Editorial
Disappearing historical relics
Govt should step in to protect heritage
The latest instance of utter neglect to invaluable heritage sites consists in the demolition of 368-year old three-domed Mughal era mosque with a Persian inscription near Mitford hospital in old Dhaka. Although a five-storied mosque will be built in the space, this is hardly any justification for demolishing a historical mosque. The loss to heritage far outweighs the apparent gain from the new structure which could be put up anywhere else.
Actually what worries all heritage-conscious citizens is that at least a hundred Mughal era mosques have been demolished to make room for all kinds of commercial projects. The Berai, Churihatta, Alubazar and Hizzat mosques, are only a few on a long list of lost mosques.
We are surprised at the proliferating culture of vandalising extant monuments or sites with an increasing impunity. Most of them have been under illegal occupation or left uncared for in a state of progressive dereliction or scavenged on by local folks with muscle power to put them to commercial use. What constitute the building blocks of our priceless heritage going back to centuries are lost to a huge appetite for crass commercialism.
The finger of blame cannot be pointed to urbanization because in modern states it is inclusive of protection of historical sites as an inspiring link to our rich cultural heritage. So, the blame should be placed at the doorsteps of government policy makers from time to time. They have abysmally failed to provide sustained policy backups and required financial and technical supports for the conservation and protection of historical relics. Department of archaeology has neither the equipment nor manpower to oversee historical sites having been brought under its pale, let alone thousands unrecognized ones languishing in the backyard.
There are a plenty of vulnerable Mughal era residential areas requiring to be discovered, protected, reconstructed and showcased. We applaud the survey being conducted by a group of journalists, photojournalists, experts and scholars to identify the lost heritage sites. Such committed efforts patronized by private sector should have a multiplier effect in terms of preserving our heritage.
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