Cambodia /

China

22

2019

The Twenty-second Regular ReportIndonesia / Kyrgyzstan

ACCU Nara International Correspondent
The ACCU correspondents periodically send reports on cultural heritage protection activities in which they have been
recently involved. This is a collection of nine reports submitted by international correspondents in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Twenty-second Regular Report
Contents

Cambodia

1

China

7

Indonesia

13

Kyrgyzstan

19

CHAN Vitharong
The Progress of Conservation Activities at Sambor Prei Kuk Site

Bi Yi
A Brief Report on the Evaluation of the Overall Conservation and Utilization Projects in the First Batchof 51 Traditional Villages Where Many "National and Provincial Priority Protected Sites" Are Concentrated

Prita Wikantyasning
The Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto: Its Conservation Issues and Government Efforts to
Maintain its Preserved Condition as a UNESCO World Heritage

Kunbolot Akmatov
Ethnocultural Attribution of the Oval-Shaped Burial Mounds in Tien ShanNepal22

Solomon Islands

27

Tonga

32

Uzbekistan

34

Viet Nam

39

Suresh Suras SHRESTHA
Anantapur Temple: Rehabilitation of Cultural Heritage after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake

Grinta Ale’eke
Four New Archaeological Sites and First Radiocarbon Dating in Simbo Island, Western Province,
Solomon Islands

Milika Pomana
Revival of The Tonga National Museum: An Effort in Cultural and Heritage Preservationin the Kingdom of Tonga

Akmaljon Ulmasov
New Finding – Stone Disk with Hippocamp Image from Dalvarzintepa

Tran Thanh Hoang Phuc
Restoration Work of The Ba Mu Temple Gate

Cambodia
Cambodia

The Progress of Conservation Activities at Sambor Prei Kuk Site
Vitharong Chan, Director
Department of Site, Archaeology and Conservation, National Authority for Sambor Prei Kuk, Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
1. Introduction
Since this is the fourth International Correspondent Reportpresented about the Sambor Prei Kuk Site (see Reports
vols 12/2013, 13/2014 and 20/2018), for the sake ofbrevity I will not repeat the historical and general aspectsof the site in this introduction. In the previous reports the
new steps that were taken under the management of the
National Authority for Sambor Prei Kuk (NASPK) werementioned, as well as those after it was designated as a
World Heritage Site in 2017.

Map of Sambor Prei Kuk Archaeological Site: ● Complexes and towers in the progress of conservation activities.

2. Progress of Conservation Activities
This report presents the progress of conservation as itenters a new stage, implemented by the Department ofSite, Archaeology and Conservation of NASPK, of which I
will highlight four principle activities:

The emergency conservation efforts, based on current risk
examination information, may include more intervention
in the partial restoration with brick masonry, however,the use of wire restraints and wooden propping, andshoring and bracing are still practiced.

2-1. Emergency Conservation“The Emergency Conservation of Octagonal Towers in
Prasat Yeay Poan”: As presented in the last report, thisactivity is presently an efficient and effective ongoingproject to preserve the octagonal towers’ structures andtheir artistic decorative elements. From this state, theDepartment has taken a wider approach for greater
protection, conservation, and restoration efforts than forother monuments on the site. This project has provided
the partial preservation of temples such as:

2.2. Restoration WorkIn this report, I will present three projects (among five).

—In 2018, Prasat Yeay Poan (S7, S8, S9, S10 and Walls)
Prasat Trapeang Ropeak (Z1 and Z2), Prasat Srei Krup
Leak (L5) and Prasat Doung Mong (D)—In 2019, Prasat Trapeang Ropeak (Y), Prasat Kuok
Troung (W), Prasat Ta Mon (T), Asram Moharusei (N17),
N19 tower and Prasat Sandan (N21).

1

A.S11 Tower
As mentioned in the previous report, the S11 tower is an
octagonal tower restored in 2018 (see Report vol. 20/2018:9-10). In 2006, the MCFA team installed a temporary
cabling harness to reinforce the cracked wall structure.
After monitoring the structure, in 2011, MCFA decided toenhance the supported structure with a roof covering.
The lessons learned and elements that have been
identified as risks of varying degree will be applied to theemergency conservation of other towers and used as abasis for future conservation requirements. As new risks
are identified, they will be prioritized and incorporated
into the project plan of each tower. Conservation efforts
based on current risk analysis knowledge may include

Cambodia

Map of main temple complexes of Sambor Prei Kuk Archaeological Site:● Emergency conservation ● Restoration work ● Filling back illegal excavated pit

Examples: Partial emergency conservation, before and after conservation.

2

Cambodia
Example: Z1 tower: Partial emergency conservation, before (left), during (middle) and after conservation (right).

The S11 tower before and after restoration.

The S5 gate before and after restoration.

3

Cambodia

The S3 gate before, and during restoration and activities.

The risk map of Prasat Sri Krup Leak (NASPK, 2017).

4

Cambodia

wire restraints, wooden propping, shoring and bracing.
This is the first in a series of interim actions to ensuretemple longevity. The technical team will evaluate therisks of each temple in advance before starting the data
survey and risk mapping.
B. Inner Eastern and Western Gates of Prasat Yeay Poan
“From inaccessible to conservation” is the concept forthe project. It is not only for conserving the structures
themselves, but making them accessible, which is anotherway to provide a reintroduction to the monument’s
original architectural function.
- Western Gate (S5): Unstable structural walls and door are
the main risks for this gate. Walls were encroached on
by tree roots. The doorway was inaccessible becauseof looting and war activities during the time of unrest.
Because of the instability of the structure, an alternativeroute was created that detoured visitors to the southernside of the wall, which damaged the wall.
- Eastern Gate (S3): This project is ongoing, because as
the tree and its roots are encroaching on the temple, it
has become an attractive sight for tourists who visit thiscomplex. Nonetheless, it is not in concert with the stateof conservation of this temple. The load is increasing
and the roots are growing and quietly invading thestructure of the brick masonry. A four-metre-highaccumulation of brick and soil has covered the whole
structure which has given rise to a route detour tothe lower northern wall for access. The project willremove the accumulated brick and soil to conserve thestructure and cut the tree branches so as to reduce thepressed load and vibration that is a primary cause of theinstability of the structure.
C. Prasat Srei Krup Leak: L5, L6 and L7
To extend to the north area on conservation activities,
Prasat Srei Krup Leak (L5, L6 and L7) is a planned
conservation project. Prasat Srei Krup Leak is a very
remarkable view for scholars in terms of how thearchitectural style connects the pre-Angkor and Angkor

periods. This project will be conducted at the end of 2019with the preparation of a new visiting route.
2-3. Filling Back Illegal Excavated Pit
During the time of unrest in the country (from the 1970s
to the mid-1990s), there were illegal excavation activities
in Sambor Prei Kuk. In the middle of the 1990s, theMinistry of Culture and Fine Arts started backfilling thedestroyed accumulated foundations to prevent the loss ofthe fragile structures, mostly in the chamber of the tower.
However, these works were conducted in the major threecomplexes (Prasat Yeay Poan (S), Prasat Sambor (N)and Prasat Tao (C)). From 2004 to 2005, the Sambor Prei
Kuk Conservation Project also continued to contribute toreinforcing the lost foundation from the first stage andthe rearrangement of the pedestals. This work was notdone in the satellite complexes, and the activity has been
restarted with the following activity at Prasat Bos Ream
(N24).
This project will not only be for the stability of themonument structure, but will also provide a morecomprehensive understanding of ancient construction
techniques and materials through the profile of thefoundation. It is also part of an enhancement of thevisiting route for the entire site, not only the three majorcomplexes. This project will also enhance the othersatellite complexes.
2-4. Training Program
Six students from the Royal University of Fine Arts wereselected for this program that took place at Sambor Prei
Kuk. This program is a pilot project of the Department tointroduce a new generation to the fields of archaeologicalresearch and architectural conservation. It not only gives
them the opportunity to learn with on-site experience, butalso the opportunity to practice conservation/restoration
action with specialists from diverse departments in NASPK
as well. It will also contribute to an increase in trained
human resources for the continuation of conservation
work. This program is planned as part of the long-term
vision of the NASPK in the field of Pre-Angkor studies.

The N24 tower: front view with a pile of looted accumulated soil and foundation (left) and interior illegal excavated pit (right).

5Cambodia

Training activities for RUFA students.

3. Conclusion
As presented above, the activity in progress is not
only for maintaining the monument, but is also a newenhanced program of educational outreach to university
students to produce the next generation of archaeologicalresearchers and conservation experts by providing onsite practical experience. It also gives a new conservation
aspect to the monument visiting route without harm to
the monument (its authenticity, integrity and value).

Remarks: This report is part of the conservation works
which are being carried out by the Department of Site,
Archaeology and Conservation, National Authority for
Sambor Prei Kuk. Most of the photos in this report weretaken during the conservation period by members of the
project team.

6

ChinaChina

A Brief Report on the Evaluation of the Overall Conservation and Utilization Projects in the First Batch of
51 Traditional Villages Where Many "National and Provincial Priority Protected Sites" Are Concentrated
Bi Yi, Project Leader
Studio Three, Beijing Guo Wen Yan Cultural Heritage Conservation Centre Co.Ltd.
1. Working background
The traditional village is not only the foundation andessence of Chinese excellent traditional culture, but also
an important carrier of modern culture and the spirit of thetimes. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist
Party of China, the Party and the government have attachedgreat importance to the conservation and inheritance oftraditional villages. The National Cultural Heritage
Administration, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural
Development and seven other departments haverecognized a total of 6,803 traditional Chinese villages infive batches.
In order to promote the conservation and utilization of
traditional villages, the National Cultural Heritage
Administration in 2014 launched an overall conservation
and utilization project for traditional villages where many
“National and Provincial Priority Protected Sites” areconcentrated. Three batches of conservation and utilization
projects covering 270 villages have been carried out one
after another, involving such various aspects as village
cultural relics repair, environmental preservation andrenovation; display and utilization; fire protection, safety
protection and lightning protection of cultural relics, and7

so on. Through solid progress over nearly five years, initial
results have been achieved in the first batch of overall
conservation and utilization projects in 51 traditional
villages where many “National and Provincial Priority
Protected Sites” are concentrated.
Entrusted by the National Cultural Heritage Administration,
our company organized a research group to conduct acomprehensive investigation and evaluation on theconservation and utilization of these 51 traditional villages
in 2018. Through this evaluation, we have basicallygrasped the specific situation of the first batch of 51
traditional villages and the difficulties and problems
existing in the process of implementation, and have put
forward targeted strategies and suggestions on the basis ofanalysis and research, with the purpose of providing a
useful reference for follow-up work. Due to space
limitations, this report mainly provides a brief introduction
to the overall situation of the conservation and utilization
project.
2. Overview of the Assessment
1) Object of Evaluation
The first batch of 51 traditional villages where many

Distribution map of the first batch of 51 traditional villages where many
"National and Provincial Priority Protected Sites" are concentrated

Tujia Village in Western Hunan-Shiyanping Village, Hunan Province

Seaweed House on the Coast of the Yellow Sea—Dongchu Island Village, Shandong Province"Red" Ancient Village—Wuliping Village, Hubei Province

