Objectives
- Improving conservation practices
- Training the Merv Archaeological Park team
- Set up monitoring systems
- Install a laboratory for quality control of the materials useda
- Promoting links between archaeology and conservation
- Define conservation plans for selected endangered structures
- Conservation work on endangered structures
The Merv oasis is a major center of civilization in Central Asia, home to a series of fortified cities spanning 4,000 years of history, from the Bronze Age to the 18th century. These major urban centers have left a wealth of archaeological remains and monuments that can still be seen today, making Merv the oldest and best-preserved oasis city along the Silk Road in Central Asia.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, Merv lies on the edge of the Karakum Desert, where the Murghab River meets one of the main routes between East and West via Samarkand and Bukhara. The oasis occupies a vast area of 1,200 hectares on the alluvial plain of the Murghab River.
Numerous remains, mostly in unbaked earth, have survived the passage of time. The structures are mainly exposed to erosion from rain and snow, and strong north-westerly winds. They also suffer from salt-laden capillary rise resulting from the creation of the Karakum Canal in the 1950s. This high level of humidity and salts in the soil accelerates the digging of erosion furrows at the base of the walls. The sheer size of the sites and the lack of any means of control also contribute to the deterioration of these very fragile structures.
In 2000, a year after the site's inscription, an international seminar organized at Merv enabled the international research community to assess the scale of the problem, and led to the site's inclusion in the World Monuments Watch programme's list of the 100 most endangered monuments.
CRAterre has organized 11 expert missions since 2001, thanks to the financial support of the World Heritage Centre, which has enabled a regular transfer of skills to the members of the team in charge of park conservation. Support has focused mainly on materials analysis, work planning and management, and documentation of actions carried out by Turkmen teams. Significant efforts have also been made to bring architect-curators and archaeologists closer together, so that excavation campaigns take better account of conservation issues.
The park team has gained in confidence and efficiency thanks to the skills and equipment passed on. Successive conservation campaigns have also led to a better understanding of the mechanisms of degradation, and encouraging results have been obtained in terms of conservation, showing that it is possible to slow down the erosion process.
Results
- Park staff and workers from neighbouring villages have gained experience and confidence;
- Deterioration processes are better understood;
- The site is better monitored;
- A soil analysis laboratory is in place and is used on a regular basis;
- The materials used are tested;
- The park is better equipped with office and site equipment;
- Numerous conservation projects have been carried out;
- The Merv experience serves as an example for other Turkmen sites;
- Better coordination between teams of archaeologists and curators has been established.
Partners
Département pour la protection, l'étude et la restauration des monuments historiques et culturels du Turkménistan, Parc archéologique de l'Ancienne Merv, Centre du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO, Bureau régional de l'UNESCO - Téhéran, Commission nationale pour l'UNESCO - Ashgabat, University College London, World Monuments Fund, Ministère français de la Culture - Direction de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine.
