Museums and Galleries in Pakistan

On independence Pakistan inherited seven museums, out of which Museums at Lahore and Peshawar were run by the Provincial Governments while site museum of at Harappa, Moenjodaro, Taxila and the Armoury Museum in Lahore Fort were looked after by Central Government through its Department of Archaeology.

Immediately after independence plans were taken in hand to establish National Museum of Pakistan. It was on 17th April 1950 that the National Museum of Pakistan was inaugurated in Freer Hall building, replacing the defunct Victoria Museum.

In order to advise the National Museum of Pakistan to enrich its collection through new acquisition, an Advisory Council for the purchase of antiquities and works of Arts was also formed by the government in 1950. 

The development of museums in the country has been spectacular and the last decades have seen quite a few museums being established and many others reorganized on modern lines.  Recently a museum exclusively devoted to Allama Iqbal at Javed Manzil, Lahore and another House Museum in the Quaid-I-Azam House (Flag Staff House) Karachi have been established.  The detail of the existing museums under the charge of the Department of Archaeology & Museums as well as some of the private museums is given below:

 
Provinces:

S. No.

         Name of Museum

Establishment

 
Balochistan: 1

Quetta Museum, Quetta

           

1972

 
NWFP: 2 Peshawar Museum, 1947
3 University Museum-Peshawar, 1995
4 Chakdara Museum, 1960
5 Archaeological Museum, Saidu Sharif, Swat. 1963

 
Punjab: 6 Archaeological Museum Taxila, Distt. Rawalpindi 1990
7 Armoury Museum, old Fort, Lahore  1928
8 Mughal and Sikh Galleries in Lahore-Fort.   1928
9 Archaeological Museum, Harappa, Distt: Sahiwal  (Reorganized) 1965
10 Allama Iqbal Museum, Javed Manzil, Lahore. 1967
11 Museum-cum-Library at Iqbal Manzil, Sialkot.   1977
12 Bahawalpur Museum, Bahawalpur 1977
13 Faqirkhana Museum, Lahore, (Private)
14 Chughatai Museum,   Lahore, (Private)
15 Shakir Ali Museum,   Lahore, (Private)
16 Arts & Craft Museum   Lahore, (Punjab govt.)
17 Science Museum-Lahore,  
18 Lokvirsa Museum- Islamabad
19

Natural History Museum- Islamabad

  

 
Sindh: 20 National Museum of Pakistan of Pakistan, Karachi       1990
21 Museum at Quaid-I-Azam Birth Place Karachi (Flag Staff House Museum) 1950
22 Archaeological Museum, Moenjodaro Distt. Larkana    (Reorganized) 1953
23 Archaeological Museum, Banbhore, Distt. Thatta.  1967
24 Archaeological Museum, Omerkot, Distt: Tharparkar  1967
25 Archaeological Museum, Hyderabad Fort, Hyderabad.  1968
26 Moenjodaro Museum-Moenjodaro.
27

University Museum-Hyderabad

 

Galleries
Karachi

Arts Council Gallery, Ali Imam Gallery, Koonj Gallery-

Lahore

Al-Hamra Art Gallery, Lahore Art Gallery, Croweater Gallery- 

Islamabad

National Art Gallery, Nomad Art Gallery- Rohtas Art Gallery -

(LOK VIRSA) FOLK ART MUSEUM, ISLAMABAD.

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