ChinaLarge Manor House in Eastern Sichuan-Shipaifang Village, Sichuan Province“National and Provincial Priority Protected Sites” areconcentrated involve 24 provinces/municipalities/autonomous
regions and 49 districts and counties, have a wide range ofdistribution, a number of rich and diverse themes, andcover the most representative and wonderful part of thelocal heritage in our country.
2) Content of the Evaluation:
This evaluation is carried out on the basis of the existing
project evaluation, focusing on comprehensive evaluationof the implementation effect and the comprehensive
benefits of the project. Special attention is paid to thepositive role of the project in promoting local cultural andeconomic development, helping to alleviate poverty,

improving the living standards and pride of local
communities, and so on. At the same time, we should pay
attention to the analysis of various factors affecting theimplementation effect from the aspects of the mode ofmanagement organization and the method of activation
and utilization, then sort out the existing outstanding
problems and constraints, summarize the experience of
local people and any advanced practices, and selectoutstanding model cases.
3. Completion and overall effect of the project1) Progress of the project and use of funds:
The evaluation results show that there were highcompletion rates for the overall conservation and utilization

Statistical chart of completion rate of each village project

Statistical chart of utilization rate of the special central funds in each village8Chinaprojects in the first batch of 51 traditional villages. The
average completion rate of each village project is about
84%, and the average utilization rate of the special central
funds allocated by the National Cultural Heritage
Administration is about 79% (as of July 2018). Through thedata, we can see that the use of funds is basically consistent
with the progress of the implementation of the project,which means that expected goals have been achieved, andremarkable achievements have been made in the efficiencyof work promotion.

with local governments, and through nearly five years ofhard work, the state of the conservation of the first batchof 51 traditional villages has been substantially improved.
The comprehensive evaluation of the four projects
concluded that excellent or better villages accounted formore than 70% of the total. Among them, the result for thecultural relics repair project (in the excellent or better
categories) was 76%, in the environmental renovation
project this figure was 61%, in the display and utilization
project, 64%, and in the fire protection project, 62%.

2) The overall effect of the implementation of the project:
In giving full play to its professional functions, the Cultural
Heritage Administration, at all levels, actively cooperates

Great improvements have been made in the preservationand security guarantee for most of the cultural relicbuildings in the villages. At the same time, in terms of

Photos before and after the renovation of Dangjia Village in Shaanxi Province

Photos before and after the renovation of monasteries damaged by an earthquake in Pangxing Village, Tibet

Dengshen Village, Guizhou Province—Fire protection facilities coordinated with the village environment

9

Zhejiang Sizhai Village—Restoration of a traditional independent firewood house

According to the actual situation regarding village value
and development conditions, various localities also
adopted certain models, such as vernacular architecturemuseum, living community, tourist village, and so on, andcarried out a series of explorations and practice in therational transformation and activation, and utilization ofcultural relics, which promoted the development of thevillage economy and further stimulated the vitality of thecommunity. For example, Jilin Jinjiang Wooden House
Village tried the villager-led residential cooperative modeland the multi-participation PPP model, and actively
introduced folklore, painters from other villages into thevillage to establish a studio, so that the village transformed
itself from an abandoned village into a dynamic tourist
destination. As another example, in Zhaji Village, Anhui
Province, the use of an ancestral temple as a place ofSinology and local culture education has achieved a goodcombination of the use of cultural relics and the inheritanceof traditional culture.

Through this project, the historical environment of thevillages has been preserved, the regional characteristics
have been further highlighted, and the quality of theenvironment has been improved. For example, Mangjing
Village and Tuanshan Village in Yunnan Province haveadopted the idea of finding key problems and carrying out
micro-transformation according to the logic of recreating
the original environment, which has achieved the goodeffect of “optimizing but not changing” the traditional
environment.

3) Social Benefits of the Project
The implementation of the overall conservation andutilization project has not only greatly improved theappearance of the material relics of traditional villages, butalso promoted the revitalization of the local economy andthe continuation of traditional culture. The implementation
funds for the first batch of 51 traditional villages are special
funds mainly allocated by the National Cultural Heritage

Mangjing Village, Yunnan Province

Yunnan Tuanshan Village

Jilin Jinjiang Wooden House Village, using cultural relic architecture as
residential accommodation and an artist’s studio

Zhaji Village, Anhui Province, using an ancestral temple as a place for
Sinology and Local education

China

engineering practice, various localities have carried out aseries of useful explorations on the concepts ofconservation, technical methods, engineering organizationand so on. For example, in Dangjia Village in Shaanxi
Province, through the long-term presence of experts
providing engineering guidance, they strike the perfectbalance between the principle of minimum intervention
and the demand for improving residential quality according
to the preservation and usage requirements of eachbuilding. In the renovation of the temple in Pangxing
Village in Tibet, local technical personnel have beenrequired to be used in the design and construction, which
better ensures realization of the original technology andform in the project. In Sizhai Village, Zhejiang Province,
the practice of the traditional “independent firewood
house” has been restored and improved with a fire
protection design, which has economically and efficiently
solved the fire protection problem for cultural relics under
the special space constraints.

10ChinaAdministration, totaling 1.32 billion yuan, while 41 villages
have invested a total of 1.03 billion yuan in local supporting
funds, the ratio of cultural relic special funds to local
supporting funds is close to 1:1, the driving effect of which
is obvious.
The conservation and utilization of villages has effectively
promoted the development of the tourism industry and theimprovement of residents’ income levels. With theimplementation of the project, the tourism income of allvillages has increased in recent years. For 34 villages withincome statistics over a number of years, the averageincrease in tourism income has reached 37.3%. In Guizhou
Dimeng Village, Yunnan Nuogan Village, Sichuan Hongjun
Street, Hubei Yumuping Village and Yunnan Mangjing
Village, which were previously rated as national-level poor
counties, income per capita is significantly above theaverage county level. Income per capita in Nuogan Village
and Yumu Village is twice the average income of the rural
population in their respective counties, and the income

per capital in Mangjing Village is nearly three times as highas that of its county.
In addition to driving the development of the local
economy, the overall conservation and utilization project
has also played a positive role in promoting the inheritanceof local traditional culture and the development of local
heritage conservation. On the one hand, the implementationof the conservation and utilization project provides moreplaces for village cultural activities and historical displays,
promotes the development of village non-heritage activities
and traditional folk activities, and strengthens the villagers’
sense of belonging and pride in local traditional culture.
For example, Dongchu Island Village in Shandong
Province, Cuandi Village in Beijing, Mangjing Village inYunnan Province, Lijiatuan Village in Shandong Province,
etc., have set up village history museums with rich content
and high quality displays, which are deeply loved by local
residents. In Peitian Village, Fujian Province, the use ofcultural relics to carry out traditional performances, theStatistical chart of the ratio of national special funds to local supporting funds in each village project

Villagers watching an exhibition in Mangjing Village, Yunnan Province

11

Ancient theatres used to perform martial arts in Peitian Village,Fujian Province

Hunan Shiyanping Village is promoted by the villagers,
village committee and government media, and the beautiful
scenery of the village peach garden is presented to the
public by organizing photography activities and shooting
special films at the Farming Culture and Art Festival. Twoconsecutive years of selection as Hunan Satellite TV Spring
Festival Gala has also played a good propaganda effect on
the village.
On the other hand, through the implementation of the
project, we have cultivated a number of talented individuals
in design and construction areas who are committed to theconservation of local heritage, and promoted research into
and inheritance of traditional construction technology.
The overall conservation and utilization of traditional
villages is a complex, systematic project which requires thecooperation of government departments at all levels,
village committees, and stakeholders from all walks of life.
Through the development of this project, various localities
have accumulated a great deal of experience in the
optimization of collaborative management mechanisms,
the construction of management capacity, exploration of
the modes of conservation and utilization of cultural relics
with non-state-owned property rights, and the participationof the community and social elements. In the cities andcounties where 51 villages are located, the vast majority ofthem have set up special leading groups, management
committees and other coordination bodies for this work,and have held regular joint meetings, which have played
an important role in promoting the overall planning of thework. In terms of management capacity building, theNational Cultural Heritage Administration promptly issued
the ‘Guidelines for the Conservation and Utilization of

Vernacular Buildings in Traditional Villages where Many
“National and Provincial Priority Protected Sites” Are
Concentrated (trial version’ and organized two training
courses throughout the country. Local governments havealso strengthened the staffing of relevant departments, andGuangxi, Hunan, Yunnan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Guizhou andother provinces have also implemented a village-based
expert system. The technical guarantee for the
implementation of the project has been strengthened.
Many other places have made remarkable innovative
attempts according to their own reality, which has played
an important role in promoting the level of rural heritage
conservation and management, and even in the solution ofsome rural social problems.

Chinasetting up of characteristic workshops, and the organizationof a spring ploughing festival and other non-heritage
activities effectively promoted the development of village
folk culture.

4. Summary
Chinese traditional villages are the highest-quality historicaland cultural resources in the country, and provide themost characteristic ecological and human environment,
and the most basic conditions for industrial development.
The practice of the conservation and utilization of these
traditional villages can play a positive and leading role inthe strategy of rural revitalization. In recent years, China
has been working hard to find a sustainable development
path that is compatible with the conservation andinheritance of traditional local culture in China. Throughthis evaluation, we can see that the implementation of
overall conservation and utilization projects in the firstbatch of 51 traditional villages where many “National andProvincial Priority Protected Sites” are concentrated hastaken a solid step along this path, and five years of efforts
in bringing changes to these villages have raised
expectations for the conservation and utilization of
traditional villages, gradual achievement of the harmonious
development of man and nature in the midst of theopportunities presented by the times, and an important
way to achieve a bright future of “seeing the mountains,seeing the water, remembering to live in homesickness”.

