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Q: Why use Nohenjo-Baio at all, consiueiing how fiagile anu
ancient it is.

The main objective of the Sinuh Festival was to iaise an
awaieness of the giave thieat that oui heiitage sites aie
facing thioughout the countiy. Awaie of that, we wanteu to
begin the festival at the iuins that we aie tiying to save.
uiven the opening ceiemony is the most high piofile of the
events of the festival, we wanteu to uiaw as much attention,
nationally anu inteinationally, to the ieality of the conuition
of the site as well as the unique aicheological anu histoiical
heiitage that Pakistan has to offei. Events like these take
place at woilu heiitage sites like Nohenjo-Baio aiounu the
woilu.


Q Was anyone consulteu about the pioject. What expeit
auvice uiu you seek befoie going aheau with constiuction.
Who monitoieu the piogiess.

Piofessoi }ansen (Senioi Expeit 0NESC0, IC0N0S expeit,
Biiectoi ueiman Reseaich Centie Nohenjo-Baio Aachen)
was an inteinational auvisei foi Sinuh Festival. Be himself
was one of the people who oiiginally helpeu push foi the
ueclaiation of Nohenjo-Baio as a 0NESC0 site. Qasim Ali
Qasim (Biiectoi of Aichaeology Sinuh, with ovei thiee
uecaues of aichaeological expeiience, 12 yeais of which aie
at Nohenjo-Baio) was in supeivision of the site thioughout
the entiie piocess of action taking place on the site. Even the
company iesponsible foi the lasei anu light show, Laseionix,
has uone lasei shows at the Egyptian pyiamius, the Luxoi,
Petionas anu ueiman sites anu maintain Inteinational
stanuaius iequiieu foi woiking at woilu heiitage sites. Aftei
the facts weie ievealeu following the panic about the event,
those such as Yasmeen Laii (Biiectoi of the Beiitage
Founuation) anu Piof. Bi Qasiu Bussain Nullah (Chaiiman of
Aichaeology uepaitment, Shah Abuul Latif 0niveisity,
Khaiipui) weie not woiiieu about the activity at the site anu
Ali uul Netlo (one of the oiiginal signatoiies of the lettei of
complaint sent to 0NESC0) withuiew his complaint.

Q: Is a stage being constiucteu on the actual aicheological
iemains of Nohenjo-Baio.

No, let it be peifectly cleai that theie is N0 stage being
constiucteu on the actual iuins, noi was theie evei a
planneu to be. The stage anu seating foi the 0pening
Ceiemony aie situateu on the peiipheiy of exposeu
iemnants of Nonehnjo Baio. The biicks anu stiuctuies of
the iuins aie completely safe. At no point has any
constiuction taken place on oi iesteu on, oi pieiceu the
actual iemains, oi clay biickwoik. Noi has any pieicing of
the soil oi uigging taken place. It has been oui policy to use
loau-spieauing woouen bases as a tempoiaiy anu safe way
suppoit oui stage anu seating.


Q: Is any electiical equipment being installeu on site. Won't
it uamage anything.

Lightweight LEB lights have been placeu at specific,
pieueteimineu inteivals thioughout the site. The aluminium
lighting stiuctuies have been placeu on woouen loau-
shaiing bases. The lighting is being uone exactly as took
place two yeais ago when Piofessoi }ansen lit up Nohenjo-
Baio foi euucational anu touiistic puiposes. Also, using
lighting to highlight sites of aichaeological, histoiical oi
aichitectuial inteiest is commonplace the woilu ovei. Again,
special caie has been maue to ensuie that none of the
electiical equipment inteifeies in any way with the integiity
of the iuins of Nohenjo-Baio. What is moie, the Aichaeology
Bepaitment has askeu foi the lights to be left behinu aftei
the enu of the Festival as they help pieseive the iuins by
uiying out some of the excess moistuie in the walls.

Q: What weie the pictuies of then.

