President of Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Prof Mahfuza Khanam on Saturday said no civilised nation or country can go forward without having museums as those always help protect history.

"If we look at the richest and most civilised countries, we can see how they nourish their art and culture through museums," she said while addressing a seminar at the auditorium of Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

International Council of Museum (ICOM) organised the seminar titled 'Museum as Cultural Hubs: The Future of Tradition' marking the celebrations of the International Museum Day 2019.

Mahfuza Khanam, former vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu), said it is a matter of great sorrow that museum instruments in the country are being changed with the change in government which is unexpected. "We should keep in mind that no civilised nation can move ahead without knowing its true history, and museum can only preserve the actual history of a country and nation," she added.

Prof Dr Sabbir Ahmed, general secretary of Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Muhammad Manirul Hoque, Deputy Keeper of Bangladesh National Museum, and Sangita Lahiri, internship scholar at the Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, among others, spoke at the seminar held with Prof Sharif Uddin Ahmed of the History and Philosophy department at North South University in the chair.