400 artefacts digitalised at Islamabad museum

Islamabad: Department of Archaeology and Museums (DoAM) has completed digitalisation of around 400 artefacts of Islamabad museum through its Digitalisation Centre to provide electronic database for visitors especially scholars to conduct research and prevent illicit trafficking of archaeological objects.

The department has digitalized overall 2000 artefacts so far under the project titled `Establishment of digitalization centre for documentation of the artefacts and archival material'' is being executed by DoAM.

Talking to APP, Director (Archaeology), DoAM, Abdul Azeem said preservation and documentation has always been a matter of concern for the academic research of the moveableand immoveable cultural wealth of the country.

The fragility of archaeological material and lack of digital documentation of the artefacts in the national repository limits academic study and verification of record. The digital archiving of the whole record of the archaeological artefacts in the custody of DoAM was direly needed for preservation, preventing it from illicit trafficking and providing data to the scholars for interpretive information, he said.

Abdul Azeem said the department will digitize the entire inventory with DoAM in phases which will be replicated by all the provinces so that a national inventory can be created. It will enable the country to comply with the UNESCO Convention of 1970 i.

e "Prohibiting and Preventing the illicit Import Export and Transfer of ownership of cultural property", he said. The high resolution pictures of these artefacts and electronic database is the only way to preserve and project this rich cultural heritage of the country, he observed.