12Indonesia
Indonesia

The Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto: Its Conservation Issues and Government Efforts
to Maintain its Preserved Condition as a UNESCO World Heritage
Prita Wikantyasning, Head of Section for World Cultural Heritage Nomination
Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia
Introduction/background
OCMHS (Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto)
is a coal mining heritage and integrated transportation
system for coal, i.e., transportation from the mining
location via railway tracks along Lake Singkarak to
the final coal storage at Emmahaven Port. It consistsof several cultural properties and heritages which areintertwined into one global narrative and has now
become a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is located inWest Sumatra, Indonesia, and was built in the Dutch era
during the late 19th to early 20th centuries.
Competition between colonial countries to control energy
resources forced the Dutch government to search forenergy resources in their colonies. The discovery of alarge number of high quality coal deposits in the Ombilin
Basin, Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, motivated the Dutch
government to invest in coal mining operations in thisregion. Operation of the coal mine in Sawahlunto started
in 1891. From then until Indonesian independence, theownership and management of Ombilin coal miningchanged hands several times, from the Dutch government
to the Japanese military and then to the Indonesian
government.
The exploitation and management of Ombilin coalmining continued until Ombilin coal mining was declaredinefficient for exploitation, with mining activities being
discontinued in 2002. Nearly 40 percent of Sawahlunto
residents were miners, so after the miners left,
Sawahlunto slowly became a dead city. To prevent thatsituation, in 2001 the Mayor of Sawahlunto at that time,
Mr. Amran Noor, established and announced a vision forthe city: “Sawahlunto as Cultural Tourism Mining City by
2020,” as an initial step to revive and develop the city.
On one hand, the development plan to revive anddevelop the city has brought optimism to the peopleof Sawahlunto. On the other hand, however, there areconcerns from conservationists that urban development
will change the face of the city and affect heritage
conservation, because it is assumed that growth equals
destruction.
Therefore, proposing OCMHS to become a UNESCOWorld Heritage site is expected to support thepreservation of the city. It can also help revive the cityand bring prosperity to local communities through site
visitation and therefore help them maintain a goodquality of life.
Properties to preserve in the Ombilin Coal Mining Heritageof Sawahlunto Area
There are 12 component-parts of cultural heritage locatedin three areas (Area A, Area B, and Area C) in the Ombilin
Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto Area. The location is13

in West Sumatra, Indonesia; to be precise, encompassing
Sawahlunto Municipality, Solok Municipality, Solok
Regency, Padang Panjang Municipality, Tanah Datar
Regency, Padang Pariaman Regency, and Padang
Municipality. The three areas comprise 268.18 hectares,
with buffer areas totaling 7,356.92 hectares.
Area A: Sawahlunto Mining Site & Company Town
consisting of six components-parts:- Component-part A1: Soengai Doerian Mining Site. (Ithas five attributes: Doerian Mining Pit Compound,
Padang Pandjang Mining Pit Compound, Soengai
Doerian Mining Pit Compound, Loento Mining Pit,
Mining Tunnel).
- Component-part A2: Mining School. (It has one attribute:
Mining School)- Component-part A3: Coal Processing Plant Compound.
(It has one attribute: Coal Processing Plant Compound).
- Component-part A4: Ombilin Railway Transportation.
(It has four attributes: Sawahlunto Train Station, Kubang
Sirakuak Power Plant, Kalam Railway Tunnel, Muara
Kalaban Train Station).
- C omponent-part A5: Company Town. (It has five
attributes: Mining Administrative Compound, Labour
Quarters Compound, Health Facilities, Market,
Supporting Facilities).
- C omponent-part A6: Salak Power Plant and Rantih
Water Pumping Station. (It has two attributes: SalakPower Plant Compound, Rantih Water Pumping Station
Compound).
Area B: Railway Facilities & Engineering Structures,consisting of five component-parts:- C omponent-part B1: Railway System. (It has one
attribute: Railway System).
- Component-part B2: Batu Tabal Train Station. (It has
one attribute: Batu Tabal Train Station).
- Component-part B3: Padang Pandjang Train Station. (Ithas one attribute: Padang Pandjang Train Station).
- Component-part B4: Tinggi Bridge. (It has one attribute:
Tinggi Bridge).
- Component-part B5: Kayu Tanam Train Station. (It has
one attribute: Kayu Tanam Train Station).
Area C: Coal Storage Facilities at Emmahaven Port,
consisting of one component-part:- Component-part C1: Coal Storage. (It has one attribute:
Coal Storage).
(See annex: List of Significant Objects of All Attributes)
Conservation Efforts
Proposing OCMHS to become a UNESCO World Heritagesite is a possible way to conserve the heritage and yet
still develop the region and bring prosperity and agood quality of life to the local communities. In otherwords, we should implement sustainable development in

There are several conservation issues in the OCMHS
area, such as the potential degradation of the landscapedue to illegal mining and the lack of care shown toward
the heritage buildings and their surrounding areas. The
solution to these conservation issues is collaboration
regarding space management and coordination amongst
related parties. An example of this is the potential
degradation of the landscape due to illegal mining. To
address this issue in a former mining area in Sawahlunto,
PT Bukit Asam, Tbk, despite being a mining company,
has committed itself to supporting OCMHS as a UNESCOWorld Heritage site by extending the concession contract
to the coal mining area to protect the whole area, andbeing against the possibility of the relevant ministry’s
granting new mining permits to other mining companies.
PT Bukit Asam, Tbk also continues to run a mining
school in order to support sustainable development in
Sawahlunto. The current mining operation is still being
carried out for educational purposes on a small scale.
Another relevant issue is abandoned heritage buildings.
Because we need to take care of and maintain thebuildings and their surrounding areas, the local
government together with the central government,
through its Regional Technical Implementation Unit,
registers heritage buildings on both the local level andnational level as cultural heritage properties, so that the
government has a formal legal ground for undertaking
the conservation. Not only does the government register
them, it also socializes the dos and don’ts, the rules,
and recommendations for registered cultural properties
and heritage among the local communities, so that the
local communities can participate and be involved inpreserving the heritage buildings by light cleaning,guarding, and being careful not to wreck parts of thebuildings.
Aside from the above, there are several recommendations
for conservation suggested by ICOMOS. However, not allof them can be described here because they are still inprogress.

Conclusion
Proposing OCMHS to become a UNESCO World Heritagesite is part of the Indonesian government’s efforts toensure the preservation and sustainability of its present
condition into the future.

Indonesia

OCMHS to achieve prosperity and a good quality of life
for local communities and not just conservation of theheritage.

Conservation issues in the OCMHS area, such as potential
degradation of the landscape due to illegal mining
and the lack of care shown toward the abandoned
heritage buildings, are expected to be resolved throughcollaborative management and coordination amongst
related parties.
References:“Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto.” 2018.
Nomination Dossier Nomination for Inscription on theWorld Heritage List. Jakarta: Ministry of Education andCulture of the Republic of Indonesia. Government ofWest Sumatra.
Response for ICOMOS. 2018. Prepared by Nomination
Team of Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto.
The nomination team developed the additional
Information to provide further information to clarify andto augment the material submitted in the nomination
dossier. The additional information is a request of theInternational Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
in its letter Number GB/AA/1610/Add_Info_I dated 01
October 2018. Jakarta.
“Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto.” 2019.
Response and Additional Information. In reply to letter
GB/AA/1610/IR dated 21 December 2018 from theICOMOS World Heritage Evaluation Unit and preparedby Ministry of Education and Culture of Republicof Indonesia. In coordination with the Ministry ofForeign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia; Ministry ofTransportation of Republic of Indonesia; Ministry of StateOwned Enterprises of Republic of Indonesia; Office of
Education and Culture of West Sumatra Province; Officeof Culture, Heritage Remains and Museum of Sawahlunto
Municipality; Bukit Asam Company-Ombilin Mining
Operation; Indonesian Railway Company. Jakarta.
ANNEXES:- List of Significant Objects of All Attributes- M ap of Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto- Photos of Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto

List of Significant Objects of All Attributes
ID no.
Attributes
Component-part A1: Soengai Doerian Mining Site
A1.1
Doerian Mining Pit Compound

Significant Objects
Doerian Mining Pit
Ventilator
Compressor Building

A1.2

Pandjang Mining Pit Compound

Pandjang Mining Pit
Ventilator Pit Pandjang

A1.3

Soengai Doerian Mining Pit Compound

Soengai Doerian Mining Pit
Ruins of Gevangenis Soengai Doerian (Prison Chains)14Indonesia

A1.4

Loento Mining Pit Compound

Loento I Mining Pit
Loento II
Loento III Mining Pit

A1.5

Mining Tunnel

Minning Tunnel

Component-part A2: Mining School
Mining School

Mining School

Component-part A3: Coal Processing Plant Compound
Coal Processing Plant

Coal Processing Plant

Component-part A4: Ombilin Railway Transportation
A4.1
Sawahlunto Train Station

A4.2

Kubang Sirakuak Power Plant

Station Building
Emplacement

A4.3

Kalam Railway Tunnel

Kalam Railway Tunnel

A4.4

Muara Kalaban Train Station

Station Building
Emplacement

Component-part A5: Company Town
A5.1
Mining Administrative Compound

15

Station Building
Emplacement
Locomotive Turntable

A5.1.a. Head Office of Ombilin Mining EnterpriseA5.1.b. Engineer Residence W-24
A5.1.c. Engineer Residence W-28
A5.1.d. Engineer Residence W-29
A5.1.e. Engineer Residence W-30
A5.1.f. Engineer Residence W-46
A5.1.g. Engineer Residence W-14
A5.1.h. Engineer Residence W-15
A5.1.i. Engineer Residence W-16

A5.2

Labour Quarters CompoundA5.2.a. Tangsi Tanah Lapang
A5.2.b. Tangsi Baru
A5.2.c. Soup Kitchen Complex

A5.3

Health Facilities

A5.3.a. Hospital
A5.3.b. Doctor Residence W-1
A5.3.c. Doctor Residence W-2
A5.3.d. Doctor Residence W-3

A5.4

Old Market Area

A5.4.a. Comedy House
A5.4.b. Pek Sin Kek House
A5.4.c. Ons Belang Co-operative

A5.5

Supporting Facilities

A5.5.a. Ombilin GroundA5.5.b. Assembly Hall
A5.5.c. Ombilin Hotel
A5.5.d. Santa Barbara Catholic Church
A5.5.e. Santa Lucia School
A5.5.f. House of the Assistant Residence
A5.5.g. House of the Court Chief
A5.5.h. House of the State Attorney
A5.5.i. House of the Court Clerk

Component-part A6: Salak Power Plant & Rantih Water Pumping Station
A6.1
Salak Power Plant Compound
Salak Power Plant Complex
Salak Official Residence W-301
Salak Official Residence W-302
Salak Official Residence W-303
A6.2

Water Pumping Station Compound

Component-part B1: Railway System
B1.
Railway System
Component-part B2: Batu Tabal Train Station
B2.
Batu Tabal Train Station

Component-part B3: Padang Pandjang Train Station
B3.
Padang Pandjang Train Station

Component-part B4: Tinggi Bridge
B4.
Tinggi Bridge
Component-part B5: Kayu Tanam Train Station
B5.
Kayu Tanam Train Station

Component-part C1: Coal Storage
C1.
Coal Storage

Indonesia

A5.5.j. House of the Municipal Government Official 1
A5.5.k. House of the Municipal Government Official 2

A6.2.a. Ombilin River
A6.2.b. Pumping Station Building & Structure

Railway System

Station Building
Emplacement

Station Building
Emplacement
Locomotive Depot
Water Pumping
Locomotive Turntable

Tinggi Bridge

Station Building
Emplacement

Coal Storage/ Kolen Magazin
Emmahaven Old Wharf

16

Map of Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto

Indonesia(Copyright Owner: Office of Cultural Affairs, Historical Remains Museum of Sawahlunto Municipality)

Photos of Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto

Figure 1: The Compressor Building is one of significant objects in Doerian Mining Pit Compound (in Area A)(Copyright Owner: Office of Cultural Affairs, Historical Remains Museum of Sawahlunto Municipality)

Figure 2: Salak Power Plant Complex in Salak Power Plant Compound (in Area A)(Copyright Owner: Prita Wikantyasning)17

Indonesia

Figure 3: The Soup Kitchen Building in the Labour Quarters Compound (in Area A).
The building now functions as a museum (Copyright Owner: Prita Wikantyasning)

