The Department of Archaeology and Museums has loaned one of the largest consignments of masterpieces of Gandhara art to China for an exhibition in Beijing.
These artifacts, which include 173 Gandhara masterworks from the Peshawar, Swat, Dir, Hund, Taxila, Karachi, and Islamabad museums, will go on display at the Palace Museum Forbidden City on February 15. Three months will pass after the exhibition opens.
The provincial departments of archaeology in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa actively supported the show and loaned some of their best examples of Gandhara art.
“The event will be attended by dignitaries and senior officials from Pakistan. This significant occasion was made possible in large part because of the efforts of the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad, and the Pakistani Embassy in China. According to Dr. Mehmoodul Hassan, deputy director of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, “the exhibition will offer new vistas of cooperation between China and Pakistan in the domains of museums and cultural heritage.
According to him, one of China’s most significant and well-known organizations for the development and protection of cultural assets is the Palace Museum. The official added, “Palace Museum will cooperate with and support its Pakistani counterparts in the domains of archaeological research, monument conservation, documentation, and treatment of museum artifacts, as well as scholarships for young Pakistani experts.
Official says three-month Beijing show to open new vistas of cooperation in museums, cultural heritage between two countries.
He noted that collaborative efforts in these areas with Palace Museum would benefit in improving the institutions’ capacity to protect and promote the nation’s cultural heritage.
2008 marked the last time Pakistan lent such a sizable shipment of antiquities. Germany received up to 250 antique artifacts on loan. Before returning home in 2011, these antiques were also displayed in Switzerland and France.
The Lahore Museum was unable to contribute because of administrative constraints despite the Chinese government’s request.
Greek artifacts from the best collection found in the Swat, Gandhara, and Taxila valleys from the second century to the fifth century AD are also among the artifacts, in addition to life-size and miniature statues of Siddhartha and Buddha that depict his birth, early palace life, and the periods after enlightenment.
Additionally, the Islamabad Museum has loaned 10 items, including a gold bowl from the 2nd century BC.
Dr. Hassan told Dawn that the exhibition was part of the 70th anniversary of friendly and diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China. “To ensure the befitting participation of Pakistan in the celebrations and to promote its cultural wealth at the international level, the Department of Archaeology and Museums, National Heritage and Culture Division, Islamabad, is arranging this grand exhibition of the Buddhist Art of Gandhara at Palace Museum (Forbidden City), Beijing,” he added.
