Ihsan H. Nadiem

Born in Sahiwal (old name of the city is Montgomery), Punjab, British India, Nadiem studied at Government College, Lahore, and did his postgraduation in Geography from the University of the Punjab.[2] In 1961, he was then trained as archaeologist on a scholarship by the Government of Pakistan.[2] At a later stage, he specialised in Museology on a French Government Fellowship.[2] He joined the Department of Archaeology, Pakistan and excavated at Banbhore, Swat (Pant, Saidu-I and Saidu-II), Moenjodaro and Tulamba. As a museum curator, he was in charge of museums at Harappa, Umerkot, Moenjodaro, Lahore Fort and Taxila.[2]

He managed the regional offices of the department at Peshawar and Quetta before being posted as officer ncharge of the Publications Branch, which he reactivated after it had remained dormant for 13 years. He launched the Pakistan Institute of Archaeological Training and Research (PIATR) at Lahore and co-ordinated it following its launch. He was the Director General of Punjab Archaeology at Lahore, and then Southern Circle of Archaeology at Hyderabad (Sindh)/Karachi. These assignments entailed archaeological research and maintenance and administration of antiquities 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 is now an author on the cultural heritage of Pakistan.[3]

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 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 prepared and published professional and technical reports.

He also writes English poetry. His poems have appeared in different publications, and as collections entitled Illusory Trance(now out of print) and Golden Rays. His book on Moenjodaro, Heritage of Mankind was first published in 1994, and the edition sold out within months. Its second edition, revised and enlarged, was published in 1995 and a third edition three years later. He has so far published 27 books from the House of Sang-e-Meel Publications and 3 books from Alfaisal Publishers, both at Lahore, on the cultural heritage of Pakistan. In addition his book - Subjects and Themes in the Holy Qur'an, in two volumes - has also been published by Alfaisal Publishers, Lahore. Since 2010 he is working as Director in Dyal Singh Research & Cultural Forum - an institute devoted to the study and research in the culture, language and history of Punjab (on both side of the divide between Pakistan and India)

Ihsan H. Nadiem's books are based on his 32 years of archaeological research work. He's quoted as saying, "I wanted to write books that were not voluminous, that were not burdened with technical jargon and in which facts and figures did not dominate the writing".[2]

• Moenjodaro on goodreads.com website