Figure 4: Tinggi Bridge (in Area B) (Copyright Owner: Prita Wikantyasning)

Figure 5: Aerial View of Coal Storage Facilities at Emmahaven Port (in Area C)(Copyright Owner: Office of Cultural Affairs, Historical Remains Museum of Sawahlunto Municipality)

18

Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan

Ethnocultural Attribution of the Oval-Shaped Burial Mounds in Tien Shan
Kunbolot Akmatov, Specialist
The Archaeological-Ethnographical Museum-Laboratory, Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas Uni-versity
One of the most interesting and challenging issues inmedieval archaeology of Eurasia is the identification of
medieval Mongolian burials. A number of different typesof burials attributed to the Mongolian tribes of the 1214th centuries have been excavated in Mongolia andTransbaikalia. On the basis of the Eastern Eu-ropean
materials of the 13-14th centuries, a well-known Russianarchaeologist, G.A. Fedorov-Davydov, distinguishedseveral elements in the burial complexes, which heassociated with newly arrived Mongolian and “eastern”
tribes. However, the absence of consistent relationships
among the elements precluded him from designating
the burials as Mongolian by feature complex. In thisconnection, the tombs with oval-shaped stone mounds inTien Shan are of special interest.
Such kinds of burial mounds in Tien Shan havebeen excavated since the end of the 19th century byarchaeologists such as A.M. Fetisov, A.N. Bernshtam,
A.K. Kibirov, D.F. Vinnik, A.K. Abetekov and K.Sh.
Tabaldiev. In 2012-2014, the author of this report, in
collaboration with Prof. K.Sh. Tabaldiev, excavated andstudied the tombs with oval-shaped mounds in the YsykKöl and Naryn regions. As a result of this research, theauthor proposed a new hypothesis on the ethnocultural
attribution of the tombs.
The overall number of excavated tombs with ovalshaped stone mounds in Tien Shan is a little more than100. Burials of this type are usually situated on the topof hills and mountains. They rarely form large cemeteriesconsisting of more than 10 tombs. Mounds for the burials
are made up of stones which form an oval shape, with
their long sides in a north-south direction. In several
cases, a vertically erected stone slab was discovered at
the northern end of the mound. The deceased were laidsupine with their heads to the north. The grave goods
found correspond to the sex of the deceased: men were
provided with weapons (bows, arrows, quivers, knives,etc.), horse trappings (bridles, saddles, stirrups), flints,
etc.; women were provided with horse trappings, knives,
mirrors, earrings, combs, beads and special headdresses
known as a bogtog. Both male and female burials containcertain bones of a sheep, viz., tibia, shoulder blade andvertebra. In some cases, the tibia was found in a vertical
position near the skull of the deceased.

19

Craniological materials (17 male and 8 female skulls)
from the burials with oval-shaped mounds in the Kochkor
region were studied by I.R. Gazimzianov and S.S. Tur.
According to their analysis, the skulls are characterized
by “Mongoloid features” and are “morphologicallyhomogeneous”, although “certain Caucasoid features
are present”. However, in comparison with craniologicalmaterials from the Iron Age and early Middle Age burials
in Tien Shan, the skulls from the tombs with oval-shaped
mounds are “strongly Mongoloid”.
Interestingly enough, there are similar tombs among
heterogeneous antiquities of the early Mongolianarchaeological culture in Mongolia and Transbaikalia.
A detailed comparative study of the burial complexes
from all three regions demonstrates a close resemblancein their funerary rites and grave goods. Common
characteristics include the location of the cemeteries onhills and mountains; the oval-shaped stone mounds,
sometimes with a rock vertically erected at the northern end of the mound; placing the deceased in a supine
position with their head to the north; providing femaleswith a bogtog headdress; adding sheep’s bones (tibia, shoulder blade, vertebra) and saddles with trapezeshaped pommels. All these features are current in theburial complexes of the 13–14th centuries in Tien Shan,
Mongolia and Transbaikalia.
The complex of these analogous features, in our opinion,
serves as clear evidence of the ethnocultural affinity ofthe people who left the burials with oval-shaped mounds
in Tien Shan, Mongolia and Transbaikalia in the 12-14th
centuries. Evidently, those people were from Mongolian
tribes, some of whom found themselves in Tien Shan as aresult of the Mongol Empire’s expansion.
In conclusion, the detailed comparative study of thearchaeological materials from Tien Shan, Mongolia andTranbaikalia has allowed us to attribute the tombs with
oval-shaped stone mounds in Tien Shan to the Mongols,
who came to the region during the expansion of Genghis
Khan’s empire. The ethnocultural characteristics of theburial complexes from Tien Shan, Mongolia and Transbaikalia that we describe in the article could be of help in
identifying and investigating medieval Mongolian burials
in other regions.

Kyrgyzstan

Fig. 1. Comparison chart of the burial complexes of Tien Shan, Mongolia and Transbaikalia of the 12-14th centuries.

20

Kyrgyzstan
Fig. 2. Complex of ethnocultural markers of the Mongolian burial complexes in the 13-14th centuries:
1. burials at the top of hills and mountains; 2. an oval-shaped, flat, stone mound with a vertically erected stone at the northern end of the mound and one without;
3. grave pits and undercuts; 4. northward orientation of the deceased; 5. a female headdress (bogtog ); 6. sheep’s bones – tibia, shoulder blade and vertebrae;
7. a wooden saddle with trapezium-shaped pommel.

21

NepalNepal

Anantapur Temple: Rehabilitation of Cultural Heritage after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake
Suresh Suras SHRESTHA, HeadWorld Heritage Conservation Section, Department of Archaeology, Nepal
Keywords: Anantapur, Shikhar style, traditional system,
Swyambhu Mahachaitya, chhema puja, local community
involvement
1. Introduction
One of the Tantric temples in the Kathmandu Valley
located at Swayambhu hilltop, Anantapur Temple,
constructed by King Pratap Malla, completely collapsed
during the 2015 Nepal Earthquake. However, not only
Anantapur, but five other monuments—Pratappur,
Tashigomang stupa, Devadharma vihar, Karmaraj vihar,
and the stone pillars, except for the private residential
houses—also collapsed at Swayambhu hilltop. In total,
140 monuments were damaged in the earthquake, of
which 33 completely collapsed within Kathmandu Valley
World Heritage property.
Anantapur shikhar style temple, a dominant architecturalmonument, was built in 1654 in the name of King Pratap
Malla’s wife Anantapriya, just opposite another shikhar
temple built in his own name, Pratappur; these twovery beautiful temples are still visible far away from
Kathmandu Valley on the hilltop of Swayambhu on theright and left sides of Swayambhu Mahachaitya (stupa).
The architecture of this temple is evidence that theshikhar style was very popular and flourished during
Nepal’s medieval period, especially in the Malla period.
During this period, dominant construction materials werebricks, mud mortar, stone, wood, metal (brass, copper,
bronze, etc.) and vajra (a mixture of different materials
traditionally, latterly known as chuna surkhi or surkhi).
Similarly, Anantapur was built with ma-appa (a type of
traditional brick), wood, mud mortar, stones and brass(esp. pinnacle).
The basic inventory of this temple was in the collectionof the Department of Archaeology, Government of Nepal;
however, detailed measured drawings were not available
when it was collapsed. Therefore, a public appeal was
made and some drawings were found and some wereable to be prepared before starting the renovation.
Anantapur Temple was on the list of collapsed
monuments as it had structurally collapsed; however, alittle higher than the first floor (up to cornice level) it
was still physically standing, which was very significant
for carrying out important studies on this temple during
the post-earthquake response, and even in the postearthquake rehabilitation phase as well. Finally, structural
studies came to the conclusion that the remaining
parts of the temple were at more risk and could not be
strengthened, and the recommendation was that the
temple must be dismantled up to ground level. Therefore,
the whole structure was dismantled and research was
carried out to determine the condition of its foundations
before starting renovations.

2. Rehabilitation of Anantapur Temple
The Department of Archaeology (DoA) is the solegovernment authority for conservation and managementof all tangible cultural heritage of Nepal by legislative
provisions; however, it should be done in coordination
with the other stakeholders as defined and provisioned
under a variety of legal tools. Therefore, there is noquestion of a simple approval from the authority for the
rehabilitation of Anantapur Temple, as certain proceduresmust first be completed within the department before
carrying out rehabilitation activities. DoA allocateda budget (as an annual project) with approval fromthe related budgetary authorities and completed
the procurement process by awarding a tender to acontractor.
2.1 Preliminary Study and Conservation Notes
Anantapur was listed as a completely collapsed
monument; therefore, a study was carried out byvisiting the site several times. It was much easier tocarry out the research work after the temple was given
appropriate shoring to protect the structure during thepost-earthquake emergency period. A training programorganized jointly by ICCROM and Ritsumeikan University
in coordination with the DoA, carried out an assessment
and carried out shoring for the vulnerable structure as
well.
The study recommended carrying out the following
activities for the rehabilitation of Anantapur Temple:- protect the structure temporarily- evacuate all archaeological and religious objects fromthe temple and store in a secure place following therecommended process and procedures- before storing the objects, document them or at least
prepare a basic inventory- dismantle the vulnerable parts of the structure- carefully take out the stone pillars and other importantwooden doors, carved elements and other artefacts andstore in a safe storage- study the foundation very carefully
2.2 Tendering and Contractor
The process of tendering is provisioned in the Public
Procurement Act of Nepal, which must be followed by
all government and other public organizations in Nepal.
Therefore, it was processed as per the Act, but technicalsupervision and monitoring are the clear responsibility of
government authorities, in this case, the DoA. A ProjectIn-charge and Site In-charge were deputed for all kindsof supervision; they also set the monitoring mechanism.
The conservation notes including basic research works
were carried out through the Project In-charge, and in
the beginning, preparation of all the necessary drawings
as well as an estimate was done by the Site In-charge,

22

Nepalwhich was approved by a DoA internal mechanism as anadministrative process. It is one of the significant steps in
the rehabilitation process. Only after this step could theprocess of tendering be carried out and awarded to thecontractor.
2.3 Detail Assessment and Project Implementation
As per the recommendation, all activities were carried out
by the contractor and related authorities in coordination
with the Site In-charge and Project In-charge Detailassessment was also carried out, which also justified
the recommendations by the conservation notes madepreviously. Therefore, the structure was dismantled
completely up to the plinth level. But before dismantling
the structure, all possible documentation activities werecarried out: i.e., preparing a full inventory, detailing ofcondition assessment of remaining structure, preparationof detailed drawings, photographs and other important
basic activities.
A study of the foundation was also carried out, however
the foundation was completely intact; there was no
negative impact of the earthquake on the foundation. It
was excavated to a depth of up to seven feet; counting
from the northern elevation of the foundation, twentytwo layers of bricks were opened, and as all were intact
and in the proper position, digging was stopped. As
a result, the original foundation was not excavated;
however, brick bats and bricks in the overall foundation
were found where excavations were carried out.
Therefore, the structure was built on the same foundation
but the connections were strengthened using sometraditional technologies as well as a few new ideas using
traditional construction materials.
The estimated budget for the rehabilitation of Anantapur
was 1,7400,000 Nepali rupees, which was allocatedthrough the Post Disaster Reconstruction Framework(PDRF) arranged through the National Reconstruction
Authority (NRA).
2.4 Supervision and Monitoring
As was already mentioned, a Project In-charge andSite In-charge were deputed by DoA, and they were
fully responsible for carrying out the complete project,including facilitating and coordinating with the contractor,
local communities and government authorities.
There was also a monitoring mechanism for all
monuments on which rehabilitation works were being
carried out. A monitoring mechanism was similarly
utilized for Anantapur Temple regarding technical aswell as other practical aspects during the rehabilitation
and after its completion; however, the activities weresupervised and advised by a team consisting ofarchaeologists and engineers, as well as other relevant
experts who were consulted as and when necessary.
Therefore, the supervision and monitoring mechanism
was strong and adequate, and was supported by localorganizations and local residents as well.

