ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi has said the historic Shah Allah Ditta Caves in Islamabad are being developed into a world-class Buddhist heritage site with modern facilities.<\/p>\n
According to a press release issued by the National Heritage and Culture Division on Tuesday, the minister said the caves, an important centre of Gandhara civilisation and Buddhist heritage, were being upgraded in line with international standards.<\/p>\n
During a visit to the site, Khichi reviewed the ongoing conservation and development work. Parliamentary Secretary Farah Naz Akbar also accompanied him.<\/p>\n
The minister directed the relevant authorities to complete the work at the earliest so that the site could be formally inaugurated during the Gandhara Conference scheduled for September\/October.<\/p>\n
Officials of the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums (DOAM) briefed the minister that a historic Buddhist-era stupa was located on the hillside opposite the caves, but could not be clearly seen from the site because of the distance.<\/p>\n
Khichi directed the installation of a modern telescope to help Buddhist monks and other visitors view the historic stupa more closely. He also instructed that the caves should prominently present the history and heritage of Buddhism so that the site\u2019s historical and religious importance could be properly highlighted.<\/p>\n
The federal minister said Prime Minister of Pakistan was taking keen interest in the preservation, promotion and international recognition of the Gandhara civilisation. He said that, under this vision, Shah Allah Ditta Caves were being developed according to international standards.<\/p>\n
He added that facilities including a cafeteria, gift shop and other visitor amenities would be set up for local and foreign visitors. The caves would also be illuminated with decorative lights in the evening to enhance their attraction.<\/p>\n
Later, the minister chaired a high-level meeting at the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. Secretary National Heritage and Culture Asad Rehman Gilani, the joint secretary and other senior officials attended the meeting.<\/p>\n
The meeting was given a detailed briefing on development and conservation projects related to Shah Allah Ditta Caves and other historical sites.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, a proposal was presented for preparing a special historical map showing the evolution of Islamabad. The minister directed that a dedicated \u201cGakhar Corner\u201d be established in the directorate\u2019s gallery to display historical artefacts and information related to the historic Gakhar Fort near Kahuta and the Gakhar tribe.<\/p>\n
He also instructed that artefacts from the ancient Mehrgarh civilisation should be displayed in the gallery to highlight Pakistan\u2019s rich archaeological heritage.<\/p>\n
Khichi said some members of the National Assembly from Balochistan had sought the ministry\u2019s support for the preservation of the century-old ancestral house of renowned poet and writer Syed Zahoor Shah Hashmi in Gwadar, as well as other historical sites in Turbat.<\/p>\n
He said the concerned parliamentarians had been asked to submit formal written recommendations so that the projects could be taken up after completion of necessary legal requirements.<\/p>\n
On the occasion, Secretary National Heritage and Culture Asad Rehman Gilani said the gallery of the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums would be reorganised and upgraded on modern lines.<\/p>\n
He said efforts would be made to encourage educational visits by university students and greater public participation to promote awareness of Pakistan\u2019s historical and cultural heritage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aurangzeb Khan Khichi says Shah Allah Ditta Caves are being upgraded with modern facilities and may be inaugurated during the upcoming Gandhara Conference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":20217,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20218\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}