A global heritage conservation group last week listed Panam Nagar of Sonargaon, which is of significant archaeological and artistic interest, as one the most endangered historic sites in the world.( The New Age BD )

The New York-based World Monument Fund included Panam Nagar, located some 30 kilometres northeast of the capital, in its 2006 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites.

The heritage conservation group says structures in the former capital of Bengal will be totally ruined and lost to posterity unless preservation measures are taken immediately. ‘Threats to the site include vandalism, unauthorised occupation, illegal development, poor maintenance, flooding and vulnerability to earthquakes.’

‘A lack of sufficient funding has led to a crisis in efforts to preserve the monuments and structures of the Sonargaon historic complex,’ pointed out the global organisation, whose goal is the preservation and maintenance of monuments and structures of historical significance.

‘Most of Sonargaon’s masonry buildings suffer from rising damp while biological and insect damage has affected the architectural woodwork.

‘As the former capital of the state of Bengal, Sonargaon chronicles a broad sweep of Bangladeshi history, from the rise of the Sultanate dynasties to the period of British colonial rule, which is evident in the style of architecture.’

Besides street-front houses in Panam Nagar of Sonargaon, the organisation also noted several monuments in the Sonargaon historic complex including the Sonakanda Fort, the Daishmands tomb complex, Abdul Hamid’s mosque, Bara Sardar Bari, and the Ananda Mohan Piddar House.

‘Monuments and structures of Panam, built blending the Indo-European architectural styles, reflect the socio-economic condition and lifestyle of merchants and the elite class in the British colonial period,’ said Professor Mozammel Hossain of the Department of Archaeology at Jahangirnagar University.

He said the government should take all possible measures to preserve the site so that the visible traces of our history are not lost forever.

‘It is quite true that Panam’s monuments have suffered from illegal occupation and there were not enough funds to protect and preserve the site,’ said the state minister for cultural affairs, Begum Salima Rahman. ‘We have recently put the site under the jurisdiction of the Department of Archaeology and the government is now actively working to protect and preserve the site.’

The watch list, which features sites from 55 countries including 18 sites in Asia, for the first time included Panam Nagar and Sonargaon.

The World Monument Fund, a non-profit organisation with offices in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States, identifies and helps to preserve the world’s endangered historic and cultural sites, and artistic and architectural heritage by focussing worldwide attention on them.