23

2.5 Local Community Involvement
It is a universal truth that any kind of cultural heritageis impossible without the support, consultation andcoordination of local residents or people. It has been
mentioned that part of the supervision and monitoring
during rehabilitation of the temple was done by the local
residents. However, it was very informal and invisible;
their support and coordination was much stronger.
T h e r e h a b i l i t a t i o n o f A n a n t a p u r Te m p l e w a s agovernment-managed project; however, one of the strong
stakeholders was the local residents, as they have been
attached with the entire temples since time immemorialand have also protected these temples since several
years back, before the national legal system broughtthem under its jurisdiction. Therefore, they were also
involved in this process and also had the capacity to takedecisions regarding the overall process of rehabilitationof the temple and as local residents. Almost all residentsof the Swayambhu area are priests of different temples in
the area and their family members, and all local residents
of Swayambhu hilltop itself are family members of thepriests. That’s why they are strong stakeholders in any
cultural heritage in the area and are interested in taking
decisions on it, especially regarding the implementationof conservation and/or management of cultural heritage.
As the first responders in the post-earthquake phase,the local people of the Swayambhu area, especially thepriests’ families, safely salvaged, evacuated and stored theelements of the damaged monuments with the help of theFederation of Swayambhu Management and Conservation,
one of the leading organizations in Swyambhu regarding
conservation and management of Swayambhu. Therefore,
local residents/people got involved in the post-earthquake
conservation, renovation and rehabilitation process fromthe beginning.
Each and every tangible monument in Nepal is strongly
tied to several intangible traditions or rituals, which
is more visible in the Swayambhu area. Anantapur is
one them; however, it does not have a specific festival
but is linked to other monuments around Swayambhu.
But there is a strong tradition of chhema puja before
touching the structure for maintenance or renovation, as
it is a Tantric temple. The locals have their own system
to perform chhema puja, in which the priests from somespecific area of Kathmandu have to be involved from the
beginning, i.e., to have saait (the tradition of fixing a date
for performing puja as per their tradition as a lucky or
the best day for the gods and goddesses and also for thepeople and activities within that timeframe) and performpuja, etc. The priests of Swayambhu were also involved
as a joint performance of puja. This kind of puja isactually for worshipping the respective god or goddessof the temple (or sometimes common deities) to informthem that their entire place is going to be renovated,
and there might be some mistakes or incorrect activities
performed unknowingly, or that something may be lostor done differently. The god/goddess is also asked to
excuse them for those activities which no one performs
intentionally and/or to request help in their smooth
implementation.

One of the important stakeholders which played a
key role not only during rehabilitation of Anantapur
Temple but also for all the monuments in and around
Swyambhu is the Federation of Swayambhu Management
and Conservation (FSMC). This is a community-basedorganization (CBO) consisting of 24 other local CBOs of
the Swayambhu area, and the Integrated Management
Framework for Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property
has designated it as a Site Manager for Swayambhu
Protected Monument Zone. Post-earthquake rehabilitationof many monuments in the area have been carried out by
the FSMC with technical support and approval from the
DoA. The FSMC was fully involved in the rehabilitation ofAnantapur Temple, especially in coordinating the supportof the locals. Without this responsibility, it would not havebeen easy to carry out and complete the rehabilitation of
the temple. The most significant role was to coordinate
with the main priest, who decides and exposes the saait
for chhema puja. It was very tough to have conversations
with priests to do this. Similarly, almost all of the large
budget for both chhema puja was allocated by the FSMC,
as the government is not permitted to directly pay for or
perform such activities by law.
In the same way, another performance for the completionis the praan pratishtha (give life to the deity as well as
to the temple), which is also usually done by the priest
during the last chhema puja, upon completion of therenovation. This performance was also carried out during
the last chhema puja by the priests and their group as
per tradition, inviting all the stakeholders, which was very
nicely arranged. This activity was also coordinated by
the FSMC. Therefore, the roles and responsibilities of the
FSMC were extremely significant during the rehabilitationof Anantapur Temple.
Other great work done by the FSMC was the salvage,
evacuation and storage of almost all of the artefacts,
elements or components of damaged monuments within
the Swayambhu area with the help of local residents/
people and the DoA during the post-earthquake
emergency period, which helped so much during thepost-earthquake rehabilitation process for all monumentsin the area including Anantapur Temple.
In this context, the roles and responsibilities of local
communities or people was vital and very significant,as without their involvement, even agency-managed
conservation, renovation or rehabilitation of cultural
heritage projects cannot be completed easily. These kindsof rehabilitation projects have been carried out througha community-centric or community-focused system
however, the support could be invisible sometimes.
However, it is a universal truth that without community
involvement, no project would be successfully and easily
carried out and completed.

Nepal

There are two chhema puja: one in the beginning tostart the work and one at the end after final completionof the renovation or conservation work. The first one isto request the deity to excuse them if something goes
wrong, and the second one is for thanking the deity
for its safe and successful implementation. Both of thechhema puja were performed by the respective priest
communities or families for Anantapur Temple.

3. Conclusion
Swayambhu is a component of Kathmandu Valley World
Heritage property. One of the significant monuments
on Swayambhu hilltop, Anantapur Temple was badly
damaged by the 2015 Nepal Earthquake. There areseveral tangible as well as intangible cultural heritages
in the area, which have been protected by the local
communities since time immemorial and also managed by
the government legal system when this was introduced.
Anantapur Temple almost structurally collapsed during
the 2015 earthquake, and was temporarily protected by
the local community in coordination with the DoA andother stakeholders in the post-earthquake emergency
period. As per the recommendations of the study, thegovernment allocated an adequate budget and the DoA
implemented the rehabilitation project of Anantapur,
which was completed as per the Nepali Public
Procurement Act, related rules, and prevailing legal
tools; however, local community participation was fully
accepted during this rehabilitation process.
The Anantapur Temple rehabilitation process shows that
community participation is most important in carrying out
the conservation, renovation or rehabilitation of any kindof cultural heritage. The heritage is actually of the local
community or people. Therefore, the community mustfirst know about it and take the initiative to preserve
it, and then they usually get involved in the wholeprocess in several ways. Any successful project for the
rehabilitation of cultural heritage must acknowledge
the local people, their ideas on the heritage—either
tangible or intangible—the history of their involvement
or connection with the heritage, as well as the existing
situation and available legal tools, and link thesewith their day-to-day livelihoods as they are the first
beneficiaries. This could be defined as people-centric or
local community-centric cultural heritage conservation.

24

Some Photographs of Anantapur Temple Activities

Nepal

25

Anantapur Temple before the 2015 Nepal Earthquake

Anantapur Temple damaged by the 2015

Anantapur Temple damaged by the 2015

Anantapur Temple during the rehabilitation processNepalAnantapur Temple during the rehabilitation process

Anantapur Temple after rehabilitation

26

Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands

Four New Archaeological Sites and First Radiocarbon Dating in Simbo Island, Western Province,
Solomon Islands
Grinta Ale’eke, Field Archaeologist
Solomon Islands National Museum, Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Introduction
Simbo Island is located in the New Georgia Group ofWestern Province, Solomon Islands. It lies 35 km acrossthe open ocean from Gizo, the administrative capitalof Western Province, as shown in Figure 1. Simbo is
known locally as Mandegugusu, comprises two islands:
the main island and the smaller islet of Nusa Simbo. It
is approximately 6.4 km (4 miles) long, less than 1.6 km(1 mile) across at its widest point and has a total areaof roughly 12 km2 (4.6 miles2). The southern half of theisland contains two volcanic cones named Matindingi
and Patukio. The northern half of the island is dominatedby rolling hills and ridges formed by volcanic activity.
Simbo’s coastline includes coral sand bays, active reefs
and intertidal flats that support highly diverse andproductive marine ecosystems. Simbo has five main
villages, a number of smaller hamlets and a populationof around 1800 people, whose economy relies on fishingand horticulture (Haas et al, 2018). In 1922, Arthur
Maurice Hocart carried out a detailed ethnographic
survey on Simbo Island. In 1978 and 1980, Daniel Miller
also carried out an Archaeological National Site Survey incollaboration with the Solomon Islands National Museum
and identified 59 archaeological sites, focusing on recent
occupations, shrine sites, headhunting monuments
and recently occupied villages by using historical andinformant interviews (Haas et al, 2018).
Archaeological reconnaissance fieldwork research was
conducted in June 2015 by surveying cave, rock shelters,
marine terraces and pottery-bearing localities, as wellas interviewing and working with local informants, andusing Miller’s documents (1978, 1980) as a guide to
identifying the sites. This research was a collaboration
between San Diego State University, the Archaeology
and Anthropology department, Solomon Islands National
Museum and the landowners of Simbo Island. The
archaeological fieldwork research team carried out thework and identified four new archaeological sites, as
shown in Figure 2, including the first radiocarbon datingof the sites on Simbo Island.
Four New Archaeological Sites and First Radiocarbon Dates
The results of the archaeological fieldwork identified
one historical site and three new prehistoric sites. The
historical site (SI2015-01) consists of a European trading
station. The two prehistoric sites (SI2015-02 and SI201503) are a cave and rock shelter, respectively, locatedin a smaller islet of Nusa Simbo. The fourth prehistoricsite (SI2015-04) consists of an ancestral shrine locatedadjacent to the top of the active Ove Volcano.

Figure 1: The location of Simbo Island, Western Province. (Source: Haas et al., 2018)27

(Jackson 1978). The site includes the foundation of astorage building, a retaining wall and an anchor chain.
A set of stairs with concrete risers leads to what was
the residential area, which includes a water catchment
system, three terraces, and scattered artefacts such as
glass bottles and clay pipe fragments. (Haas et.al, 2018).

