By Fazal Khaliq
MINGORA: Large number of visitors thronged the local museum to observe International Museum Day on Wednesday.
To mark the World Museum Day, the Swat Museum, one of the largest museums of Gandhara civilization in the country was opened free for visitors.
Cultural activists, students and lovers of history visited the museum to see the historical items belonging to different ancient civilisations. They appreciated the provincial archaeology department for allowing free entry to the museum to mark the day.
Faizur Rehman, curator of Swat Museum, said that archaeology department had directed them to allow people to visit the museum without paying entry fee. “We have also advertised about free entry. A large number of people visited the museum today,” he told Dawn.
Mr Rehman said that museum was not only a building but an institution, which housed antiquities, entertained common visitors and helped in research on different subjects.
“When I came to know that entry to the museum was free, I informed other friends and we came here to see and learn about different historical items. I observed many useful things excavated by archaeologists,” said Yousaf Khan, a young visitor.
Other visitors said that they learnt about the life of Buddha and other religious figures of the past.
Dr Luca Maria Olivieri, head of Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan, who was present in Swat Museum, said that each of the objet in the museum had a complete record.
“The museum is situated in one of the most wonderful and archaeologically richest area, the Swat valley, which contains several civilisations,” he said.
