Tourists to access information about historical, religious sites at one click

Islamabad: Local and foreign tourists as well as researchers will now be able to access valuable information about all the historical and religious sites of the country through one click through a mobile based app and a website under the project of Mapping of Historical and Religious Sites in Pakistan .

“The project to be executed by Department of Archaeology and Museums (DoAM), Islamabad soon will be of great significance for the students, researchers, tourists and archaeologists,” Director Archaeology, Abdul Azeem informed while talking to this agency.

“Pakistan is enriched with a large number of archaeological sites carrying great historical and religious significance and this project will help make all the information about both the famous as well as unfamiliar sites accessible to the people,” he said.

Abdul Azeem said the project includes mapping of all the historical and religious sites exist on the map of Pakistan out of which many of the sites were explored before by different students, researchers and archaeologists separately.

“The department will first compile all the information about these sites through involving archaeology experts and hiring different consultant firms for which the tender process is going on,” he informed.

The teams of archaeologists and different hired companies would start compilation work of historical and religious sites across the country simultaneously. “The mobile app and website will carry information regarding significance, origin and importance of these sites for the users and serve as traveller’s guide,”Abdul Azeem said.

"This project will take more than a year for completion and serve as an impetus for boosting local and foreign tourism and revenue generation in the country," he continued. “After launch of the mobile app and website, the department will continue adding information about the remaining sites as these sites are in thousands,” he said.

The DoAM has been working under National History and Literary Division on different projects to preserve the rich cultural and historical assets of Pakistan in form of antiquities and sites. The department has also completed the project of digitization of artefacts through compiling the digital record of antiquities, Abdul Azeem added.