Figure 2: Satellite image of Simbo Island and the approximate locations of
the four new archaeological sites identified. (Source: Haas et al., 2018)

Figure 3: European trading station storage area at SI2015-01

Figure 4: Anchor chain at SI2015-01

Figure 5: Stairs at SI2015-01

Figure 6: Artefacts at SI2015-01

Figure 7: Water catchment at SI2015-01

Solomon Islands

1. SI2015-01: European Trading Station (Historical Site)
Figures 3 to 7 show the historical site (SI2015-01)
comprising a European trading station. The site contains
the remains of the trading station and basecamp ofEuropean traders who occupied the island intermittently
beginning in 1844 with the establishment of the first
European station by Andrew Cheyne until the early 1900s

28

Solomon Islands

2. SI2015-02: One Cave (Prehistoric Site)
Figures 8 and 9 show the prehistorical site (SI2015-02)
cave that produced shell midden deposits. It consists ofa low-density shell midden in a rock shelter. The middencontained shell money fragments and pottery sherds.
According to the results of 14C dating of shell collectedfrom the site surface, the occupation date is between
1560 and 1820 cal BP. A small hand probe was excavatedto a depth of about one meter, but this produced no
discernible subsurface deposits (Haas et.al., 2018).
3. SI2015-03: One Rock Shelter (Prehistoric Site)
Figures 10 and 11 illustrate the rock shelter (SI2015-03)
prehistoric site. It is a large cave site with a main chamber
measuring over 2.0 m high, 4.6 m long, and 2.3 m wide,
and two smaller anterior rooms. The main chamber
contained five pottery fragments, a shell midden, one
shell money fragment, and a European ceramic fragment.
The northern anterior room did not appear to containany archaeological materials and the southern anteriorroom contained a small shell midden and a canarium nut
processing station. The radiocarbon dating chronology is
between 1000 and 1240 cal BP. (Haas et.al, 2018). Figure
11 shows the stone and is evidence of how Ngali nuts
were processed during prehistory, a method that is still in
use nowadays by the people of Simbo.
4. SI2015-04: Ancestral Shrine (Prehistoric Site)
Figures 12, 13 and 14 show the ancestral shrine (SI201504) prehistoric site, which is located adjacent to a shrine
atop the active Ove Volcano. The shrine is located above
the crater, with a commanding view of Simbo’s western
coastline. The shrine contains shellfish fragments, apossible power stone, 43 pottery sherds and humancranial fragments. Shellfish within the shrine were
Tridacna. The radiocarbon dating chronology is between
560 and 700 cal BP (Haas et.al, 2018).

Figure 8: Cave at SI2015-02

Figure 9: Shell money at SI2015-02

29

Solomon Islands

Figure 10: Rock shelter at SI2015-03,

Figure 11: Ngali nut processing at SI2015-03

30

Solomon Islands

Conclusion
The archaeological reconnaissance of the four new sites
and the first radiocarbon dating give important insights
into and understanding of the history of Simbo Island,
which must be preserved and protected by the peopleof the island. The potteries and the shell fragments
discovered at the three prehistoric sites are evidence thatpeople settled on this island as early as the post-Lapita
period. The oldest date so far is between 1560 and 1820
cal BP, which is the cave (SI2015-02) prehistoric site,
located on the islet of Nusa Simbo. The second oldest
date is between 1000 and 1240 cal BP, which is the rockshelter (SI2015-03), also located on Nusa Simbo. The
fourth site is the shrine, dated between 560 and 700 cal
BP, located atop Ove Volcano. The results from prehistoricand historic sites indicate that early settlers came to theisland first before the first European traders settled there
in AD 1844 and stayed until the 1900s. There is a lot
more to learn to better understand the deep human andecological histories of Simbo Island, especially in terms of
doing archaeological excavations.
Acknowledgements
My thanks go to the following people who helped makethis archaeological research a success: The research teamfrom the Archaeology and Anthropology department

at San Diego State University: Professor Matthew Lauer(Anthropologist) and Professor Todd Braje (Archaeologist)with their Master’s students Chelsea Hunter and Hannah
Haas, who also provided the results of the archaeologicalresearch. Also, the landowners and local informants ofSimbo, the Simbo Council of Chiefs, and leaders andcommunity of Simbo Island. I would also like to thankthe local field assistants, Mr. Nickson Sione, Simeon
Mala and Cathy, the Western Provincial Government,
Ministry of Education and Human Resources, and Ministryof Culture and Tourism through the Solomon Islands
National Museum, represented by Lawrence Kiko, fortheir support in permitting us to do the archaeologicalfieldwork.
Bibliography
Haas, H., Braje, T., Lauer, M., Fitzpatrick, S., Kiko, L.
and Ale’eke, G. (2018) “Archaeological Reconnaissanceand the First Radiocarbon Dates From Simbo Island,Western Province, Solomon Islands”, Journal of PacificArchaeology, 9(1), pp. 63-69.
Available at website:
https://www.pacificarchaeology.org/index.php/journal/
article/view/222
Source of photographs: Hannah.Haas

Figure 12: Tambuna Riae at SI2015-04

Figure 13: Tambuna Riae at SI2015-04. Some potteries have been found here.

31

Figure 14: A pottery sherd, Tambuna Riae at SI2015-04

TongaTonga

Revival of The Tonga National Museum: An Effort in Cultural and Heritage Preservation in theKingdom of Tonga
Milika Pomana, Assistant Senior Program Officer
Ministry of Tourism & Culture
Introduction
The Tonga National Museum (TNM) revival project is but
one of three major culture and heritage preservation andprotection projects under the management of the Cultureand Heritage Division of the Ministry of Tourism in theKingdom of Tonga. Already underway are the Intangible
Cultural Heritage (ICH) community-based inventorying
project and the Cultural Heritage protection project
related to the Nomination of the Ancient Royal Tombs‘Otu Langi of Lapaha- to the UNESCO World Heritage
List. The last of the projects is the revival of the TNM.
Tonga National Museum, early years
The Tonga National Museum was opened in 1988 at the
Exhibition Hall of the Tonga National Cultural Centre(TNCC), in Tofoa (a suburb of Nuku’alofa, the capital)on the main island of Tongatapu (please see attachedmap). This was a cultural centre built by a grant from theGovernment and the People of Japan and was opened in
April 1988 by His Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV.
The museum consisted of one main gallery that housed/displayed mainly images and portraits (photographs anddrawings) of the Royal Family and their ancestors with afew other artefacts with a royal connection as well.

Most of the items on display at the time belonged to theRoyal household (Tupou Dynasty). During this time, theNational Cultural Centre was managed by the Ministry ofLabour and Commerce, under whose purview tourism
fell.
In 2000, a major exhibition was opened in the adjoining
storage building, which saw displays of many great
artefacts of our material culture from various collections.
The patron of this exhibition was HRH Princess Pilolevu
Tuita, and the head curator was Adrienne Kaeppler,with assistance from a number of renowned traditional
knowledge holders and practitioners (see Kaeppler,1999).
The National Cultural Center was privatised in 2006. The
organisation that took over the premises closed down themuseum and converted the buildings into classrooms.
TNCC and TNM at present
The Cultural Centre was later returned to the government
in 2015, and the Culture and Heritage Division which
was at the time under the Ministry of Internal Affairs,
took over management of the premises. One of its plans
was to reopen and revive the National Museum. This
plan was delayed when the country was ravaged byCategory 4 Tropical Cyclone Gita in February 2018, with
the Legislative Assembly taking over the National Centre
Complex due to the collapse of the parliament building
during the cyclone.

Photo 1: A bird’s eye view of the TNCC after its completion in 1988
(Source: Culture & Heritage Division, Ministry of Tourism)

Photo 2: Exhibition Hall at the TNCC, 1988
(Source: Culture & Heritage Division, Ministry of Tourism)

Source: https://www.eua-island-tonga.com/Tongatapu.html(accessed Friday 30/08/19)

32

TongaAlthough this major natural disaster was a great setback
to the revival project, work and plans are still underway
towards the reopening of the museum in the foreseeable
future. At present, a space has been confirmed (although
this is not within the TNCC complex) for the museum.
Partnership with other cultural heritage practitioners has
been strengthened together with ongoing documentingof a small number of items/artefacts already in thepossession of the division.
Way Forward
As the only one officer, allocated to this museum revival
project, it is imperative that support from all cultural
stakeholders is maintained. Continuous participation intraining in the field is a must, and assistance is soughtfrom partner organisations not only in terms of funding,but also human resource assistance (expertise) andmaterials/tools related to museum work.
References: The following are links to news articles
relevant to Tonga’s journey in cultural preservation.

33

http://www.looptonga.com/tonga-news/fiji-hosts-tonganational-museum-specialists-68336 South-south Exchangewith Fiji Museum, 2017
http://ats.abris-a.com/nz2003/pic/nz038876.jpg TNM at
Exhibition Hall, TNCC
http://www.looptonga.com/content/government-takesover-management-tonga-national-cultural-centre
http://www.mic.gov.to/news-today/press-releases/4459preservimg-tongas-museums-archives-and-libraries-forthe-future
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/LocationPhotoDirectLinkg317040-d1604983-i100497291-Tonga_National_Cultural_
Centre-Tongatapu_Island.html
Kaeppler, Adrienne Lois & Tongan National Museum(1999). From the stone age to the space age in 200 years:
Tongan art and society on the eve of the millennium.
Tongan National Museum, Nuku’alofa, Tonga.

Uzbekistan
Akmaljon Ulmasov, Leader Specialist/ PhD on Architecture
Fine Arts Institute, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan
Among the archaeological finds from the Dalvarzintepa
site in the last archaeological season, one item exceledwith its shape and content. This is the so-called toilet
disk with the image of a fantastic wight – a hippocampus.
Brief information about the Dalverzintepa archaeologicalsite and about its latest finds was published in the 19thedition of the International Correspondents Reports,
entitled “New Discoveries at Dalvarzintepa in 20152016” (Ulmasov, 2017). Therefore, we do not focus on
the description of the site and its recent excavations.
The main attention in the report is given to this subject,
namely its comparative analysis with neighboringhistorical and cultural areas, as well as iconography of the
depicted image (Fig. 1).
In the scientific literature, this stone object is called atoilet disk or a saucer for make-up. The round disk ismade of black steatite and resembles the shape of a platewith a diameter of 12 cm and a thickness of 1-1.5 cm (Fig.

Uzbekistan

New Finding – Stone Disk with Hippocamp Image from Dalvarzintepa

2a). It is polished on both sides. One fourth of the disk isroughly beaten (most likely, deliberately). There are also
broken parts at the edges.
The flat side of the front is decorated in a circle withpaired miniature “pyramids.” The row is shared by aconcentric shaft. On a flat, but not deep reservoir of thedisk, a bas-relief image of an unusual creature is depicted.
It consists of a winged horse with a head, protome (upper
torso) and front legs, and a rounded snake-like bodythat ends with a huge trapezoidal fish tail. The horse’s
head is peculiar: the nose is small; the ears are large andlong. Eyes are shown schematically and perpendicular tothe head. The horse’s mane is thick and decorated withdiagonal serifs on three separated flat rollers. The bodyof the creature is almost completely filled with diagonal
serifs, which have been erased in places. The front rightleg and the upper half of the wing are broken. This
legendary polymorphic creature is called a hippocampus

Fig. 1. Map of Bactria: location of sites where stone disks were foundFig. 2a. New toilet tray from the 2015-2016 Dalvarzintepa excavations

34

in the scientific literature.

