ISLAMABAD: Japan is providing $370,000 (Dh1.36 million) grant assistance for enhancement of the antiquities’ conservation and exhibition capacity of Taxila Museum.
The signing ceremony held at the Ministry of Economic Affairs was attended by Ambassador of Japan Wada Mitsuhiro, Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Kinoshita Yasumitsu, Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs Dr Kazim Niaz and other officials from both countries.
The museum is located in the middle of the ancient Gandhara Buddhist ruins in Taxila, a Unesco World Heritage site with Gandhara arts of great historical and cultural value.
The museum preserves and exhibits the precious artefacts excavated in this area.
As of now, only approximately 30pc of the ruins at this site have been excavated, and the work is still under progress.
However, there are insufficient facilities and equipment to display the increasing number of excavated works in the museum, as well as to prevent these artifacts from deteriorating.
After the signing ceremony, the Japanese envoy Wada Mitsuhiro stated, “The Government of Japan recognizes the importance of cultural heritage and attaches great value to its preservation and supports Pakistan in this area as well.
The ancient Gandhara civilisation is very close to the heart of Japanese people and this project would lead to attract more tourists to Pakistan in the future.”
According to Kinoshita Yasumitsu, Taxila Museum has its own cultural identity and monumental historical significance.
“We hope that the upgraded Taxila museum will contribute to keeping the cultural heritage of Pakistan intact and making those accessible to researchers, scholars and students who would like to reconnect with the past and appreciate its monumental significance,” he said.
The project aims to promote understanding of the history and cultural heritage of Buddhism among domestic and overseas visitors and will do so by providing the Taxila Museum with the necessary equipment for improving its capacity for the conservation and exhibition of historical artifacts excavated from the Gandharan ruins.
‘Project to enrich cultural education’
The project also aims to enrich cultural education among the youth, and to facilitate cultural conservation, thereby contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal 11 i.e. Sustainable cities and communities.
The Japanese aid will not only give a face lift to the museum, it will also enhance existing facilities as there is a renewed interest among the Buddhist tourists in visiting Taxila and other touristic sites after the three-month rain retreat of Thailand’s spiritual leader Arayawangso.
