Complementing the priorities specified in the Government's Ten Year Perspective Plan, the culture programmes of UNESCO Islamabad focus on adoption, implementation and reinforcement of relevant normative instruments in the field of culture.

What UNESCO Islamabad does in culture?
Further to the Government of Pakistan’s initiative to develop a National Culture Policy and in keeping with priorities highlighted in the policy document and UNESCO’s Mid-term Strategy 2008-2013, UNESCO Islamabad has developed a mid-term programme for its culture activities.  The overarching purpose of this programme is to assist the government in implementing the priorities identified within the framework of the national culture policy. In addition to the normative instruments of UNESCO for culture activities, the programme is underpinned by the following principles:

•  Promotion of cultural diversity
•  Strengthening the link between culture and development
•  Safeguarding of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage

Conservation and protection of World Heritage Sites located in Pakistan are of utmost priority and despite the negligible budget allocation for its biannual regular programme, UNESCO Islamabad has succeeded in creating a general awareness regarding the universal significance of these sites through advocacy, networking and generating extra-budgetary resources. More about us.....

Conservation of Shalamar Gardens, Lahore

Historical background
Shalamar Gardens, a marvel of Mughal garden architecture, is one of the greatest gardens in the world, representing of the Islamic concept of Paradise. The site was inscribed on the World Heritage List, along with Lahore Fort in 1981, for the following outstanding universal values or criteria. The two sites: i) represent a masterpiece of human creative genius; ii) exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design; and ii) bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. More....

Preservation of Endangered Moveable Cultural Assets of Gandhara Art

Historical background

Pakistan has inherited a wealth of rich and diverse cultural heritage – a legacy of successive civilizations which flourished in the region over the centuries. Gandhara, the cradle of Buddhist Civilization, which gave birth to the famous Gandhara Art, is first mentioned in the Rig-Veda, the religious book of Aryans. It remained one of the provinces of the Achaemenian Empire as per Darius inscription of the 6th century BC. Pushkalavati (Balahisar-Charsadda in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan) was its first capital from the 6th century BC to 1st century AD, which was invaded in 327 BC by Alexander the Great. Later, Gandhara was ruled by Mauryans, Indo-Greeks, Scythians and Parthians rulers. The Kushanas established their capital at Pushapura or Peshawar in the 1st century AD and King Kanishka built a stupa and monastery at Shah-Ji-ki-Dheri, near Ganj Gate Peshawar. In the 7th century AD, the Shahi Dynasties of Kabul and Gandhara established capital of Gandhara at Hund, which remained their capital till the invasions of Ghaznavids in 998 AD, thus ending the rule of Gandhara after about 1600 years. More....

Mapping of Cultural Assets in NWFP

What is cultural mapping?

The idea of "cultural mapping" arises from a social, economic, or cultural need at the local or national level. Although it is not an end in itself, cultural mapping serves as a tool and methodology to answer this need. Relevant to UNESCO is the mobilization of existing tools and instruments as a fundamental step in its general objective of safeguarding cultural diversity. Cultural mapping, as one such instrument, embraces a wide range of techniques and activities that range from community-based participatory approach in identifying and documenting local cultural resources and activities to the use of innovative and sophisticated information tools like GIS. More....