Introduction
One of the most interesting places to visit is a Museum, which is a place for everyone to know more about the culture of a certain nation. One interesting place to visit is the Lahore Museum, which is currently located in the City of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The Lahore Museum was established in 1865 that was then later moved to the Mall, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan in 1894. John Lockwood Kipling is one of the known curators of the area. The Museum is the largest in the country, allowing locals and international visitors to experience the culture and historical heritage of Pakistan during the ancient times. The site is a tourist attraction, generating at least hundreds of thousands of visitors who explore the whole area on an annual basis.
The type of Lahore Museum is heritage, archeology, art, a religious, and modern history that presents the relevance of Pakistani culture to the modern community. The museum contains some important ancient specimens from various generations such as the Sikh and Mughal doorways. There are numerous collections of paintings and artifacts during the Sikh, Mughal, and British eras. There are several compartments and rooms that display pottery, jewelry, armory, and textiles that are widely available to the public. There are also photographic exhibits across the area that presents life and culture of Pakistan during the 18th and 19th century when cameras were already invented by the western scientists. There are archeological materials that were taken from different parts of Pakistan to show how it was like to live during the ancient times in the Indus Valley region when it was not yet called as Pakistan in the modern society.
One interesting artifacts displayed in various parts of the museum are the statues of Supreme beings of several religions around the world. Examples are the different forms of Buddha that represents the religious profile of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikh. The Islamic architecture is also present in the Museum, highlighting the influence of Islam when it invaded Pakistan during second millennium. In this position, there is a historical significance of religion that influenced Pakistan over the years that reflect their cultural heritage as presented by the artifacts inside the Museum. The photographic presentation reveals how Pakistan became as a state during the 19th century. Visitors can now understand how Pakistan became as one of the most successful states in the Southern Asian sub region, representing another form of a civilization that is away from the Indian subcontinent.
Lahore Museum can be visited between 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon during winter months that is from October to April. On the other hand, the time of availability is between 9 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon during summer months from April to October. Regular fare applied for adults is Rs 20 while children and students have a rate of Rs 5. Foreigners are charged Rs 400 to visit the museum. The facility charges each individual who brings their own camera including their mobile phone camera with at least Rs 25 per camera piece. The museum is closed during the holidays such as Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-i-Milad-un-Nabi, and other national holidays in Pakistan. The Museum is closed for every first Monday of the month for maintenance purposes by the custodian and the government authorities in Pakistan (Bhatti, 2012).
Reference
- Bhatti, Shaila (2012), Translating museums: a counter history of South Asian museology, Walnut Creek, Calif: Left Coast Press, ISBN 9781611321449
