Bang ladesh / Bhutan / Cambodia / India

ACCU Nara

International Correspondent

The Twelfth Regular Report
公益財団法人 ユネスコ・アジア文化センター文化遺産保護協力事務所
Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office, Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)

Indonesia / Malaysia / Maldives / Micronesia

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 sixteen reports submitted by international correspondents in the Asia-Pacificregion.

The Twelfth Regular Report
Contents
Bangladesh

1

Bhutan5

Cambodia

7

India

9

Indonesia

13

Malaysia

15

Maldives

21

Micronesia

23

Mst. Naheed Sultana
Architectural Features of Taota Dol-Mancha Nava Ratna Temple and Its Conservation

Karma Tenzin
The Obtsho Dzong Ruin-Inventory and Documentation of a Pre-Zhabdrung Dzong under Gasa
District in Northern Bhutan

Vitharong Chan
Inscription Documentation of Sambor Prei Kuk

Kunkuma Devi Kishore
Restoration of Wood Works at the Bhagamandala Kshetra in Kodagu, Karnataka

Dewi Puspito Rini
Batujaya Site, Civilization of Multiple Cultures

A Ghafar Bin Ahmad
Restoration of the St. Joseph’s Novitiate, Penang, Malaysia

Shiura Jaufar
Coral Stone Mosques of Maldives toward World Heritage List

Yvonne Neth
Introduction to the Federated States of Micronesia (FMS)Mongolia

27

Nepal

33

New Zealand36

Pakistan

45

Philippines

49

Sri Lanka

51

Tajikistan

55

Uzbekistan

57

Munkhtulga Rinchinkhorol
Silver Vessels from Ancient Turkic Period Found in Mongolia

Suresh Suras Shrestha
The Certification of Movable Art Objects in Nepal

Matthew Schmidt
Project Njord: Investigation and Protection of the 1926-1932 Norwegian Whalers’ Base, Price’s Inlet,
Rakiura/Stewart Island〈Project Update〉
A Southland Coastal Heritage Inventory Project (“SCHIP”) Cultural Heritage Project

Muhammad Aasim Dogar
Antiquities Seized at Lahore Airport

Louella Solmerano Revilla
San Agustin Museum: A Premier Repository of the Treasures of the Augustinian Order in thePhilippines

Rasika Dissanayaka
Restoration of Old Naval Commissioner’s House -Trincomalee

Razzoqov Farhod
Report on the Conservation Works to Settlement Sarazm in 2012-2013
Inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO in 2010

Akmaljon Ulmasov
From Practical Restoration of Art Carving in the Interiors of Navoi Theatre Tashkent Hall

