Ihsan H. Nadiem - Biography

Biography

Born in Montgomery, Nadiem studied at Government College, Lahore, and did his postgraduation in Geography from the University of the Punjab. He was then trained as archaeologist on a scholarship by Government of Pakistan. At a later stage, he specialised in Museology on a French Government Fellowship. He joined the Department of Archaeology, Pakistan and excavated at Banbhore, Swat (Pant, Saidu-I and Saidu-II), Moenjodaro and Tulamba. As a curator he got the opportunity of keeping the charge of as diverse museums as Harappa, Umerkot, Moenjodaro, Lahore Fort and Taxila. He commanded the Regional offices of the department at Peshawar and Quetta before being posted as Incharge of the Publications Branch which he successfully reactivated after it had remained dormant for 13 years. He raised the prestigious Pakistan Institute of Archaeological Training and Research (PIATR) at Lahore, from the scratch and co-ordinated Specialized Courses, Symposia, Seminars, arranged and held at international level. He held the charge of Director, Northern Circle of Archaeology, with headquarters at Lahore and then Southern Circle of Archaeology, at Hyderabad (Sindh)/Karachi. These assignment entailed with them archaeological research and maintaining and administering the antiquity in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and North West Frontier – in the former case – and Sindh and Balochistan in the latter case. He retired from active Government service in 2000 and has engaged himself as full-time author on Cultural Heritage of Pakistan.

He has also served as Professor in the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore where he structured courses on "Conservation of Architectural Heritage" as a subject for Master's degree in Architecture. He has published about twenty five Research Papers in different journals of international repute; over 250 popular articles on cultural heritage of Pakistan appearing in various dailies and periodicals and an Excavation Report in two volumes, from Rome. In addition, he edited Pakistan Archaeology volume 10–22, and has to his credit the preparation and publishing of numerous professional and technical reports.

He also writes English poetry. His poems have appeared in different publications, as also an exclusive collections entitled Illusory Trance(now out of print) and Golden Rays. His book on Moenjodaro, Heritage of Mankind was an instant success when first published in 1994. The edition was sold out within months. Its second edition, revised and enlarged, was published in 1995 and a third edition three years later.