$149,000 Grants

By Staff Reporter, *US puts up $149,000 for Sufi shrines’ preservation* - Daily Times - Pakistan
Thursday, April 22, 2010

US Ambassador Anne Patterson announces $65,011 for Hazrat Fareed’s shrine, $22,358 for Hazrat Musa Pak’s and $62,351 for Hazrat Rajan Qattal’s

Conservation work to include brick and tile renovation, removal of worn-out paint and plaster, restoration of original frescoes

Lahore: United States Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson on Wednesday announced grants worth $149,000 for the conservation and restoration of the three Sufi shrines in Punjab under the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.

She was speaking at the signing ceremony of the cultural preservation project at Jahangir’s Tomb. Patterson said the US government was honoured to contribute to the preservation of the shrines of Hazrat Rajan Qattal in Uch Sharif, Hazrat Musa Pak Shaheed in Multan and Hazrat Khawaja Ghulam Fareed in Rajanpur.

Grant breakdown: She also lauded the Punjab Archaeology Department’s support in preserving the province’s cultural heritage sites. The US ambassador announced a $65,011 grant for Hazrat Khawaja Ghulam Fareed’s shrine, $22,358 for the shrine of Hazrat Musa Pak Shaheed and $62,351 for the shrine of Hazrat Rajan Qattal.

Patterson said these sites are not only part of Pakistan’s heritage, but were treasured by the world at large. The conservation projects will include renovation of brick and tile work, the removal of superficial layers of paint and worn-out plaster to unearth the original plaster designs, replacing decaying wooden beams and restoring the frescoes to their original form.

In addition to the three grants, the US embassy has also funded the conservation of several sites in Pakistan, including the Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort, the Sirkap Site and Jinnan Wali Dehri in Taxila, Masjid Mahabat Khan and Gor Khuttree in Peshawar, Maan Sing Haveli, the Rohtas Fort and the bazaar of the Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore.

Three restoration projects – currently underway in Punjab include Hazrat Shah Shams Tabraiz’s shrine in Multan, the Hafiq Hayat Complex in Gujranwala and Hazrat Sakhi Sarwar’s shrine in Dera Ghazi (DG) Khan. The US has spent more than $20 million on 550 similar projects under the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation across the globe during the last decade.

Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Archaeology Department Director General (DG) Haroon Ahmad Khan said the US had funded a number of preservation projects in different parts of the province and helped restore places, such as the Alamgiri Gate of Lahore Fort, the Wazir Khan Mosque and others.

Terming the US’ grants for the three shrines a ‘noble gesture’, he thanked Patterson for Washington’s keen interest in the restoration of Pakistan’s cultural heritage sites.