Bangladesh
Bangladesh

Architectural Features of Taota Dol-Mancha Nava Ratna Temple and
Its Conservation
Mst. Naheed Sultana, Assistant Director
Department of Archaeology, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Government of Bangladesh
The district Manikgonj was a part of ancient Bangal.
Therefore, the history of ancient monuments ofManikgonj is inseparably involved with the history of
Bangladesh. From the formation of soil of this district, it
is ascertained that this region belonged to the east andthe middle portion of ancient Bengal. This land bears
testimony of many archaeological sites and monumentsfrom the 5th century A.D., such as Gupta (3rd-5th century),
Pala (8th-12th century), Sena (13th century), Muslim (14th17th century) and British period (18th-19th century). A
special type of architecture was developed in this region
in the 18th century. There are some ruins that still
remain. It is noted that the British and Native Zaminders
built several Indigo buildings, Zaminders house andreligious buildings in 18th-19th Century.
Location: Taota Zaminders house is located at Shibaloy
Upszela (Thana) in the Manikgonj district. It is 84km
north from the capital Dhaka. This extraordinary palace
was built on the bank of the reckless Yamuna River in avery pleasant environment. From the history, the ownersof this Zaminders houses were two brothers named Hem
Shankar Roy Chaudhury and Joy Shankar Roy
Chaudhury. Subsequently, this Zamindars was familiar
with Joy Shankar’s estate. The Dol-Mancha Nava Ratna
Temple was built by their patronization and established in
the middle of the two Zaminders house. It is situated on
the eastern bank of a pond and beside a narrow road.
“The Dol-Mancha temple.....is still in a fairly good state ofpreservation and bears close resemblance to the one at
Puthia and many others of the surviving series is west
Bengal, India illustrated Mc Cutchion” (Ahmed:1999:
p-84-87).
Conception of Dol-Mancha Nava Ratna Temple: DolMancha Nava Ratna -these names are Bengali words. Its
English translation is Dol - swing, Mancha- stage orplatform, Nava -Nine and Ratna- precious stone/jewel. In
Bengali months of Falgun and Chytra, actually in thespring (February-March), Hindu community peoplearrange this worship for the God Krishna and Radha.
This temple was used during a certain period only for
their (Radha-Krishna) appointment of lovers or a lover’s
journey to the place of assignation. The deity Krishna andRadha come with a special chariot (Roth in Bengali) in
this temple, and they stay two months here and live inthe top floor (high place) of this special type of temple inthe spring of every year.
The priests and Hindu
community people circumambulate from left to right 5, 9
or 11 times with mantra (religious speech) and pray to
God Krishna and Radha.
From the very ancient time, this sort of worship was inpractice in Bengal and till now the worship is equallyregarded and practiced by the Hindu community at large.
Although the temple for this sort of worship is not largely
found in Bangladesh, innumerable temples are foundscattered almost everywhere in West Bengal (Indian partof dividing Bengal)
Architectural features of Dol-Mancha Nava Ratna
Temple: The Dol Mancha Nava Ratna Temple bears
testimony to ‘nine jewels’ or ‘precious stones’ in its crown.
Among them, four have been established in the four
corners of the 1st floor, and again four Ratna have been
established in the four corners of the 2nd floor and finallylarge one placed on the pinnacle of the temple. “It iscrowned by nine decorated ‘Pida’ type miniature ‘Ratna’(Ahmed: 1999:84-87)”. This splendid temple was built in
1857. It was damaged by the earthquake in 1897 andrepaired in 1906. “According to an inscription fixed on its
body it was built in 1858, badly damaged in an
earthquake in 1897 and was repaired in 1906 (Ahmed:
1999:84-87)”. This three-storied and square-shaped temple
was constructed on the 2 feet 3 inches high stage fromthe surface level and total height of this temple is 60 feet
1 inch.
Ground floor: Taota Dol-Mancha Nava Ratna Temple isa square-shaped temple. The ground floor contains fourarms and every arm is 33 feet long and 14 feet 6 inches
high. The 36 columns were constructed on the groundA part of Taota Zaminders House and panoramic view of this Temple

1

Bangladesh

floor and its remarkable feature is that there is no wallaround the entire temple. Actually it is a column-basedarchitecture. There are 20 entrances on all sides in the
ground floor and they are provided with semi-circulararched openings and ornamented with semi-circularpilasters. From the exterior columns, 3 feet 8 inches spacein width and a long corridor have been made in the
middle of the circumambulatory passage, and again 12
columns have been constructed just like the first one with
12 openings. In this square space, there is a corridor of 3
feet 3 inches for circumambulating with 4 columns just in

the cardinal point, and square spaces were also created
where the cradle was kept with Hindu God RadhaKrishna.
Every column has been placed at a certain distance andthe geometrical and mathematical calculation has been
followed for the construction. Under the cornice of theground floor, it was beautified by one line leaf and thefloral design. The Garuda stucco image (Vehicle of the
Hindu God Vishnu) established in the four corners below
the roof.

Ground floor

Ground plan2

Bangladesh
Before conservation

During conservation

1st floor: The measurement of this floor is 33' x 33' but
four Ratna have been established in four corners. The
Dol-Mancha of the 1st floor is comparatively smaller fromthe ground floor. In the middle, 12 columns have been
constructed, and the architectural features and designs arealmost the same as the ground floor. Here, 16 steps havebeen placed to go to the 2nd floor.
2nd floor: The 2nd floor is smaller than the 1st, measuring

3

21' x 21'. Four Ratna have been placeed in the four
corners. In the middle, only 8' -4'' x 8' -4'' space is vacant.
This space was reduced by the four columns and the four
entrances. The cardinal point of the small space kept thecradle with Hindu deity Radha-Krishna.
3rd floor: The ninth ‘Ratna’ has been made on the roof ofthe 2nd floor. It is comparatively bigger than the othereight and measuring 14'-6" x 14'-6". The columns in theConservation: Brick, lime, brick dust (surki) and tilesthese main components have been used for theconservation work. During the conservation period,
accurate measurement of construction materials have beenused and carried out very carefully with efficient masonsand expert craftsmen. Conservation work conducted andsupervised by an assistant archaeological engineer and an
archaeologist. For a long time this temple was badly
damaged, which is why the worship provisionally closed.
After conservation, the Hindu community will start thiskind of worship again.

