KARACHI: The audience was taken on a virtual journey to the cultural heritage of the Indus Delta as digitally documented sites, captured in high resolution, were showcased on a large screen at the terrace of the TDF MagnifiScience Centre.

The project, `The Lost Cities of the Indus Delta`, is part of Digital Heritage Trail Project by the MaritimEA a research organisation with expertise in cultural heritage management, maritime archaeology and blue economy master-planning.

It is brought to fruition by maritime archaeologist Amer Bazl Khan,who is director MaritimEA Research and his team who have digitally documented the lost heritage sites of the Indus Delta.

The event was moderated by Amal Hashim, one of the team members of MaritimEA Research.

Mr Khan explained that the idea of digitally documenting those sites came during his first trip to the Indus Delta in 2019. `Thereafter we started working on the project which has digitally documented Lahiri Bunder, Bhambhor, Ratu Kot Fort, Ranu Kot, and Jam Jaskat Goth among others, he said and explained the historical significance of these sites.

`All these sites have stories to tell and we felt this is important to tell people those stories and the folklore that are related to them,` he said, also pointing out that there was disagreement among archaeologists as to where Bhambhor was exactly located because some say that it`s under the sea and the location is not known.

He said there were forts built in the Delta mainly depending on the river`s course and on its key strategic points to maintain power by local tribes. Many of those sites and their related structures were almost entirely submerged under the mudand water during high level of river`s water, he explained.

`The outcome of this project has been that these heritage sites have been digitally preserved and we have recorded 2,000 gigabytes [2TB] of raw data and 3.5TB of processed data. Moreover, the data is of high resolution with 3D models, orthomoaics, and point clouds, etc. And now a website is also available to access all that documented heritage among other benefits,` Mr Khan added.Shabib Asghar, a team member, explored remains of one of the forts using a VR (Virtual Reality) headset in 3D. During that, he also went to a point of the fort where some people had carried out digging in search of some hidden treasure.

Architect and urban planner Arif Hassan also spoke on this occasion.

Commenting on the debate on true location of Bhambhor, he said it would be a big addition to heritage history if the exact location of itcould be recorded and measured digitally by such projects.

He also said that past and history were something that people were very interested in. `However, there is not much effort to bring that lost past to people but one must remember that there are ways to do that.

Thereafter, a documentary film produced by the MaritimEA Research was put on the screen. It hadarchaeologistslikeKaleemullah Lashari and other heritage experts discussing the history of the abovementioned sites and forts of the Indus Delta and how climactic changes affected them.

A panel discussion was also part of the event. It was moderated by Ramsha Siddiqui.

During the discussion, archaeologist Ali Arshad Khan said the concept and practice of digital heritage was new in Pakistan and also not being taught at most universities.

He explained its importance and said that digital documentation was more efficient and took less time as compared to manual data collection and measurement of heritage sites, which takes very long. `Thereby, it is also helping a lot to bring heritage and archaeology to the people,` he said.Zain Mustafa, an architect and educationist, spolce on the importance of heritage and why it should matter to the people at present.

`People are quite interested in their history and identity as to who they are and where they came from.

Therefore, such projects are of much importance and value,` he said.

Author Rumana Husain talked about folklore in the Indus Delta and other local regions. Discussing stories such as Noori Jam Tamachi, Uderolal, and Sohni Mahival, she said that such that stories tell how the society, the people and power dynamics were at those times.

Architect and environmentalist Tariq Alexander Qaiser also spoke about history of the Indus Delta and explained how the region changed and witnessed invasions. He also stressed the importance of putting in efforts and investment for the betterment of environment.

In his concluding remarks, Mr Khan added on to the debate concerning why one should be concerned about heritage and its conservation: `Heritage and cultural conservation might not save the world but it can make the world worth saving.