February 20, 2020
U.S. Mission Pakistan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: U.S. Consulate Karachi Public Affairs Section (021-3527500)
U.S. Ambassador Announces Rs15 million Project to Restore Karachi’s historic Nusserwanjee Building
Karachi – February 20, 2020: Karachi’s historic Nusserwanjee Building is set to get a new lease on life through a grant of 15 million Rupees (USD 100,000) from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP). U.S. Ambassador Paul Jones announced the rehabilitation project at a ceremony held at the Indus Valley School of Arts (IVS) which will collaborate with the non-profit Sindh Exploration and Adventure Society (SEAS) to restore the site.
“Together IVS, SEAS, and the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation will demonstrate that preservation of cultural sites goes beyond stones and mortar. It is an investment in building a stronger, more prosperous Pakistan. Preservation work strengthens communities, builds a sense of belonging, contributes to economic development, and educates future generations about the tremendous heritage of diversity and tolerance that has existed here for centuries,” said Ambassador Jones.
Ambassador Jones also noted the building would be used to educate artists and architects who will serve as instruments of positive change in Pakistan.
This is the third AFCP grant in Sindh and the 23rd such award in Pakistan. Previous grants in Sindh include the restoration of the tombs of Sultan Ibrahim and Amir Sultan Muhammad at the Makli Hill necropolis in Thatta and Verun Dev temple.
Constructed in 1903, Nusserwanjee Building is a Kharadar landmark representative of historic downtown Karachi and is a reminder of Karachi’s pluralistic religious and cultural roots. It was saved from demolition in 1991 and relocated, stone by stone, to the IVS campus.
Since 2001, the United States has awarded more than $2.8 million in grants to preserve cultural sites in Pakistan, from Gandharan archaeological treasures and Mughal architectural heritage, to historic manuscripts, and architecturally significant Hindu monuments and Sufi shrines.
