committee on Heritage and Culture, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Secretary, National Heritage and Culture Division, H.E. Mr. Park Jelak, Acting Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Kim Dongha, Executive Director of KHA, Mr. Baek Kyung Hwan, Director International Cooperation at KHA, Islamabad heads of Korean ODA projects (KOICA, COPIA, EDCF), Dr. Park Donghee, Project Manager at KHA and his team, and Mr. Aman Ullah, Director General of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Islamabad.
The Digital Immersive Gallery presents interactive 3D projections and immersive storytelling that allow visitors to engage with digital renderings of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas with simple gestures. Exhibition content traces the spread of Buddhism from Gandhara to the Korean Peninsula and recalls the journeys of Korean monks who travelled to Gandhara to study the Dharma. The display also highlights Pakistan’s six UNESCO World Heritage Sites and offers a continuous historical panorama from the 3rd millennium BCE to the 17th century CE.
The State Minister commended the Republic of Korea’s contribution to Pakistan’s cultural heritage, saying the gallery will act as a bridge between past and present and reinforce cultural ties between the two countries. Guests concluded the ceremony with a guided tour of the gallery, experiencing firsthand the blend of technology and history now accessible to Islamabad visitors.
The gallery is part of a wider ODA programme whose results to date include:
- Conservation and Analysis Laboratory (2022) — Pakistan’s first advanced conservation facility for inorganic antiquities, fitted with modern instruments.
- Training workshops and internships — more than 125 conservators, curators and students trained nationwide in conservation sciences.
- Archaeological Research Center (2022) — equipped with drones, scanners, GNSS systems and 3D modelling software, documenting 185 archaeological sites across Taxila, Central Gandhara, Swat Valley and Islamabad.
- Pilot excavation at Mankiala Stupa — hands-on field training for students and young archaeologists in modern excavation techniques.
Looking ahead, the Government of the Republic of Korea has approved a second phase (2026–2030) that includes the construction of the Pakistan Institute of Cultural Heritage Training and Research at Shakarparian, Islamabad, providing a permanent facility for heritage training, research and international collaboration. The new institute and the Digital Immersive Gallery together aim to strengthen Pakistan’s heritage management capacity and public access to cultural history.
