Pakistan Monument

Pakistan Monument

National Monument of Pakistan
General information
Type Public monument
Location Islamabad, Pakistan
Coordinates 33°41′36″N 73°04′06″E / 33.69345°N 73.068309°E / 33.69345; 73.068309
Construction started May 25, 2004
Completed March 23, 2007
Owner Ministry of Culture, Pakistan
Landlord Ministry of Culture, Pakistan
Design and construction
Architect Arif Masoud
Structural engineer Muhammad Naeem Khan Lodhi
Civil engineer Wasim Rajput
Other designers Khizar Hayat Asghar
Main contractor Universal Corporation Private LTD.

The Pakistan Monument is a national monument and heritage museum located on the Shakarparian Hills in Islamabad, Pakistan, aimed to symbolise national unity. The complex covers an area of 2.8 hectares and is a popular picnic destination.[1]

The monument is shaped as a blooming flower petal-shaped structure with the inner walls of the petals inscribed with the outlines of Lahore Fort, Badshahi Mosque, Khyber Pass and Minar-e-Pakistan. The monument opens onto a marble terrace providing a bird's-eye view of Islamabad City.[2] The four main petals of the monument represent the four provinces (Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh), while the three smaller petals represent the three territories (Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and the Tribal Areas).[3]

The adjoining Pakistan Monument Museum includes a wax museum depicting important events leading to the Pakistan Movement. Furthermore, the facilities includes a reference library, audio-visual archive, conference hall along with a 62-seat capacity auditorium known as Panorama Hall.[4] The complex receives on average received 1500 tourists per day totalling at 0.57 million visitors in 2015.[5] From air the monument looks like a star (center) and a crescent moon (formed by walls forming the petals), these represent the star and crescent on Pakistan's flag.[6]

Conception

View of the monument at night

During the initial stages the plan was envisioned and started by Uxi Mufti son of Mumtaz Mufti in 2005[7] later the plan to build a national monument in the capital city of Pakistan was undertaken by the Ministry of Culture which was under Hamad Kashif at that time. In this respect, Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP) organised a national competition around the theme of signifying strength, unity and dedication of the people of Pakistan into an icon representing an independent and free nation.[8]

From a total of twenty submissions, three were short-listed. Finally, the design proposed by Arif Masoud was selected for construction, that revolved around the creation and development of the country. The cost of the complex was Rs600 million.[9]

Structure

The monument is located at the west viewpoint of the Shakarparian Hills, and is spread over a total area of 2.8 hectares. The high location makes the monument visible from across the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The foundation stone was laid on 25 May 2004 and the complex was completed by the end of 2006 for inauguration on 23 March 2007. The total cost incurred was more than Rs.580 million.[10]

Central platform

The structure comprises four blossoming flower petals, built of granite, representing the unity of Pakistani people. The inner walls of the petals are decorated with murals.The floor was also made up of granite. The central platform is made in the shape of a five-pointed star which is surrounded by a water body. A metallic crescent surrounding the star is inscribed with sayings of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and poetry of Allama Iqbal.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Monument: Structure reflects history of Pakistan - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  2. ↑ InpaperMagazine, From (2011-02-26). "Pakistan National Monument: Reliving history". www.dawn.com. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  3. ↑ Planet, Lonely. "Pakistan Monument - Lonely Planet". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  4. ↑ "Dailytimes | Pakistan Monument Museum attracts people". dailytimes.com.pk. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  5. ↑ "Visiting Pakistan Monument no more free now". The Nation. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  6. ↑ "RIS students visit Pakistan Monument". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  7. ↑ http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\03\27\story_27-3-2010_pg11_1
  8. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Pakistan. Retrieved on 23 March 2008
  9. ↑ "Pakistan Monument: a source of attraction for visitors". The Nation. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  10. ↑ Khaleeq Kiani (2006) Rs67bn new schemes approved. Dawn (newspaper). 24 August. Retrieved on 23 March 2008.
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