GHAZNI (PAN): The Ministry of Information and Culture has launched a survey for reconstructing eight monuments of the Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi Era in southern Ghazni province, an official said on Saturday.

The sites include two mosques in the Old Ghazni City, two minarets, the shrine of Sultan Ibrahim, the dome of Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi's Shrine and two other mausoleums, Director of Information and Culture Hamidullah Sarwary said.

"The Ministry of Information and Culture plans to reconstruct 42 historic sites until 2013, when Ghazni province will be declared as the capital of Islamic civilisation," he said. Funds for the project would be paid by the ministry, he said.

Launched last year, work on 10 monuments is nearing completion. Of the 42 monuments, 35 need renovation and the six others will be rebuilt. The sites include a gallery, a library, a museum, a covered bazaar, Islamic culture and art centres.

Previously, residents opposed the reconstruction efforts, arguing that workers involved in the process were not professionals, and did not care about the historical value of the sites.

German and American archaeologists conducted a geological survey of minarets and Bala Hisar Fort.

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