US Ambassador Anne W Patterson visited the Lahore Fort to mark the completion of the US-funded project of the conservation of its Alamgiri Gate, urging the need for protecting the shared cultural heritage.
She said the restoration signified the broad-based nature of the US-Pakistan bilateral relations. The restoration would ensure that this important national symbol survived for future generations, she said.
‘Every time I come to the fort, I am amazed by its magnificent architecture. The Alamgiri Gate is truly an emblem of Lahore, and a beautiful and historic gateway to Lahore’s past,’ the ambassador said.
She appreciated the Punjab archaeology department for its painstaking attention to carrying out the project which was initiated in 2007 through the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation worth $31,834. The archaeology department restored the façade of the Alamgiri Gate using architectural techniques and materials similar to those utilised in the original construction.
The US embassy has, through the same scheme, also funded the conservation of 11 projects in Pakistan, including Sirkap site and Jinnan Wali Dehri in Taxila, Masjid Mahabat Khan, Peshawar, and Lahore’s Masjid Wazir Khan.
The US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation was established by Congress in 2001. It provides direct grant support to cultural heritage projects around the world. So far, it has supported more than 500 projects worldwide, totalling over $13.4 million. Earlier, Punjab Archaeology director-general Dr Pervaiz Abbas in his welcome address thanked the US ambassador for providing the grant. He said Unesco and Norway were also providing funds for the preservation of historical places in Pakistan.
He said the gate was built during the rule of Emperor Akbar’s grandson Emperor Shahjehan to provide for a direct passage to the Badshahi que. The gate was vandalised during the Sikh period and the British used it for military purposes. Its restoration indicated friendship between Pakistan and the US.
He later presented a souvenir to the ambassador.
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