Bangladesh

four corners are raised to 5 feet 3 inches high and thefour squinches have been created (actually they support
the weight of the dome) for the preparation of the dome.
These four corners gradually rose with a corbelled
method, and last of all, the dome was created. In the
inner portion, it looks like a dome, but from the outerportion of the dome, its shape looks like Shikhara/
Mandapa (Pinnacle, Crown, Turret, ) types of roofing.
Most probably some finials were placed on the top of thedome. It is totally disappeared now.
It is noted that that the corner columns of the 3rd floor
are not like the others that are used in this temple. They
are larger and more solid than the other columns.
Pilasters are grooved, and step by step, they reach up withpanel decorations. Thin tiles have been used on all ‘Ratna’and their entrances are multifoil arch design.

Conclusion: During the British rule of Indian
subcontinent, there was not only the immensedevelopment in the field of socio-economy, but also
a new era was ushered in the field of architecturaldevelopment of Bengal. In 18th-19th century, here camean admixture in the architectural composition of Bengal
and Europe, which is distinctly visible in the then
Zaminders houses of Bengal. Here we find an excellent
amalgamation of European thinking with the material of
Bengal in the Mughal, Sultani and European architecturalcharacteristics.
References

District Gejetter, Manikgonj District
Dr. Nazimuddin Ahmed, Building of the British Raj in Bengal, 1999: p-84-87).
Nazimuddin Ahmed: Building of the British Raj in Bengal, 1999:84-87).
Abul Kalam Mohammad Jakaria, Bangladesher Pratnashompod, 1984
Pratnatattva, p-73-81, Vol-13, June 2007

After conservation

Before conservation

After conservation

4

Bhutan
BhutanThe Obtsho Dzong Ruin- Inventory and Documentation of a Pre-Zhabdrung
Dzong under Gasa District in Northern Bhutan
Karma Tenzin, Architect
Division for Conservation of Heritage Sites, Department of Culture, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs
Introduction
The Inventory and Documentation of Obtsho Dzong ruin
was carried out as an educational training program by theDivision for Conservation of Heritage Sites under the
Department of Culture, Ministry of Home and Cultural
Affairs, Royal Government of Bhutan in cooperation withHELVETAS Swiss-Intercooperation, Bhutan, Swiss
Liechetenstein Foundation of Archaeological Research
Abroad (SLSA) under the Phase II of Bhutan-Swiss
Archaeology Project. The team was lead by Mr. Christian
Bader, SLSA archaeologist and consists of 10 Bhutaneseparticipants who already took part in the several training
programs under the phase II of Bhutan-Swiss Archaeology
Project. The aim project is to build human resource
capacity in the field of archaeology through training andto collect the historical information of the site, inventory
and document the site without any excavation works.
Obtsho Dzong Ruin: Geographic location
The Obtsho Dzong ruin site under the Khatoed Gewog,
Gasa Dzongkhag is situated on the northeastern flank of ahill facing opposite to Gasa Dzong. It is an hour walk by
foot from the nearest road point.
Exact location
E-219819.114
Documentation of Obtsho Dzong Ruin

N-584527.893
Altitude: 2540 m a.s.lBrief Historical Background/ Oral History
The Obtsho Dzong ruin is said to be the seat of Obtsho
Choeje offshoots. Even though not much is known about
Obtsho, history records that Obtsho choeje was one of theoldest choeje in Bhutan. The current Obtsho ruin isbelieved to be first founded by DrupthobTerkhungpa in
the early 12th century AD. It was Obtsho Lama, decedents
of Obtsho Choeji, who invited Zhabdrung to Bhutan in
17th century. In Bhutan, the existing Dzongs (fortress)
were mostly built by Zhabdrung during his era (17thCentury) or were built later. The pre-Zhabdrung Dzongs
are mostly in ruins and Obtsho Dzong ruin is one of the
pre-Zhabdrung Dzong.
All the structures within the Obtsho Dzong complex aredesignated with position no. 1 to 15. Please refer theoverview ground plan for reference.
Description of Positions (1-15) and interpretations
Position 1
The position 1, probably Utse of the Obtsho Dzongis the main building measuring 11x15m connectedby the stone steps on the eastern wall, possibly of
later construction due to the fact that the stone

Descriptions of the Obtsho Dzong ruin Complex.

