Integrated Investigation, Assessment, Intervention Design, and Implementation as a Model for Conservation Practice

Abstract

The Bibi Jawandi Monument Complex is a site of 15th-century partially collapsed glazed masonry tomb structures located in the ancient city of Uch Sharif, in Pakistan. Conservation of the striking monuments has involved an integrated approach comprising investigations of building materials, structural stability, geotechnical characteristics, as well as management capacity and infrastructural considerations of the site and surrounding city. A primary assessment of the site’s aesthetic, artistic, historical, social, and scientific significance guided the development of interventions and conservation priorities. The holistic approach to the protection of the site, in relation to the surrounding historic town, is one of the first such integrated conservation projects to be undertaken in Pakistan and posed numerous conservation challenges. Work is ongoing and continues, relying on intermittent funding, but the project and site serve as a model in the region for thorough assessment informing conservation decision-making.

Keywords:

• archaeological conservation
• management
• heritage
• Pakistan
• Islamic architecture

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank a number of institutions and individuals who have contributed to the years-long work on the site. These include the Pakistan Department of Archaeology and Museums, the World Monuments Fund, Asian Human Rights Commission, Orangi Pilot Project Research and Training Institute, Wateraid, NESPAK, METU, Prof. Hasan Böke, and a number of others involved in the numerous investigations and interventions carried out on site and in laboratories since the beginning of the work.

Notes

1 A number of structural, geotechnical, and analytical investigations have been undertaken to determine physical and chemical properties of the building materials, soil, and the building structure. One investigation of the historic building materials and their comparison to modern traditionally produced materials has been published elsewhere (Bell & Böke, 2010).

2 The Conservation and Rehabilitation Center (CRC) was established in 1994, with a mandate to prepare heritage inventories, conserve the monuments and rehabilitate small historical cities. Since its founding, CRC’s main involvement has been; (i) the conservation and revalorization of Uch city and (ii) the consolidation of Bibi Jawandi’s Tomb Complex. The World Monuments Fund gave a $68,000 grant to CRC for developing the mapping of the city and drafting planning of conservation of Bibi Jawandi’s tomb complex.