Feeling proud to head a museum as a curator, Syeda Meher Taban wants women to adopt archaeology as a career.

Belonging to a small village in the suburbs of Peshawar, Syeda Meher Taban joined the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan as lecturer in the Department of Archaeology.Later, she was entrusted with the responsibility as curator of the museum set up at the university.

"Women normally don't choose to make a career in archaeology. I chose it because I found it very challenging for women. It requires a lot of fieldwork," Syeda Meher Taban told The News.She had topped the Department of Archaeology in the University of Peshawar.

"The gold medal was just the beginning of the journey for me. I wanted to make a name in the field for my efforts in preservation of cultural heritage as a professional," she added.According to Meher Taban, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is rich in archaeological sites where women can also work to preserve history and culture along with the male colleagues.

"It is like many other fields where women are doing a great job. We have a rich history and culture and we all need to contribute in preserving it and educating our future generations about it," she opined.

She started her professional career from the Peshawar Museum where she was appointed as assistant curator after qualifying the provincial Public Service Commission examination."It was the start of the professional career that I had dreamed of. The journey wasn't smooth but I knew that while working in a province like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, I would face certain obstacles. I made it sure these hurdles give me more strength," she pointed out.

She was all praise for her parents, both of whom were teachers, and the entire family for their steadfast support in making career in a difficult and different field.According to Meher Taban, during her three-year service in Peshawar Museum she worked in different projects under Directorate of Archaeology at many places of the province, including Hund, Swabi, Charsadda and Mardan.

"After serving at the Peshawar Museum, I preferred a job as a lecturer in archaeology in the newly established Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan. Later, I got the real task when I was assigned additional responsibility as curator of the university museum," she recalled.

The female curator visited a number of museums and archaeological sites in the United States of America in 2012 and also attended an international seminar in Malaysia."The world is preserving their past and they are proud of it. Our professional archaeologists are doing equally well despite lack of resources and technology," Meher Taban opined.