Efforts are underway to digitally preserve Pakistan’s important heritage sites through an advanced portable laser scanner. The 3D scanning of country’s heritage sites, along with their preservation, aims to introduce a heritage portal for virtual tours of historic architectural sites in the near future.
Primarily, the project targets 3D scanning of six heritage sites in the country -- two each from Punjab, KP and Sindh. It aims to digitally preserve these sites and will also help promote virtual tours of Pakistani heritage.
USAID, under its Small Grants and Ambassador’s Fund Program, supports the digital preservation of these heritage sites in Pakistan. The project is being implemented by the Technology for People Initiative of Lahore University of Management Sciences with technical support by CyArk -- an international non-profit organisation -- and local partners including Aga Khan Foundation and Mehran University, Sindh.
CyArk has the mission of using new technologies to create a free 3D online library of the world’s cultural heritage sites before they are lost. The broader goal is to save these cultural heritage sites digitally before more are ravaged by war, terrorism, arson, urban sprawl, climate change, earthquakes, floods, and other threats.
The six heritage sites in Pakistan are part of the CyArk 500 Challenge, and will be accessible on CyArk and LUMS’ separate websites in future. LUMS has joined hands with CyArk to achieve its CyArk 500 Challenge, an ambitious plan to digitally preserve 500 cultural heritage sites within the next five years.
The project involves a first time 3D scanning of the six selected sites in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh through an advanced and expensive portable scanner. After tax relaxations and discount, the scanner cost 50,000USD to reach Pakistan.
The first training of Pakistani students with portable 3D laser scanner was held in Lahore in Masjid Wazir Khan last week with the help of local partners. The other heritage sites include Masjid Khudabad, Dadu; Takht-e-Bahi, Mardan; Derawar Fort, Bahawalpur; Temple of Shiva Johi, Dadu; and a site with Buddhist remains known as Stupa at Julian, Haripur.
Ross Davison is a young trainer who has recently come to Pakistan to train students of various universities in how to use this expensive equipment. "Digital scanning and other advanced technologies are available today and allow us to preserve and experience these incredible places in a way previously that was impossible. Now is the time for us to take advantage of these technologies and the change they enable to save these priceless treasures," he tells TNS.
With a formal degree in archeology and having a role in preserving around 60 sites, Davison views such projects could also help governments and other organisations in conservation and comparisons of these sites.
"The use of this technique will help in documentation of these buildings, digital preservation and will be giving new life to these heritage sites," says a Murtaza Taj, a teacher of LUMS engaged in this project. "The virtual tour of Wazir Khan Mosque on the portal (www.heritage360.pk) will take a couple of months. Other sites will be uploaded after the completion of the project in six months."
"After training around 40-50 students, we will invite more students to learn how to use this scanner to preserve various heritage sites and to add to the portal for virtual tours," says Taj. "The camera has perfect accuracy and one can scan these buildings very minutely."
"Previously, Aga Khan Foundation scanned these building manually which was a difficult task," says Rashid Makhdoom, an architect from AKF. He says the Foundation is providing expert opinion to students to help in scanning. He thinks scanning can also help in making comparison and looking at the sites’ condition from time to time for preservation guidelines.
Laser scanning with portable camera started in the world in 2001 with preservation of more than 1600 years old Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan. CyArk, based in Oakland (California), has already completed around 60 projects towards its goal of 500. These sites, called the Exemplar Projects, include Pompeii, Babylon, Mt. Rushmore, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Titanic, the Sydney Opera House and, most recently, the Tower of London. The organisation was founded in 2003 to ensure heritage sites are available to future generations, while making them uniquely accessible in this technologically advanced age.
The US Ambassador’s Fund supports small scale, high impact projects to improve communities throughout Pakistan, which supports activities in the priority areas of Wildlife Conservation, Women Issues, Cultural Preservation, Entrepreneurship and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene. Cultural Preservation, one of the main sectors under the programme, intends to preserve key elements of Pakistan’s rich customs and heritage.