LAHORE, Dec 26: The US-based Getty Foundation has granted $2.5 million through United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) to Punjab Archeology Department for the restoration and conservation of eastern and western gates of Shalamar Gardens and the royal hamam ( Royal Bath), Punjab Archeology Department officials told Dawn.

The officials said Unesco had also selected Talib Hussain from Punjab Archeology Department as National Project Coordinator for the project, who said he would soon join the post on deputation.

Hussain told Dawn that Unesco had received the funding from Getty Foundation and work on the project would start soon.

The Foundation is part of the J Paul Getty Trust that funds research on history of art, conservation of art collections, historic buildings and archaeological sites, and supports training of museum professionals, interns and museum interpreters.

The officials said the technical committee which would be formed to look after the project, most likely include Saifur Rehman Dar, a seasoned archeologist, Fauzia Qureshi, an educationist at National College of Arts, Sajida Vandal NCA’s former principal, Shehbaz Khan, Director General Punjab Archeology Department and Malik Maqsood, an architect from Federal Archeology Department.

The major thing to be done in the restoration and conservation of the gates would be tile mosaic work. The Shahi or royal hamam is in dilapidated condition with the overall conservation of hamam it’s beautifully done but now faded frescos would also be restored.

A Punjab Archeology Department official told Dawn that for the overall conservation and restoration work on Shalamar Garden the meeting of steering committee would soon be held. It is pertinent to mention here that the Punjab government has allocated a sum of Rs300 million for the restoration and conservation of Shalamar Gardens.

The Shalamar Gardens are a splendid monument, for which the Mughals had five geographical sources of inspiration: Central Asia, Kashmir, western Punjab, Persia and the Delhi Sultanate.