Unesco, Norway to preserve archaeological sites in NWFP

TAKHTBHAI: The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and the Norwegian government have started mapping various archaeological sites in seven districts of NWFP to preserve and maintain them, said Unesco National Project Manager Farhat Gul at a cultural festival here Wednesday.

Director General for Archaeology Fazal Dad Kakar, District Nazim Himayatullah Mayar and several others also attended the festival and in their brief speeches highlighted the importance of cultural heritage.

Addressing the event, organised jointly by the Unesco and Norwegian Embassy, Farhat said the mapping exercise was in progress in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Swat, Chitral and Bannu, abound in historic cultural heritage. He shed light on great Gandhara civilisation that flourished in this part of the world and said the monuments and the relics were assets and they must be preserved for next generations.

District Nazim Himayatullah Mayar lauded the efforts of Norwegian government and said the construction work of the local museum was nearing completion, which would contain one of the finest collections of Gandhara civilisation from Mardan. The participants later visited the preserved monument, a Buddhist monastery on the rocky ridge of Takhtbhai.