The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

Incompetence, poor management and lack of institutional capacity, skilled manpower and proper legal framework are some reasons holding back the Department of Archaeology, said architects and conservationists.

Over the years the Department has consistently ignored and overlooked hundreds of historical sites in the city on the excuse of lack of funds and manpower. Only Ahsan Manzil is an exception.

Recently, 600-year old Binat Bibi Mosque at Narinda in Dhaka was about to be knocked down by the mosque committee for erecting a 70-foot minaret. Later, the committee and local community were convinced to stop piling for the minaret that was causing vibration, which would have developed cracks in the original structure.

But the officials of the Department remained in the dark about the whole affairs of the mosque. When this correspondent contacted the officials of the Department, some expressed surprise to hear that such an old mosque exists in the city.

Md Shafiqul Alam, Director of the Department of Archaeology, said, "The Binat Bibi Mosque is the oldest structure in Dhaka, according to experts and historians."

When asked why it is not possible to protect the site now, an official of the Department said that they do not 'touch' the structures where religious sentiment is involved and added that the local community will not let us protect these sites. This is one reason we abstain from protecting them. We are unable to protect even those sites listed as protected."

Sadly, whenever the Department of Archaeology was allocated funds to preserve historical sites, in most cases the money was spent to demolish the old structures, experts alleged.

Dr Abu Sayeed M Ahmed, a conservation architect, said, "In Shat-Gambud Mosque in Bagerhat, simple brick and plaster were used to cover 60 columns made of precious basalt stones. The columns, originally slender, were thickened by 30 inches using brick and plaster. It distorted the mosque's original features and squeezed the interior. There was a triangular pediment in front of the mosque which was made circular," he added.

In a project like this, a conservation architect should take the decision, which should be implemented by graduate conservation engineers. But in these projects carried out by the Department of Architecture, diploma engineers are taking the decisions and implementing them.

Satmasjid, a Mughal period mosque in the city, has been whitewashed. It was a total wastage of money because the whitewash is not supposed to last more than a year, said the experts.

"The original white colour was made from shell powder, which created a marble effect. They are not even certain that white was the feature of the Mughal period because some edifice of that era were painted pink. For an example, Niyamatullah Complex in Chapainawabganj," said Dr Sayeed.

Taimur Islam, an architect working to conserve Shankharibazar's old buildings for three years, said, "Shankharibazar is not listed as a protected site."

About the excuse of not protecting religious structures, he said that in the UK, there is a similar rule called 'Ecclesiastical Exemption' according to which the Government can protect some parts of a church and the church authority can renovate some parts.

"It is true that local community can be a problem in protecting these sites but why should we remain silent thinking of these obstacles? We have to go forward and convince them to the last minute so that they come to their senses and think about preserving it," said an activist and conservationist working to save the Binat Bibi mosque. "If we can declare a site 'protected' then the local people can at least feel that it is a part of their national heritage," he added.

About the shortage of skilled manpower at the Department of Archaeology, sources said mostly diploma engineers are working there. But qualified archaeologists and BSc engineers are needed. Fresh graduate archaeologists from Jahangirnagar University should be encouraged to work with the Department, they suggested.

Only nine monuments in the city have been declared as protected sites. But there are many sites in Farashganj, Shankharibazar and Tantibazar, which should be brought to the attention of the Government, said Taimur.