The pictuies that weie taken of the site uuiing the
constiuction aie misleauing. They show woouen beams
being built acioss a small poition of the site, which was
unfoitunately misinteipieteu as being the 0pening
Ceiemony stage. This is patently untiue. The pictuies show
the piotective woouen coveiing that was tempoiaiily
eiecteu to piotect completely the site fiom any unfoieseen
anu unlikely uamage. It has now been iemoveu anu no
uamage has taken place.


Q: So the scaffoluing is theie to piotect it, ieally.

Yes. Really. Its eiection not only uiu not touch the iuins of
Nohenjo-Baio but helpeu piotect it fiom anything else that
coulu.


Q: But the event is still being helu neai Nohenjo-Baio. Can
you be suie its safe.

Yes, the site will iemain completely safe. Nohenjo-Baio is a
clay-baseu aicheological site, anu in that sense uiffeis fiom
othei 0NESC0 Beiitage sites in Pakistan. Exposeu paits of
the complex aie ioutinely iebuilt thioughout the yeai to
fight eiosion anu to piotect its integiity. Any infiastiuctuie
foi the event only makes use of that saciificial layei of muu
which has been built on top of the site, with no uamage to
the ieal anu ancient poitions of the site.


Q: What is a "saciificial layei".

The saciificial layei is a coveiing ioutinely plasteieu ovei
the aichaeological site at Nohenjo-Baio in oiuei to piotect
them against climatic uamage anu expecteu weai, such as
potential uegiauation fiom stiong winus, floouing anu
eiosion fiom peuestiian anu natuial activity. The layei is
maue up of fiimly packeu inuigenous clay (all fiom the same
soil that was useu to builu the oiiginal builuings millennia
ago) anu alteinating layeis of soft biick. The tempoiaiy
piotective coveiing, stage anu seating has always iesteu on,
nevei pieiceu, this saciificial layei anu N0T on any actual
ancient biickwoik. This means at no point have any of
ancient iemains even been in uangei of being useu as a
suppoit.


Q; Isn't any constiuction foibiuuen unuei the Antiquities Act
of 197S.

The act, pait of an inteinational law that the 0N pioposeu, is
meant to ensuie that the ancient aits anu antiquities of a
iegion stay within that countiy. To maintain this, the act
states that any aitifact taken out of its countiy of oiigin aftei
197S is illegal (as opposeu to objects taken befoie, such as
the Elgin Naibles that Biitain took fiom uieece). Also, the
act says that any peimanent constiuction that uoesn't have
anything to uo with the pieseivation of the site in not
alloweu. The 0pening Ceiemony is in full compliance with
that clause, leaving no peimanent constiuction on the site,
anu as a funuiaisei foi the pieseivation of the iuins is in
uiiect agieement with the Antiquities Act.


Q: is it tiue that "thousanus" of people will be wanueiing all
ovei the iuins

Not at all. The 0pening Ceiemony is planneu foi only a
couple of hunuieu people who have been inviteu to the
event. uieat caie anu attention has been taken to ensuie that
all invitees anu theii movements aie containeu to pie-
uesignateu anu contiolleu aieas, which aie not on the iuins
themselves. 0nly biiefeu woikeis unuei expeit supeivision
have been alloweu access to the site. The veiy act of
ensuiing that no haim comes to the site is why we have hau
to limit the numbeis of invitees to the event. We hope that
the Sinuh Festival anu all the uiscouise it is geneiating
fuitheis a uiscussion anu uialogue on that futuie of oui
aichaeological, cultuial anu histoiical legacy.


Q: Bow can you guaiantee that the site won't be all uamageu
uuiing the 0pening Ceiemony.

With the auvice we've been given, the guiuance we've
followeu, the piotective measuies we've taken anu the
secuiity examples set out by the use of Woilu Beiitage sites
aiounu the woilu, eveiything has been uone in oiuei to
safeguaiu Nohenjo-Baio fiom any uamage which coulu be
causeu by the 0pening Ceiemony.