Diamer-Bhasha project: Rock carvings at dam site to be preserved

ISLAMABAD. The government plans to preserve around 33,000 ancient rock carvings at the site of the Diamer-Bhasha dam, officials told The Express Tribune on Wednesday.

According to them, the government has already hired German archaeologist Dr Harald Hauptmann as a consultant for the preservation project. They said Dr Hauptmann has proposed forming replicas of all but the most important carvings due to the unfeasibility of physically removing them from the dam site.

The government will soon launch a project under Dr Hauptmann’s guidance to preserve the carvings, according to the officials. Providing details, they said all carvings at the dam site will be documented in the first phase of the project. Once the documentation process is complete, replicas of the carvings will be commissioned and put up for display in two museums to be set up in Chilas and Gilgit.

Rock carvings carrying immense historic importance will be relocated to either one of the museums physically, the officials said. They added that the government will also open the rock carvings, unlikely to be damaged by the dam’s construction for the public as tourist attractions. [...] tribune.com.pk/

Foto: Dawn.com 2011.