CHF Heritage Conservation Training 2025

CHF Heritage Conservation Training 2025: A landmark three-week heritage conservation training was held in Peshawar under the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Heritage Skills Training Programme, organised by the Commonwealth Heritage Forum UK (CHF) with support from the Vinehill Trust and in collaboration with the DG Archaeology & Museums, Govt of KP. The first of its kind in the region, the programme brought together expert trainers from the UK and Pakistan for an intensive blend of theory, fieldwork, and specialist lectures. With archaeologists, architects, engineers, artists, and heritage practitioners in attendance, the three modules equipped participants with a holistic and multidisciplinary foundation in conservation practice.

The opening ceremony at the Peshawar Museum was attended by James Hampson, Director British Council Pakistan, and also included a message from British High Commissioner Jane Marriott.

Philip Davies OBE, Founder and Chief Executive of CHF and one of UK's top heritage experts, highlighted the shared heritage of the UK and Pakistan and spoke about Pakistan’s emerging role as a regional hub for heritage skills across the Commonwealth. He noted that the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Commonwealth Heritage Skills Training Programme, supporting conservation training and practical projects at heritage sites and buildings at risk worldwide, is the largest heritage programme in the Commonwealth’s history.

It was especially noteworthy that specialists from Aga Khan Cultural Services–Pakistan (AKCS-P) participated and delivered expert lectures, marking an important new engagement in KP’s heritage landscape. Presentations by Wajahat Ali and Zeina Naseer highlighted AKCS-P’s pioneering work—from community-centred development in the Walled City of Lahore and the conservation of Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace in Gilgit-Baltistan to the restoration of Lahore Fort’s Picture Wall and Sheesh Mahal.

The programme comprised three intensive, week-long modules, delivered respectively by Ed Morton (conservation engineering), Muhammad Tahir Khattak (documentation and adaptive reuse), and Dr. Zahra Hussain (ethics and inclusive practice).

Dr Abdul Samad, a renowned archaeologist of Pakistan and also Secretary Culture, Tourism & Archaeology KP conducted sessions on Heritage Management and Antiquity Act of KP. Guest lectures further enriched the programme, including sessions by Dr. Samra Khan (architect with extensive experience on the Sethi Mohalla), Dr. Waleed Ziad (author of 'Hidden Caliphate' and currently teaching at Georgetown University), Dr. Christopher Davis (UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Cultural Heritage of Durham University), and Dr. Luca Olivieri (archaeologist and head of Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan).

The Heritage Conservation Training proved to be a highly successful initiative in advancing historical preservation, highlighting collaboration, skill and shared heritage, and is now poised to become an annual programme.

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