Ganjeena e Urdue: A Museum for Urdu Language

Abstract

Over the course of the last several decades, the post-colonial sub-continent has gradually developed a resounding indifference to its own culture and traditions. The language, especially, has greatly suffered. The Urdu language dates back to the medieval times and has since evolved into several different dialects of ranging vocabulary. The current vernacular hosts this mutually intelligible form of Urdu that takes meaning from several other languages spoken in the region; reveling in the flexibility of the language construct. Keeping this in mind, this thesis is an attempt to study the Urdu language in order to create a cultural heritage building that acts to revive the national tongue; with the spaces being derived as a direct translation of the way the language was originally formed and has since evolved. The project aims to use the rules that govern the written form of Urdu, Khattati, alongside the intangibles that went into the formation of the language as a lashkari zubaan (camp language) to derive design strategies leading toward the built form. The project is to be designed at Shakarparian National Park, in a place of enduring public interest. Such architecture would stand as a tangible reminder of the versatility of the language regardless of its declining importance; allowing visitors to participate in the act of preserving, promoting and publicizing its use; therefore assisting in the revival and elevation of Urdu.