Now let us go inside and explore its marvels. The building is not very impressive from the outside and does not give any idea of its true size. But once you begin visiting its galleries, you are not only impressed by the items on display and the way they are presented, but also by the vastness of the museum itself. It covers every aspect of human life in this region, from ancient times to the present—how people lived during the Indus Valley Civilization, the Gandhara Civilization, and onwards up to modern times.
The collection of items is simply huge. Every aspect of the heritage of Pakistan is touched upon and beautifully displayed. The galleries are dedicated to different facets of our heritage. One of them highlights the ancient civilizations of the Indus Valley and Gandhara, and then the advent of Islam. It showcases life during those times with the help of life-sized models of people in the attire of those days, engaged in their daily routines and tasks.
One gallery displays very beautifully made dolls in traditional dresses. Naturally, a big hit among the young girls. These dolls are an excellent example of the skills of our artisans.
Pakistan is famous for its folk tales of love and romance. The models of characters of famous love stories of Heer Ranjha, Dhola Maru, Haani Shah Muree etc., are on display. The characters are wearing traditional dresses and are set in the areas where they lived.
Dresses of people are one of the most important parts of their culture. Pakistan is home to people of many ethnicities. The same diversity is found in their dresses. Naturally, the museum has a huge collection of regional dresses from all regions of Pakistan, and these colourful and beautifully embroidered and painted dresses, especially of ladies, make a great spectacle.
Nothing explains our lifestyle more clearly than our furniture and household items. There is no dearth of these items in the museum as well. From colourfully painted chairs to the rocking beds of children are part of the furniture collection on display.
Pakistan is famous for its wonderful woodwork. And when
we talk about the woodworks, nothing is more fascinating than the traditional
wooden carved door. It is an art that excelled in the past. Fortunately, still
many great specimens of this fading art have been preserved and some of them are
on display. One such door, brought from Bhera, is truly a masterpiece of the woodwork.
Calligraphy is an integral part of Islamic civilization. This art has always been popular in this region and has produced numerous people who excelled in this art. Our mosques, shrines and even some houses are often decorated with calligraphy. This museum displays many works of calligraphic writing.
The predominant religion of our country is Islam. So a gallery is dedicated to this aspect of our culture. So our visit would be incomplete if I do not mention some very beautifully handwritten Qurans on display.
The museum is so large that in addition to Pakistan, it covers the culture of our neighbouring countries like China, Turkey, Iran and the Central Asian countries as well. One big gallery is reserved to show the culture of these friendly countries, which is indeed very interesting.
At the end, I must say I have not been able to cover even one-fourth of all that is on display in this wonderful museum. Seeing is believing, so if you have not visited it before, plan a visit at the first available opportunity. The museum is open from 10 am to 7 pm, every day except Mondays, and on Fridays it has a break from 12:30 to 02:00. It is a great package of fun and learning.
Tariq Amir
January 18, 2022.
Islamabad
