MOENJODARO, Pakistan: Hundreds of people swarmed the ancient ruined city of Moenjodaro Saturday to attend an inaugural festival commemorating Pakistan’s cultural heritage, days after experts warned the event endangered the UNESCO site.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto opened the two-week festival, which is part of a campaign to conserve the heritage of his home province of Sindh.
“We need to urgently raise funds to preserve Moenjodaro,” he said in brief remarks inaugurating the event.
Experts warned on Thursday that the festival could put Moenjodaro, a UNESCO World Heritage site built around 2600 BC, in danger.
Large wooden and steel scaffolding has been erected over and around the ruin, which UNESCO describes as “the most ancient and best-preserved ruin on the Indian subcontinent,” while heavy spotlights and lasers have been installed for a light show.
The site had been transformed into a high security facility, with hundreds of police commandos surrounding the ruins and stood atop the stupa, a Buddhist shrine, as workers hammered nails into a stage, an AFP reporter at the site said.
“We have done all the work very much to international conservation standards,” Saqib Soomro, a top official at the culture department, told AFP.
Zardari, clad in a black jacket over an off-white traditional Pakistani shalwar qameez dress, arrived Saturday in a caravan of four vehicles.
A number of foreign visitors, some wearing traditional Sindhi Ajrak outfits, were also among the approximately 1,000 guests waiting for the grand gala to begin.
Performers queued up to pass through security gates, with an equally large number of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) top leaders also waiting for entry.
The PPP, led by Zardari, suffered a heavy defeat in the 2013 general election and observers say the cultural gala, which has been advertised for weeks on national television, is partly aimed at raising the 25-year-old’s political profile.
The ruins, discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Sir John Marshall, are 425 kilometers (265 miles) north of the port city of Karachi and are one of the largest settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization.
They are one of Pakistan’s six UNESCO World Heritage sites that are deemed places of special cultural significance.
But many of the country’s historical sites are endangered by vandalism and urban encroachment, as well as a booming trade in illegally excavated treasures.
ak-jaf/pdh
Hundreds swarm ancient Pakistan ruins for grand cultural gala
Hundreds swarm ancient Pakistan ruins for grand cultural gala
Ithra offers a glimpse of colorful Spain through fashion
DHAHRAN: Step into Spain without leaving Dhahran at the “Threads of Espana: Fashion Across the Spanish Regions” show currently on at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture.
From structured capes to swirling silhouettes, the show at Ithra brings the nation’s colorful fabric traditions to life.
Arab News spoke recently with Cecilia Revuelta, a co-organizer of the exhibition who flew in from Spain.
“We did a selection of traditional costumes of each area in Spain. So first of all, here we have the three costumes of a traditional torero. These suits are from a real torero who’s still active.”
A torero — from toro, meaning bull — is a Spanish bullfighter.
“His name is Jorge Garcia De La Pena, and thanks to our relationship with him, he lent us the three costumes and the two capes,” she added.
“Actually, one of the capes even has the bull blood in them; we decided not to wash it or anything because we think it’s totally more real like this.”
Revuelta described the garments, split among different display areas, as “real art pieces, very heavy and delicate pieces. Also, we brought some flamenca dresses.”
“They’re from a private Spanish collector who dances flamenco and she’s a real fan of the flamenco culture. And she has a big, big, big collection of dresses and we did a small selection to bring it here to Ithra.”
Northern Spain is represented through costumes created stitch-by-stitch specifically for the Ithra exhibition.
“We also fabricated from scratch the costumes of Galicia. They’re the typical traditional costumes that they use in the north of Spain in the countryside, in the small villages. When it’s very cold and rainy and you can see they have a lot of layering and many details.”
“These dresses are very expensive because they are real, real pieces of art. One of these dresses costs more than 4,000 euros ($4,750). Most of them are handmade with a lot of details and stones and different colors and layers. It’s really amazing.”
For Revuelta, the exhibition reflects her love of fashion and its history. “It’s my favorite part (of the Spain Cultural Days festivities) because I love fashion. I love clothes since the beginning.”
Revuelta highlighted the cross-cultural nature of the event.
“I think it’s super positive for all the citizens of Dammam to come here, to get to know more about other countries, different cultures, traditions. They have a lot of workshops. And in the market, we have many different booths selling pieces of art, ceramics and traditional Spanish souvenirs.
“I feel very proud. It is my first time in Saudi Arabia and people here are really interested in knowing more about the different costumes and fashion history of Spain,” she added.
The pieces will remain on display until the completion of the Spain Cultural Days festivities on Jan. 31.
