Ancient architecture in Lahore, Pakistan face decay

World Today

Pakistan has a rich heritage of ancient architecture, including many buildings dating back hundreds of years, but much of this heritage is suffering from decay. CCTV’s Danial Khan reports from Lahore, Pakistan.

An ancient culture representing the majestic lives of kings and emperors still echoes through the city of Lahore. Buildings represent a blend of centuries past – from the Mughal Dynasty to the Sikh Empire to the era of the British Raj.

After the fall of the Mughal dynasty in the 19th century, these monuments were hit by apathy and remained that way for years.

With a lack of resources and people to do the work, the government’s Archaeology Department can only attend to a few historical monuments and archaeological sites.

“We are not collecting enough material knowledge about the decay of buildings and what kind of material can be used to stop the decay,” Architect and Conservator Yasmeen Cheema said.

So getting funding approved for upkeep can be a long and a difficult process.

“Minimum intervention is always the best. If there is a crack here, just remove that crack, that’s about it, you don’t have to build a new wall altogether,” Architect and Conservator Sajjad Kausar said.