Uzbekistan

35

In Greek mythology, the hippocampus is a sea horsewith a fish tail. The hippocampus is also considered the
king of fish and is equated to whales. They were ridden
by Nereids – sea goddesses in the form of mermaids.
The image of the hippocampus is characteristic of Central
Asia, especially for the Kushan period. It is represented
here as a snake horse or dragon horse. Also, dragon or
hybrid creatures similar to it were some of the favorite
motifs of Kushan masters in the visual arts (Belenitsky,
Meshkeris, 1986).

made in Bactria and dates back to the beginning of ourera (Pugachenkova, Rtveladze et al., 1978).
Another find, also found at Dalvarzintepa (house of thenobility - Dt-5), gives an image of the hippocampus (Fig.
2c). This is a seal made of rectangular stone. Its surface
is decorated with a rectangular hinge and on the center
depicted a schematic hippocampus. This find dates fromthe 1st to 2nd centuries AD (Antiquities of Southern
Uzbekistan, 1991).

Earlier at Dalvarzintepa, archaeological excavations also
revealed finds with an image similar to the hippocampus.
One of them was found in the southern part of thefortress, not far from the defensive wall, the so-called“mahalla” (block or section, where many houses werelocated) of the ceramists. Unlike the new find, thistoilet disk is carved from marble-like limestone (Fig.
2b). However, the technique for creating both items is
identical, as described above, utilizing hand thread witha hand drill with polishing. Here, the disk is divided
into two parts by a horizontal strip. It is assumed thatthe lower half is designed for a powder box. The
upper half is filled with a composition consisting of ahippocampus and a rider sitting on it. They are both
depicted schematically and roughly. This is due to lack ofspace or the fact that the master didn’t take into accountthe size and proportions of images on a limited plane.
It is observed that the head and front half of the bodyof the animal is larger than its hind half. The front legs
are also longer than the hind legs. The tail is distantfrom the animal and appears to bend upward along theedge of the tank. The image of a horseman in the formof a man is very sketchy: the nose is large, the neck isalmost absent. A helmet is visible on the head. The manis depicted as if he were dividing the animal into twoparts. Researchers of the find, comparing it with samples
from the neighboring historical and cultural region of
Gandhara, came to the conclusion that the item was

Analogical finds – toilet trays from other Bactrian sites(modern Tajikistan)
The widespread use of toilet disks in Bactria is confirmedby finds from Tajikistan (a reminder that part of Tajikistan
was included in one historical and cultural region). Oneof them is known from the Ushtur-Mulla monument in
the Kobadian Valley. The find was made of a greenishblack serpentine which was badly damaged. Its lower
surface is flat, and a bas-relief depicting animals is carved
on the upper half of the circular disk. The composition
consists of a herbivore, apparently a Bukhara deer (Cervus
elaphus), and a predator attacking it (Fig. 3a). Here, thescene of “torment” was executed masterfully: a roundmodeled smooth deer, only slightly animated with a turnof the head, and a predator with the sharp bend of apowerful neck, bared teeth and even clumsily-looking
but tensely elongated paws, creating a scene of struggle
between two principles – good and evil (Litvinsky, 1954).
In the 1980s, the same cosmetic item was discovered in
the “Unknown” settlement in the same oasis of Kobadian
during archaeological excavations (Fig. 3b). The rounddisk is made of gray steatite stone (diameter: 13 cm). In
the inner circle there is a T-shaped crossbar that divides
this circle into two parts: the lower one is smooth andthe upper one is filled with the image of a monster. On
the upper half, an unusual creature with the head of acrocodile, the neck of a horse, and the body and tail ofa fish with scales is depicted. The back of the disk iscovered with an engraved eight petal rosette (Litvinsky,
Sedov, 1983).

Fig. 2b. Toilet tray from Dalvarzintepa

Fig. 2c. Stone seal from Dalvarzintepa

Uzbekistan

Fig. 3 a,b,c. Analogical finds from Tajikistan

A sample of the Dalvarzintepa disk is known from the
excavations of Yavan in southern Tajikistan (Fig. 3c). The
cultural layer in which the disk was found (diameter:
9.3 cm) dates from the 3rd to 4th centuries AD. The
small stone disk consists of a rim decorated with carved
ornaments in the form of a triangle and a circular tank.
On the front surface is a relief image of a hippocampus
galloping to the right, on the back of which is a rider. The
front of the monster is a bridled horse with legs elongatedin a jump, the back of it looks like a tail wrapped in aring and raised up. The bearded big-headed rider holds
the reins in his hands, with his leg positioned toe down –there are no stirrups. According to researchers, the imageof a dragon horse is associated with mythological worshipby the ancient peoples of Central Asia, usually found in
Bactria (Yurkevich, 1965).
Analogical finds – toilet trays from Gandhara
In Greek mythology, this kind of mythical image is wellknown and widespread in the historical and cultural
region of Gandhara (Marchall, 1951). For example, one of
the Gandhara specimens from Sirkap (Taxila) representsa toilet disk made of gray slate (4 a, b, c). A bas-relief ofa hippocampus and a female figure sitting on it is freely
carved on the saucer (Alexander Der Grosse et al, 2010).
The Sirkap powder box differs from the Dalvarzintepa
sample by the presence of the female figure. Researchers
associate visual motifs from a number of disks withsamples of Greek art, and the content of mythical subjects
as everyday objects (Pugachenkova, 1982). In Gandhara,
where they penetrated deeply, the Hellenistic traditions
don’t repeat each other according to the same plots. On

one of them, Triton sits on a throne decorated with lotus
flowers, and on the other, a ketos sits astride a makara (asea-creature in Hindu culture) or on a “jointed sea worm”(Gandhara and Silk Road Arts, 2000).
One of the most famous researchers of this subject, H.
Francfort, who developed a systematic classification of
Gandhara’s toilet disks, divided them into three groups.
According to him, all the samples that reflect classicalthemes in their pure form, whether a mythological theme,a festive scene or a separate mythological figure, belong
to the first “Hellenic” group. The most common is the
Nereid dish featuring horses or sea creatures. Those of thesecond group were “Parthianized,” of which only thosewith Nereids were distorted; as a result of the penetrationof Indo-Parthians into the territory of Gandhara, theychanged both iconographical and stylistically. He
considers the samples of the “Indo-Parthian” group,
where male and female figures are depicted, to be simple
and includes them in the last group. According to him,
the appearance of powder boxes in Gandhara is due tothe influence of Hellenistic traditions. According to it, theGandhara samples belong to the 1st to 2nd centuries BC,
not Kushan times. It is noteworthy that during this period
he also found these in other remote areas of Gandhara,
especially in Jhukar (Sind province) and in Tajikistan(Francfort, 1979).
However, another researcher of Kushan art, Rahmon Dar,says that they are also found in the early Kushan period.
According to him, the technique of these toilet disks in
Gandhara was brought by Greeks from Bactria. However,Fig. 4 a,b,c. Toilet trays from Taxila, Gandhara

36

Uzbekistan

he suggests that these disks are not only powder boxes
with jewelry, but also associated with Dionysus or thecult of the Greek religion (Dar, 1979).
Among the opinions of researchers who have studied
toilet disks, the opinion of Professor K. Tanabe stands
out. He links almost all the objects of the toilet disks,
which reflect plots with Nereids, Dionysus or feast scenes
related to the Hellenistic heritage of Buddhism. According
to him, the powder boxes belonged to Buddhists andwere used as a new symbol of their beliefs, which they
considered their main purpose, using the treasures of theGreco-Roman iconographic dictionary (Tanabe, 2002).
Luo Mizuo, in examining the period and images of toilet
disks, says that until now, it has not yet been scientifically
proven that they were related to cosmetics. According tohim, these objects have certain mythological and symbolic
meaning and are associated with Indian, or more Iranianand Scythian traditions. In general, the researcher
attributes the bulk of the disks to the first and second halfof the 2nd century AD, that is, the period between thereign of Gondofor and Kanishka (Muzio, 2011).
Claude Rapin, based on an analysis of powder boxes,
comes to the basic assumption that from the Hellenistic
era to the Kushan period, Central Asia was a crossroad
between the West and Gandhara as the main trade routeand the road of “influences.” Also, according to him,
powder boxes with the image of a hippocampus belong
to the group dominated by Scythian or Indian elements(Rapin). (Fig. 5 a,b,c)
H. Falk says, “That means they are containers for liquids,
usually wine or water, to be spilled on the groundin honor of ancestors or divinities whose benevolent
capacities are invoked and whose maleficent powers are
hoped to be curbed. The occasions for using them are
similar to those in the West: libations begin sacrifices,marriages, burials, and symposia with their strong accenton alcoholic drinks. They are also important in funeralrites, lending moments of resurrection and further life
to the deceased. The places in Gandhara where trays
that might have been true libation trays were found, andobviously also were manufactured, are few and stretch
from Taxila to Swat, with Akra in Bannu being another,but relatively minor, center. Outside this core area wefind mostly exported trays, but some rare pieces in the
East and West are local productions that imitate theGandharan prototype. Their rarity shows that people oran idea from Gandhara travelled, without finding longterm acceptance” (Falk, 2010).
Conclusion
Returning to the sample from Dalvarzintepa, we can saythat the toilet disk was made here in Northern Bactria.
This is confirmed not only by the previous find, butalso by other finds made of black steatite stone, forexample, a lamp. In addition, the new toilet disk differsfrom Gandhara designs in terms of stylistic features anddesign. If in the scientific literature these stone disks
are divided into such groups as “Hellenistic”, “Parthian”
and “Indo-Parthian”, then the early and new disk from
Dalvarzintepa, possibly samples from Tajikistan, can be
included in the new “Bactrian” group. It can be assumed
that the new model, based on the technique of execution,
the iconography of the hippocampus and similarities with
the Gandhara ones, can also be attributed to the early
Kushan period.
An increase in the number of such items in Bactria
makes it possible to say that such items as powder box
were widely used in this territory. It should be notedthat these unique finds from Dalverzintepa testify to thedevelopment of ancient religious tolerance, urban culture,visual arts, crafts, trade and international relations. This
indicates that Dalvarzintepa was one of the centers of thelargest political, social and cultural city of Bactria. Suchunique finds found at archaeological sites, in turn, serveas important factual material for illuminating the country’s
ancient history, culture and art.
References
1. Antiquities of Southern Uzbekistan. Catalogue ofthe archaeological collection of Fine Arts Institute.
Universiteta Soka. – Tokio, 1990. – P. 267, №82.
2. Alexander Der Grosse und die Öffnung der Welt //Publicationen der Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen. Band 36,
2010.
3. Belenitskiy A.M., Meshkeris V.A. Zmei-drakoni v
drevnem iskusstve Sredney Azii // SA. – 1986. – P. 2021 (in Russian).
4. Dar S.R. Toilet Trays from Gandhara and Beginning ofHellenism in Pakistan // “Journal of Central Asia”. Vol.

Fig. 5 a,b,c. Toilet trays from Gandhara.

