Arakkal Kettu project bags Unesco award

Kerala Tourism has bagged the Honourable Mention Award at the Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards, 2006, for its unique conservation project of Arakkal Kettu at Kannur in North Kerala.

The Arakkal Kettu project has been selected as the best from among a total of 36 entries from 11 countries. The Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards recognise the efforts of private individuals and organisations for successfully restoring and conserving structures and buildings of heritage value in the region.

The Kerala Tourism's project helped in the restoration of Arakkal Kettu, a 400-year-old palace structure, according to a Kerala Tourism department source. The palace structure has now been converted into a self-sustaining heritage museum showcasing the state's Muslim royal traditions.

Asserting that the award would help in administering a booster dose to such efforts, Kerala Tourism director B Suman said similar work was being carried out on other monuments in the state.

Local craft and traditional lime were used in the restoration of the authenticity of the historic building by the archaeology department.

"The latest achievement was made possible by the Kerala Tourism (Conservation and Preservation of Areas) Act 2005, which provides guidelines for preserving heritage and environment, said tourism principal secretary Bharat Bhushan.