https://arab.news/me9n8
- Pictures posted by Sindh culture department show ruined brown brick exterior of building washed over with white paint
- Sindh culture minister says senior consultants and archaeologists carried out the conservation work under “approved guidelines”
KARACHI: Pakistani social media erupted with jokes and criticism on Thursday after the culture department of the southern Sindh province tweeted pictures of a historic mosque that showed the ruined brown brick exterior of the building washed over with white paint.
“#SindhGovt restores and preserves ancient #heritage sites across the province according to predefined archaeological standards under its Dept of #Culture & #Antiquites,” the Sindh culture department said in a tweet that showed images of a tomb and two mosques built in the 18th century that the department said it had restored.
Screenshot of the original Sindh Culture Department Tweet (now deleted)
The tweet was subsequently removed, after social media users started sharing memes about the botched restoration while others took a more critical stance.
Yasmeen Lari, a well known Pakistani architect, said the culture department had given a “twenty first century look” to a historical mosque.
“If there is a ruin you have to preserve it as ruin,” she said. “Every monument should tell it’s original age after restoration but when one sees the restored mosque, it looks like a twenty first century building.”
The Sindh culture minister Syed Sardar Shah said senior consultants and archaeologists had carried out the conservation work under “approved guidelines” and standard manuals of the Venice Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites 1964.
“Criminal stupidity,” noted researcher Nazish Brohi said on Twitter. “Who have you transferred to archeology dept, sindh government? The PR guys who paint schools before ministerial visits?”
“Unfortunately it’s origin has been demolished, it’s looking [like] a new building,” documentary photographer Manoj Genani tweeted. “I have seen many pairings on walls of Jain temples in #Nagarparkar where contractors have pasted white cement on it, it’s not rehabilitations but destroying heritages.”
Many users turned to satire.
“Restored by Govt of Sindh,” one Twitter user wrote, sharing pictures of a ruin next to a photo of a luxury bungalow.
Another user shared a picture of Pakistani TV anchor Sahir Lodhi, often compared to Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, and wrote: “Sindh Govt restored Shahrukh Khan.”