37

12. Pugachenkova G.A. Iskusstvo Gandxarы. “Iskusstvo”.
– Moskva, 1982. – P. 36, Ill. 34-35 (in Russian).
13. Pugachenkova G.A., Rtveladze E.V, i dr. Dalverzintepa kushanskiy gorod na yuge Uzbekistana. –Tashkent, 1978. – P. 139-140, fig. 99 (in Russian).
14. Rapin C. The Gandharan toilet trays and the Central
Asian roads of commerce. www.claude.rapin.free.fr
15. T urgunov B.A. Mustaqillik yillarida Dalvarzintepa
yodgorligida o‘tkazilgan arxeologik izlanishlarto‘g‘risida // Halqaro ilmiy konferensiya materiallari.
Samarkand, 2016. 56-57 b (in Uzbek).
16. Ulmasov A. New Discoveries at Dalvarzintepa in 20152016 // ACCU Nara International Correspondent. Vol.
19, 2017. – P. 59-63.
17. Yurkevich E.A. Gorodishe Kushanskogo vremeni na
territorii Severnoy Baktrii // SA, 1965. №4. – P. 158167 (in Russian).
18. Tanabe K. Greek, Roman and Parthian Influenceon the Pre-Kushana Gandharan “Toilet Trays” andForerunners of Buddhist Paradise (Paramita) // Silk
Road Art and Archaeology, 2002. Vol. 8, p. 73-100.

Uzbekistan

2. 1979, №.2.
5. Gandhara and Silk Road Arts. The Hirayama Ikuo
Collection // Catalogue of the Exhibition. Asahi
Shimbun, Tokyo, 2000. P. 44-45, Cat. No 86-87.
6. Falk H. Libation Trays from Gandhara // Bulletin of
the Asia Institute. New Series. Vol. 24. – Berlin, 2010.
– P. 89-113.
7. Francfort H.P. Les palettes du Gandhara. MDAFA, 23.
Paris, 1979.
8. Litvinskiy B.A. Novie materiali po arxeologii
Tadjikistana. – KSIIMK. Vol. 55. – Moskva, 1954. – P.
143-144, fig. 57,1 (in Russian).
9. Litvinskiy B.A., Sedov A.V. Tepai-Shax. Kultura i svyazi
kushanskoy Baktrii. Izd. «Nauka». – Moskva, 1983. – P.
76-79 i 216, tabl. XI/1-3 (in Russian).
10. M archall J. Taxila. An Illustrated account ofArcheological Excavations. Cambridge University
Press, 1951, vol. II, p. 493; vol. III, pl. 144-146, p. 193194.
11. Muzio C.L. Gandharan Toilet-Trays: Some Reflections
on Chronology // Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to
Siberia, 2011. No 17, p. 331-340.

38

Viet Nam
Viet Nam

Restoration Work of The Ba Mu Temple Gate
Tran Thanh Hoang Phuc, Conservation Architect
Department of Relics Management, Hoi An Centre for Cultural Heritage, Management and Preservation
I. Background of the relic:In the early 20th century, a complex comprising two
temples named Cam Ha and Hai Binh was evaluated as
one of the typical and most important architectural worksof Hoi An town, built by the Minh Huong community in
Hoi An. According to historical documents, the complex
was first built in 1626 at the boundary of Cam Pho
commune and Thanh Ha commune. After that, it was
relocated to its current location and rebuilt on a grandscale, and the facade which remains today dates from thatreconstruction. By that time, it actually comprised two
separate sanctuaries, each with its own entrance. The dateof the relocation has not yet been determined. In 1930,
the École Française d’Extrême-Orient (French School of
the Far East) recognized it as a unique architectural work,and ranked it as one of the most beautiful architecturalbuildings of Quang Nam province, along with two othermonuments in Hoi An, which were the Japanese Bridge
and Trieu Chau (Chaozhou) Assembly Hall. Local people
used to call this complex Ba Mu temple. The most recent
restoration of Ba Mu temple was in 1922.
Due to the transformation of urbanization during
the French colonial period, and the Resistance War
against America, the relic was ruined and subsequently
abandoned by the Minh Hương community, and only thegate remained. The Buddhist Association later acquired
the land and built a cultural center and school over its
ruins. Over time, due to various factors, degradation of
the relic was getting worse. Nowadays, its location is in
the core zone of Hoi An Ancient Town, a World Cultural
Heritage Site.
II. Condition of the relic before restoration:
In the early 1970s, due to the war, the inhabitants of theareas surrounding Hoi An came here to live and somepeople took the land in front of the gate to build houses
to serve as residences. The gate gradually became a wallof people’s houses, and many auxiliary works such as
kitchens, toilets, and drainage ditches, as well as activities
such as poultry breeding, were also built and establishedthere, and thus impacted the relic.
In addition, many types of plants such as Ficus benjamina(ficus trees), bodhi trees, and moss grew and spread over
the roofs of the relic. The roots of these plants became
deeply embedded in the walls, which made cracks inthe walls and damaged the roofs. This kept the humidity
high, and along with the strong vibrations due to thewind and rain, caused the relic to degrade more andmore. According to the assessment, this was the maincause of the serious damage to the relic.

―――――――――――――――――
1
Cam Ha temple was dedicated to the Chinese God of medicine - Bảo Sanh Ðại Đế 保生大帝
(Bǎoshēng Dàdì) and the 36 Generals - Tam Thập Lục Tướng 三十六将 or “Heavenly Spirits”.
Hai Binh temple was dedicated to Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu and the 12 Bà Mụ or midwife
deities, whose function was to assist newborns and teach them basic skills.

39

The yin-yang roofs at the two main entrances werecompletely damaged. The majority of the wooden frames
had rotted, and some components had collapsed. The
yin-yang tiles were also damp, mossy and had lost theiradhesive, causing roof sliding. The decorative patterns
had also peeled, with seriously fading. Some positions
were purposefully used to serve daily activities, and many
detailed components had fallen and had been scatteredaround the relic or lost.
III. Restoration work of the Ba Mu temple gate:
To save the relic, since 2000, the Hoi An Center for
Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation has
cooperated with a design consulting company to preparedrawings, proposing a master plan for restoration andrenovation. By 2007, the relic restoration project had been
established. In 2009, the project was approved by Quang
Nam People’s Committee with the investment content
of three items divided into three phases, including: site
clearance, relic restoration and landscape renovation.
- First, the government organized clearance compensation,and relocated households living in front of the relic toother places. After that, we dismantled the elements
which were built by the people to serve their daily
lives. Although those masonry works had no value, thedismantling was done with great care to minimize theimpact on the original elements of the relic.
- In January 2015, a scaffolding system combining
working floors across the entire relic was built to assist
the functions of survey, study and construction during
the restoration process. Because the surrounding
grounds were rugged and the gate has a zigzag plan,
it was recommended to use bamboo scaffolding tofacilitate construction and easy access to every cornerof the relic. On every 1.6 m of staging height, wooden
panels were set to form a working floor which served
the functions of construction and survey.
- C arried out marking of decorative components andarchitectural details of the whole project, whether theywould be dismantled or not. Taking pictures, measuring
and stamping the architectural details, structures anddecorative patterns.
- C arried out trimming of foliage and branches, andpeeling off the trunks and roots which were deeply
embedded in the relic structure. This work was done
entirely by hand with simple tools such as knives,chisels, axes, and hand saws to minimize the impact on
the damaged parts of the relic during restoration.
- Large blocks of walls and masonry were broken, so theembedded trees were carefully removed, kept in the- Dissection of degenerated and flaked lime mortar
walls which were no longer able to be attached to themasonry blocks, and rendering back. The checkingof flaked parts was carried out carefully by knocking
on the surfaces with wooden hammers. Only if it was
found necessary to repair, we took out the flaked partsand rendered it with lime mortar. In addition, we tried
to keep the largest portions which ensured linkability
between lime mortar and the masonry block.
- Restoring the roofs: wooden frames and old tiles whichstill have good quality were reused, especially roof
tiles with decorative patterns, which were marked
and re-installed according to their original position.
Replacement roof tiles are not available on the market.
They must be ordered especially for restoration of thisrelic. They were hand-made using traditional techniquesby skilled and experienced workers in Thanh Ha pottery
village, and charcoal fired. The production of patternedroof tiles is complicated and must be carried out withmany steps, including the processing of wooden
patterned moulds, detailed pattern casting, making thetile curve bodies and attaching them together.

1. Houses were built in front of the relic.

- The prefabricated or directly covered decoration
components were made elaborately and meticulously.
Moreover, every original detail was well preserved; thedetails that had to be removed due to the breakage ofthe masonry were marked, carefully preserved and reinstalled in their original position.

Viet Namsame shape (as far as possible), cleaned, reinforced andreattached, and patched back to the original position.
This work was carried out as soon as the component
was dismantled and sanitized to minimize any deviationfrom the original. The reinforcing and attaching process
mainly used traditional lime mortar inserted into
bricks and roof tiles. Each recovered masonry block
was carefully considered after studying the existing
symmetric components. Elements which had no basis
for comparison were done very carefully to obtain themost appropriate results.

- Decorative patterns which embellished ceramicpieces, especially those on the roof, were stereotyped,
dimensioned, and carefully shaped when moldings andcoverings were processed.
- Finally, carried out the finishing and painting of therelic. In fact, this work was done immediately at eachposition after the repair was completed, and then its
original color and decoration patterns were determined.
The different types of lime mortar were mixed according
to traditional methods with materials such as lime shells,
charcoal powder, paper powder, and additives madefrom cactus and buffalo skin. Determination of thecomposition and proportion of raw materials was directly
carried out by experienced workers. Finishing mortar inparticular was mixed with pigments. This was also done
for the final colored plastering layer instead of common
whitewashing. This plastering layer also creates gloss tohelp waterproof the wall.
After restoring the relic, we embellished the surrounding
landscape by measure such as: building a lake, adding
flower tubs, planting trees and grass, and adding ayard, walkways, lighting and public toilets. All work
was completed in November 2018. Today, this relic has
become an interesting place to visit in Hoi An AncientTown, and it attracts many tourists.

2. The gate gradually became a wall of people’s houses.

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41

3. Trees grew and spread over the roofs of the relic.

4. Tree roots destroyed the relic.

5. Some components had fallen off the wall.

6. The majority of wooden frames had rotted.

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7. Site master plan

8. Front elevation and cross section

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43

9. Dismantled houses which had been built in front of the relic

10. Dismantled elements which had impacted the relic

11. Scaffolding

12. Documented wooden component

13. Trunks and roots being peeled off

14. Cleaned and reinforced broken elements

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15. Attached, patched broken elements being placed backin their original position

16. Recovered masonry block with bricks, roof tiles and lime mortar

17. Flaked lime mortar walls were taken out.

18. Wall rendered with lime mortar

19. Restored roof

20. Decorative patterns re-installed in their original positions

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21. Details of repainted decoration

22. Embellished decorative pattern with ceramic piece

23. Wooden patterned molds to make roof tiles

24. Making roof tiles

25. Experienced worker mixing traditional lime mortar

26. The Ba Mu temple today

Published by
Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)
757 Horen-cho, Nara 630-8113 Japan
Tel: +81-742-20-5001
Fax: +81-742-20-5701
E-mail: nara@accu.or.jp
URL: http://www.nara.accu.or.jp© Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU) 2019

Nepal / Solomon Islands / Tonga

2019

Uzbekistan / Viet Nam