National Museum of Pakistan

National Museum of Pakistan
قومی عجائب گھر پاکِستان

Front View, National Museum, Karachi.
Location within Karachi
Established	1950
Location	Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi, Pakistan.
Coordinates
Type	Art museum, Islamic Art / Quran Museum, Historic site

The National Museum of Pakistan (Urdu: قومی عجائب گھر پاکِستان ‎) is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

History

The National Museum of Pakistan was established in Frere Hall on 17 April 1950, replacing the defunct Victoria Museum. Frere Hall itself was built in 1865 as a tribute to Sir Bartle Frere, a Commissioner of Sind during the 19th century. Once the Museum was inaugurated then the Government of Pakistan deemed it wise to constitute an Advisory Council in 1950 with a primary duty to counsel the Museum on the issues of enriching its collection through new acquisitions and purchase of antiquities and works of Arts. The Museum was shifted to the present premises (located in Burns Garden, Dr. Zia-ud-din Ahmed Road) in 1970.

Objectives

The basic objective of establishing National Museum was to collect, preserve, study, and exhibit the records of the cultural history of Pakistan and to promote a learned insight into the personality of its people.

Galleries

"The Priest King Wearing Sindhi Ajruk", c.2500 BC, in the National Museum of Pakistan.

In 1970 there were only four galleries in the Museum. However, at present there are a total of 11 Galleries in the Museum including an exquisite “Quran Gallery”. As a matter of fact National Museum has more than 300 copies of the Quran (all are exactly the same), out of which around 52 rare manuscripts are on display in “Quran Gallery”. The Museum also contains an important collection of items relating to Pakistan's Cultural heritage. Some other galleries display Indus Civilization artifacts, Gandhara Civilization Sculptures, Islamic Art, Miniature Paintings, Ancient Coins and Manuscripts documenting Pakistan's Political History. There is also an interesting Ethnological Gallery with life size statues of different ethnicities living in the four provinces of Pakistan.

Collection

The Museum has a collection of 58,000 old coins (some dating from 74 Al-Hijra), and hundreds of well preserved sculptures. Some 70,000 publications, books and other reading material of the Archeology and Museums Department were also shifted to the National Museum so that general public could see them. Every year National Museum holds around a dozen exhibitions on National Days and other occasions.

Facilities

For the preservation of the collection, a conservation laboratory is also a part of the Museum. The Museum premises also has an auditorium with 250 seating capacity.

See also

• Brahma from Mirpur-Khas
• List of museums in Pakistan

External links

• National Museum of Karachi
• The National Museum of Pakistan
• Total Number of Visitors to National Museum
• Report of Daily Dawn on National Museum