Overview ground plan of the Obtsho Dzong ruin Photo:DCHS
TempleUtse and surrounding buildings (Positions 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)Photo: DCHS

5

Entrance gate/watch tower (position9) Photo: DCHS

thickness of 1.3m which extends from the easternentrance of tower position 9 to the northernbuilding position 6. It served as a defense wall aswell as retaining wall of the courtyard.
Position 9
The position 9 could be an entrance gate tower,
since it is the only entrance to the Obtsho Dzong
complex. It measures 16.8x18.9 and probably musthave also served as a watch tower for the Dzong.
Position 10
The position 10 is the semicircular defense withseveral narrow openings at regular intervals forshooting arrows. The defense wall stretches from
northwest to southeast direction.
Position 11
The position11 is the defense trench which
separates the Dzong from the terrace. The defense
trench is 7m wide and with the maximum heightof 3m. The defense trench could be for theprotection from the wild animals as well as
enemies.
Position 12, 13 and 14
The position 12, 13 and 14 are the remains of thebuildings situated towards the south and out of
the Obtsho Dzong complex. As a suggestion, weinterpret these buildings for the guards/workers
and stable for horses.
Position 15
The position 15 is the original path /access to the
Obtsho Dzong which led to the Punakha Gasa
footpath discovered during the documentation.
The path is 2m wide and is fully covered withvegetation.

Semicircular defense wall (position10)
Photo: DCHS

Defense trench surrounding the Dzong
complex (position11) Photo: DCHS

Structure outside the Dzong complex(position12, 13,14) Photo: DCHS

Original path (position15) Photo: DCHS

Glossary
Obtsho = Name of the present site
Dzong = Fortress
Khatoed = Name of a block
Gewog = block
Gasa = Name of place
Dzongkhag = Districts

Bhutansteps are randomly constructed and also it starts
from the part of the collapsed eastern tower(structure 6).
The structure is at present completely filled withdebris and collapsed wall.
Position 2(building south of Utse)
The position 2 is a structure, south of Utse and isseparated by a possibly by could be corridor(position 3). The building measures approx. 7x9m
on the ground plan.
Position 3and 4
The position 3 is a could be corridor measuring9mx2.1m which further leads to the corridor
position 4 in the west which runs parallel towestern wall of the Utse/ Position 1. The width ofthe corridor is 1.4m.
Position 5
The corridor position 4leads to a position 5, a
rectangular building located west of the Utse.
Position 6
The position 6 is a building attached to theeastern side of Utse measuring approx. 9.9x5.4m
probably a residence.
Position 7
The position 7 is a building possibly of later
addition. This is because, there is the existence of
windows and slits in the southern wall of building
position 2 and also there are no joints between thewalls of building position 7 & 2. The quality ofthe stone wall of the building is comparatively
poorer than other structures.
Position 8
The position 8 is an enclosure wall with a

Semicircular defense wall from outside(position10) Photo: DCHS

Choeje = descendents
DrupthobTerkhungpa = Buddhist saintZhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel = Buddhist saint andhistorical figure who unified Bhutan in 17 th Century.
Utse = main central tower
Punakha = name of the one of the districts in Bhutan

