Attention need to preserve the historical heritage of Chitral

Dear Sir,

I would like to take advantage of the hospitality of your esteemed publication to draw the attention of the people and the authorities of Chitral on a problem of the district that has not so far received the necessary consideration. I am an Italian scholar who has recently completed a three months period of ethnohistorical field research in Chitral and neighbouring areas, as part of a scientific mission sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Institute for Africa and the Orient (IsIAO).
During my stay, which once again gave me the opportunity to enjoy the warm, unforgettable hospitality of so many Chitrali friends, I have remarked that many changes and improvements have taken place lately in the district: in particular, significant steps forward have been taken in the sphere of nature conservation and the diffusion of a general environmental awareness among the public. Surprisingly, however, there has been no comparable progress in the field of the preservation of the historical heritage, in the shape of buildings, sights and resources of historical and artistic significance.
The research carried out in these last months has shown that there are many buildings of historical value and considerable potential for the development of tourism in Chitral, which are completely unknown to either the public or the scholars. In the absence of a policy of protection and preservation, these buildings run the risk of being destroyed or badly manipulated, a fate that has befallen several others of the kind in recent years.
I feel obliged to provide at least a short list of the most significant sites I could visit, with the caution that other such sites are likely to still exist waiting to be uncovered, while others still are better known, though also unprotected, such as the Muzzataf of Reshun, the towers of Jinjeret Kuh or the baipash (traditional living room) built by Maimun Beg at the former British Agency (a site that deserves being opened to the public to become one of the future tourist attractions of Chitral town).
The newly identified sites I have visited include:
1) The spectacular complex of Sangallandur in Goshen, Kushum, believed by some to have belonged to the founding father of the Katur dynasty, Sangalli (or Sangin Ali) I. It has three adjacent houses with marvellous wood-carvings in a unique style, probably no less than three-hundred years old.
2) The tomb of Rom, son of Sangalli, in Reshun, which is apparently the only surviving example of the peculiar style of burial of the aristocracy in the Rais period. It is a most elegant building of great historical significance, in very bad state of repair, also some three centuries old.
3) The three houses of Muhammad �Baba� Siar that still survive out of the eight he apparently owned at Shogram. Siar was the greatest Chitrali poet of all times, a versatile man who also mastered carpentry skills and built with his own hands the two houses I could visit. One of them features a large relief inscription on a wall, composed by his own hands, with a famous line from one of his poems.
4) The three Buddhist inscriptions of Rain, Pakhtoridini and Charrun, already mentioned by Aurel Stein a century ago. The first of these remained so far unpublished and was recorded for this purpose by the mission. It has recently suffered some damage at the hand of playful visitors.
5) The small mosque of Muhammad Beg, another son of Sangalli I, at Reshun. This building is a small jewel of great antiquity, in very good condition, which must be preserved from any alteration. I could not visit the nearby Lot Dur, but from reports received I gather it is also an outstanding building that requires protection.
6) The complex of Dam at Chapali, which belonged to the late Chitrali poet Rahmat Akbar Khan Rahmat. Perched in a spectacular position on a high rock, this site has great scenic and historical value.
7) The fort of Noghor Muli in Werkup, built in Aman-ul-Mulk�s times by his minister Maimun Beg, featuring a unique kind of tower and two historical baipash rooms from the late 19th century.
8) The truncated tower of Pawer in Yarkhun, one of the few surviving examples of a once-common typology of defensive structure.
9) A separate mention must be made of the forts of the royal family, which have received some attention in recent times, especially the main one in Chitral. These buildings have less historical depth than the ones mentioned above, since they were entirely rebuilt in the early 20th century, and mostly again renovated since then. Yet, given their great significance for the history of the country, they also require protection and public intervention.
The first criterion that should be applied in dealing with all these sites is that preservation does not mean reconstruction, a procedure that annihilates the historical value of the building, even when the original decorated carpentry is reemployed. The latter procedure has been applied by many private owners to old baipash houses that have thus lost much of their appeal, and by many communities to their old carved wooden mosques. Modern principles of conservative restoration, with the work of competent specialists, should rather be applied in the treatment of this precious heritage.
One of the problems, of course, is that many of these buildings are not only private property, but the actual living quarters of their owners, who should not be made to regret the historical and artistic value of their property, but rather encouraged to appreciate and enhance the commercial value that they are bound to acquire in the near future if appropriately managed and protected.
As shown by the experience of countries like my own, a feasible policy of preservation must be based on two pillars: a) a restrictive legislation prohibiting unauthorized alterations, which requires very little expenditure; b) the provision of technical expertise and sufficient funds and incentives to ensure the cooperation of private owners.
A further, separate, problem that must be mentioned is the need to protect and reorganize the historical archives and records from British times that are still preserved in Chitral under rather unfavourable conditions.
Finally, let me remark that the issue does not concern merely Chitral District, but most of Pakistan�s northern regions: during a short visit in Dir, for example, I have found that the beautifully carved graves of the great Khans of the 19th century lie in a pitiful state of abandonment.
It is to be hoped that attention may be drawn to this problem from national and international agencies competent in the field, so that these treasures may be protected, to the benefit of the people of this country, of its visitors, and of the historical heritage of the human family.

Alberto Cacopardo,
University of Florence,
Italy.