Pakistan Museum of Natural History, established in 1976, is a public museum of natural history

Museum of Natural History

A museum of natural history is a museum with exhibits about natural history, including such topics as animals, plants, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, and climatology. Some museums feature natural-history collections in addition to other collections, such as ones related to history, art and...

 situated in Islamabad

Islamabad

Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...

, the federal capital of Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. It has exhibits and galleries which display and provide information about the ecology, geology and palaeontology of the country. Currently, the museum houses a collection of over 300,000 objects. The museum also acts as research center and works closely with the Lok Virsa Museum

Lok Virsa Museum

Lok Virsa Museum is situated in Islamabad, Pakistan. It displays the cultural heritage of Pakistani people. The living style of the different areas of Pakistan is exhibited here in statues, pictures, pottery, music and textile work...

. The museum is open to public everyday, except for Friday, from 10 am to 5 pm. The museum is managed by the Pakistan Science Foundation, Ministry of Science and Technology

Ministry of Science and Technology (Pakistan)

The Ministry of Science and Technology , is a Cabinet-level ministry of government of Pakistan concerned with science and technology in Pakistan and in general, Pakistan's science policies, planning, coordination and directing of efforts to initiate and launch scientific and technological programs...

.

Exhibits

• Biological gallery displays and discusses wild flora and fauna portrayed in their respective habitats.
• Ecological gallery is an educational section where ecological cycles, habitats and environmental problems are discussed through visuals and audios.
• Gemstones gallery shows a variety of gems in raw as well as cut and polished forms.
• Palaeontology gallery displays fossils along with their studies. Anthropology is also discussed through paintings and writings - including a skull of Australopithecus
  Australopithecus
  Australopithecus is a genus of hominids that is now extinct. From the evidence gathered by palaeontologists and archaeologists, it appears that the Australopithecus genus evolved in eastern Africa around 4 million years ago before spreading throughout the continent and eventually becoming extinct...
  
  . Wall paintings depict the pre-historic era.
• Tethys gallery provides information about oceanology, petrology, pedology and mineralogy of Pakistan. It displays three-dimensional diorama of seascapes as well as a skeleton of a whale. Different aspects of Salt Range
  Salt Range
  The Salt Range is a hill system in the Punjab province of Pakistan, deriving its name from its extensive deposits of rock salt. The range extends from the Jhelum River to the Indus, across the northern portion of the Punjab province. The Salt Range contains the great mines of Mayo, Khewra, Warcha...
  
   are also studied in detail.

Notable staff

• Syed Azhar Hasan - Director
• Muhammad Akhtar Javed - Senior operational manager
• Botanical sciences department
  • Muhammad Khan Leghari - Curator
  • Saleem Ahmed - Curator
  • Muhammad Ibrar Shinwari - Associate curator
  • Muhammad Ismail Bhatti - Associate curator
• Geological sciences department
  • Nayyer Iqbal - Curator
  • Abdul Rehim Rajpar - Curator
  • Ghazala Roohi - Curator
  • Hamid Dawood Akbar - Curator
• Zoological sciences department
  • Nasim ahmad khan - Senior taxidermist
    • • Muhammad Rafique - Curator
  • Khalid Mahmood - Associate curator
    • Mirza Habib Ali - Associate curator

See also

• Natural history of Indian sub-continent
  Indian natural history
  Natural history in India has a long heritage with a recorded history going back to the Vedas. Natural history research in early times included the broad fields of paleontology, zoology and botany...
  
  
• Wildlife of Pakistan
  Wildlife of Pakistan
  Wildlife of Pakistan: flora and fauna and their natural habitats.-Northern highlands and plains:The northern highlands include lower elevation areas of Potohar and Azad Kashmir regions and higher elevation areas embracing the foothills of Himalayan, Karakorum and Hindukush mountain ranges...
  
  
• Lok Virsa Museum
  Lok Virsa Museum
  Lok Virsa Museum is situated in Islamabad, Pakistan. It displays the cultural heritage of Pakistani people. The living style of the different areas of Pakistan is exhibited here in statues, pictures, pottery, music and textile work...
  
  
• List of museums in Pakistan

External links

• Pakistan Science Foundation - Official website

Galleries

• Gallery at pakiology.com
• Gallery at official Facebook page