Kalasha Dur Museum

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Kalasha Dur Museum
Cultural center "Kalasha Dur" in Brun in the valley of Mumuret (Bumburet).jpg
Kalasha Dur Museum
Established2005;18 years ago (2005)
Location Bumburet Valley,Lower Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Coordinates 35°41′51″N71°40′56″E / 35.697403608506555°N 71.6821928445457°E / 35.697403608506555; 71.6821928445457
Type Archeology museum
Collection size1,300
OwnerDirectorate of Archaeology & Museums, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Website www.kparchaeology.com

Kalasha Dur Museum ('House of the Kalasha People' [1] or 'Cultural Centre for the Kalasha' in Kalashamondr), also known as Bumburet Museum, is a museum located in Bumburet Valley, Lower Chitral District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. [2] The museum houses a collection related to the culture and history of the Kalash people, [3] as well as of the communities of the wider Hindu Kush area. [4]

Contents

Construction

Construction of the museum started in 2001 and was completed in 2005. [4] Greek Volunteers, a Greek NGO, is credited with the building efforts under teacher Athanasios Lerounis. [5] The Greek government body, Hellenic Aid, helped them in their efforts. [6] The museum and its adjacent grounds cover around four kanals of land. A combination of traditional design and modern techniques was used in its construction. Walls made of stone cover the concrete framework, while the characteristic parallel wooden beams and carved verandas also feature in its design. A temple dedicated to Jestak, a local deity believed to protect generations, has also been constructed near the entrance. [7]

The second floor of the building contains a school of Kalash culture, with a library containing various books on the valley. [8] A hall housing a professional training institute for local craftsmen is also present there. [7]

Collection

The museum exhibits around 1,300 items related to the indigenous Kalash population, including a collection of weapons, everyday items, tools, clothes, jewelry, and musical instruments. [9] Some of the artifacts have been bought from other areas, while some of them have been donated by the people of the three Kalash valleys (Bumburet, Birir, and Rumbur). [7]

History

Bumburet Valley Museum is also known as the Kalasha Dur. It is a place where a number of collected objects are displayed. Most of these objects were collected by the members of the NGO Greek Volunteers based in Greece. They had been working in the Kalasha dur valleys since 1995. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

Ethnological collection

The building has two floors – the ground floor has the ethnological collection of the Kalasha culture and the wider Hindu Kush area, while the first floor houses a school of Kalasha culture with a library of books written on the valley, and also a hall for professional training of local crafts. The members of the Greek Volunteers were responsible for much of the collection exhibited in the museum. Volunteers would visit the Kalasha Valleys with a view to buying traditional objects or exchanging them for modern ones. A lot of worry and anxiety was experienced by the members of the Greek Volunteers when they noticed that the New Kalasha Generation would never see the traditional objects of their ancestors. This observation prompted the buying of objects, clothes and other common items so that they would not disappear from the valleys. Their first aim was to exhibit all these objects in an Ethnological Museum, so future generations would be able to see and learn about the life of their ancestors. Later on, when the Kalasha Dur Museum was built, the number of collected objects began to increase. The many offerings by the Kalasha people and inhabitants of the Kalasha valleys to the museum increased the number of items beyond that which was purchased. The Museum also purchased traditional utensils and other objects which had left the settlements of the Hindu Kush, from the antique shops of Peshawar and Chitral to enrich their collection. [10] [12]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Last of the Macedonians: Kalasha Dur saving the lost sons of Alexander". The Express Tribune. 2014-06-28. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  2. ↑ "Women at work: Meet the tomb raider from Kalash". The Express Tribune. 2014-10-12. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  3. ↑ "NCHR chairman inquires about Kalash valley community's issues | Pakistan Today". Pakistan Today . 1 September 2017. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  4. 1 2 "Bumburate Museum | Directorate Of Archaeology & Museums". kparchaeology.gkp.pk. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  5. ↑ "Kalasha museum and school". Dawn . 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  6. ↑ Rickett, Oscar (2011-04-16). "Culture Kalash in Pakistan". The Guardian . Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  7. 1 2 3 "Last of the Macedonians: Kalasha Dur saving the lost sons of Alexander". The Express Tribune. 2014-06-28. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  8. ↑ "The Joshi Festival and the rich Kalash culture". Daily Times. 2019-05-13. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  9. ↑ Muzaffar, Erum Noor. "The spectacular Kalash valley". The News International . Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  10. 1 2 "Kalasha Dur Museum". www.kparchaeology.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  11. ↑ "Kalasha museum". www.dawn.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  12. 1 2 "Kalasha Dur saving the lost sons of Alexander". tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  13. ↑ "Culture Kalash in Pakistan". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  14. ↑ "NCHR head visits Kalash valley on facts finding mission". www.samaa.tv. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  15. ↑ "NCHR chairman inquires about Kalash valley community's issues". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 30 November 2017.

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