We mourn the loss of Notre Dame and applaud how people are pledging to bring it back to life, but what about our own heritage sites? Here is a list of sites that have been restored and others that have been forgotten.
Ranikot Fort
We might not be number 1 in a lot of things but we have the world’s largest fort. Didn’t know that? Neither did we until we read about it. In fact, the site is often referred to as the Great Wall of Sindh. Sadly, almost 60 percent of the walls have collapsed and multiple restoration projects have been shelved. Ranikot isn’t royal anymore.
Ziarat is a holiday resort near Quetta where Jinnah’s famous summer house is. The residence was destroyed in 2013 by
Swat Buddha
The iconic seventh-century Buddha was destroyed by the Taliban in 2007. However, it was restored with the help of the Italians.
Red Fort, Muzaffarabad
Built by the Chak rulers of Kashmir in the 16th Century. Much of it was destroyed in the 2005 earthquake and is yet to be repaired.
Laxmi Mansion
We make movies about Manto but haven’t bothered to renovate the house he lived in. Lahore ka Laxmi Mansion is situated in Laxmi chowk but now no one lives there and if you ask someone for directions, they won’t even know where it is.
Banbhore
Located in the Thatta district, this historic site dates back to first century BC. Apart from excavations with the help of Italian Archaeological experts, not much has been done to restore the site which was once an important port.
