Sir: Shikarpur, one of the 400 years old historical cities of the subcontinent, and once known as Paris of Sindh has countless monumental, remarkable, classical and historical buildings. The buildings have magnificent architecture and classical archeological edifice, which epitomize the grandeur of the city’s cultural heritage. Unfortunately, at the moment the architectural exquisiteness of the city has been fading. Of the 1203 historical buildings declared as cultural heritage by UNESCO in 1998, 250 have been demolished in last nineteen years and the remaining buildings are in deteriorating conditions. Built in 1661 on the directives of Ahmed Shah Abdali, the 356 years ancient Jamia Masjid, a masterpiece of architecture work, located at the heart of the city, is one of the deteriorating buildings. It has a beautiful round dome with wind catcher for ventilation and light. With its four feet wide walls, the building has two gates — one big gate in the east side and other one in the northern direction. In the Masjid, around 1000 people can offer Namaz at a time. Viewing this gloomy situation, the government of Sindh with the help of national and international donor agencies and trusts has to take measures to preserve this centuries old splendid and classical building by providing the financial, technical and professional assistance. SHAIKH ABDUL RASHEED Shikarpur