LAHORE: World Monuments Fund (WMF) has included Jahangir’s Mausoleum Complex as one of the 25 heritage sites on the World Monuments Watch (WMW) list 2022, said Dr Tahir Masood, Managing Director NESPAK here on Tuesday. The WMW selection comprises globally recognized heritage sites whose preservation was urgent and vital to the communities surrounding them, he said. He said the site was proposed/nominated by NESPAK with Yasmin Cheema prominent cultural heritage conservationist and with generous support from the Directorate General of Archaeology, Punjab. Once on the World Monument Watch list, a proper conservation plan would be developed by NESPAK with a multidisciplinary team of experts including Ms Yasmeen Cheema to conserve and restore the buildings in the complex to their authentic and original form and to rejuvenate the Chahar Bagh (paradise garden) with the involvement of traditional artisans and communities living in the surrounding areas, he added. The NESPAK MD said the WMF was the leading independent organization devoted to safeguarding the world’s most treasured places to enrich people’s lives and build mutual understanding across cultures and communities. He said the organization was headquartered in New York City with offices and affiliates around the world.
The fund from WMF had been able to preserve more than 700 sites in 112 countries and the Watch which was announced every two years, had proven to be a tool for raising awareness of sites that were facing pressing global challenges of climate change, imbalanced tourism, under representation, and recovery from crisis and were in need of protection and support for their preservation, he added. The 17th century Mausoleum Complex of Emperor Jahangir was the only Mughal Emperor funerary complex in Pakistan and had the outstanding universal value of being the only single-storey commemorative structure for a Mughal Emperor, he said and added the tomb was still intact, providing a glimpse of the splendors of Mughal architecture and intangible cultural heritage of the era. Jahangir’s tomb complex faces many challenges, including the effects of climate change. Therefore, it is a matter of urgency to save the site’s authenticity and integrity, to pass it to the future generations, for them to know their history and identity. The mausoleum complex can become a rich economic resource, with proper tourist infrastructure and involvement of the local community, he added.