Walled City heritage hits Google cultural map

The heritage, culture, traditions and hidden masterpieces of the Walled City will soon be displayed on the website of Google Cultural Institute, making Lahore the first Pakistani city to be officially entertained by the internet giant.

Google Cultural Institute was launched in 2011 and initially it exhibited several Art and Cultural projects and till 2013 it included over 6 million photos, videos and documents.

In Pakistan, Google Cultural Institute has contacted Walled City Lahore Authority (WCLA), which has agreed to make a partnership with the institute for exploring cultural treasures of Lahore in extraordinary details on its website.

A senior official of WCLA said historic moments of the provincial capital such as rare views including images, paintings, sketches and videos of different events will be shared with the institute. He said Google’s institute has three major components “Art Project, Historic Moments and World Wonders.”

In Historic Moments sections, the institute held online exhibitions detailing the stories behind significant moments in human history. In the section of World Wonders, the institute aims to bring to life the wonders of the modern and ancient world. By using Street View technology, Google has a unique opportunity to make world heritage sites available to users across the globe. A user can easily find cities and their special attractions on the map in just one click. In Art Project sections, users can discover diverse art collections from around the world. They can explore artworks at incredible detail, view exhibitions and take virtual tours.

“WCLA will be putting different stories of tangible and intangible culture on this site,” said Tania Qureshi, WCLA Media Manager. She said this will include life of different characters inside the Walled City including Patiala Gharana, Ghazi Ilm Din, Allama Iqbal’s residence, Khalifa Khatai, Jeda Lassi Wala, Gumti Bazaar, Kasera Bazar, Akbari Mandi, Pakistan Cloth Market, Kinari Bazaar, Waan Market, Rang Mehal and Langa Mandi.

A special segment related to the revival of forgotten games will be a special segment in which the Google authorities showed much interest. Tania Qureshi said WCLA is also planning to revival forgotten games through this site and will aware the general public as well as the residents of the Walled City.

She said games have been a vital part of the WCL in past and children used to play games like Bandar qila, gulli danda, staapoo, kabootar bazi, kabadi, rasa kasha, kushti, bantay, laato, pitho gol garam, chobaan etc. A special awareness campaign to revive these games will be initiated soon and competitions of the past games will be carried out between the Walled City residents.

WCLA is also making a list of hidden wonders of Walled City, which will be displayed on Google Cultural Institution’s website in a prominent way. Tania Qureshi said these forgotten structures will be unveiled at the site. Some of these buildings are Victoria School, Noori Building, Wazir Khan Mosque, Shahi Hamam, Neevin Masjid, Pani Wala Talaab, Haveli Mian Sultan, Haveli Dhyan Sngh, Ayub Ka Bangla, Baoli and Sonehri Mosque.

From : The News Monday, May 26, 2014