6Cambodia
Cambodia

Inscription Documentation of Sambor Prei Kuk
Vitharong Chan, Vice-Chief of Antiquities Management Office
Department of Antiquities, General Department of Cultural heritage, Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
Background and Inscription Studies
Sambor Prei Kuk or Ishanavarpura, known as the urban
complex in the early seventh century of Chenla dynasty,
was established during the reign of King Ishanavarman I(616-635 CE). At the present day, it is located about 30
kilometres north of Kampong Thom provincial town.
After undergoing unrest of the country, this site wasincluded in the World Heritage as ‘intensive site’ of the
UNESCO’s list since 1992 and has been actively studiedin numerous academic works.
Inscriptions in Sambor Prei Kuk were extended in the
country’s historical period from late sixth to tenthcenturies. These inscriptions provide researchers withmagnificent sources of literature, history and ritual
practices in ancient time. The inscriptions were written in
Old Khmer and Sanskrit languages by using Old Khmer
scripts. Those inscriptions were scribed on doorjambs,
pedestals and brick walls. Presently most of them are insitu and some of them are housed in the Kampong Thom
Provincial Museum and the National Museum of
Cambodia, Phnom Penh.
In the term of authenticity of the site, inscriptions areconcrete sources of Khmer Civilization. There is no doubtthat these stone inscriptions are original data of Chenla
Dynasty in pre-Angkorian period (7th-9th centuries) andwere supported by great uniqueness of arts, architecture
and urbanisation of Ishanapura. At least 23 inscriptions
from this area have been listed and studied since thepreliminary study by Finot L. (1912 & 1928) and a7detailed study by Cœdès G. (1952). Later, several selected
inscriptions were studies by Cambodian scholars, Leang
Hap An (1967) and Prof. Long Seam (2000). Notably,
these inscriptions also describe continuity of the site
during Angkorian period.
Inscriptions Rubbing Documentation
Besides the fact that they were least taken care of during
the political upheaval, the damage caused by natural
disasters is another reason of shortening the life of thosestone inscriptions. For example, the outer wet gopura of
Yeay Poeun Group (S16 Tower) contains inscription(K.441) which was broken because of the collapse of a big
tree during the rainstorm of rainy season in 2011.
Fortunately, the south doorjamb with an inscription has
been well preserved. Moreover, microorganism also poses
the problem. So, how would it be possible to bring theseprecious stones into preservation and conservation? In
parallel with this question, the data from the inscriptions
is the most vital version of the monuments and history.
As mentioned above, when we take ‘authentication’ of thesite into consideration, inscriptions are inextricable to theterm and also in preservation. Besides digital photographic
documentation, which is one of the authenticate proof ofthe required documentation (Fig. 1&2), rubbing of
inscriptions is a needed form for academicians andconservators. For three days (April 21-23, 2013)
inscription rubbing work in situ and at Kampong Thom
Provincial Museum were conducted (Fig. 3~6). This work
was actively accomplished through the participation ofcooperation of Ms Khom Sreymom and Ms Ham
Seihasarann, experts from the National Museum of
Cambodia. They have done the excellent professional
rubbing of inscriptions.

Cambodia

staff of the National Museum of Cambodia of Sambor
Prei Kuk Conservation Project, under the supervision ofGeneral Department of Heritage, Ministry of Culture andFine Arts.
The rubbing technique with the Chinese ink is a practicalapplication for recording characters from the surface ofthe stone. Fruitful resources from these rubbing, reading
and comparing epigraphy studies would be a contribution
to a new greater historical finding in the future (Fig.
7&8) and a booster in conservation science. Other new
cutting-edge technology such as three-dimension scanningshall be needed in improving the quality of the present.
However, the work is the stepping stone towardnomination of Sambor Prei Kuk as UNESCO’s World
Heritage in the future.
Acknowledgements
This report would not have been possible without the

Figure List
Fig. 1: N14-1 Tower inscription, K.437, 7th century.
Fig. 2: N15 Tower inscription, K.148, 10th century.
Fig. 3: Preparing to rub the inscriptions in the Provincial
Museum (Photo: Khom Sreymom & Ham Seihasarann)
Fig. 4: Rubbing of the N20-3 Tower inscription, K.439.
(Photo: Khom Sreymom & Ham Seihasarann)
Fig. 5: Rubbing of the S16 Tower inscription, K.441.
(Photo: Khom Sreymom & Ham Seihasarann)
Fig. 6: Rubbing of the N14-1 Tower inscription, K.437.
(Photo: Khom Sreymom & Ham Seihasarann)
Fig. 7: Estampage of N14-1, K437, 7th century.
(Estampage: Khom Sreymom & Ham Seihasarann/
NMC)
Fig. 8: Estampage of N15 Tower inscription, K.148, 10th
century. (Estampage: Khom Sreymom & Ham
Seihasarann/NMC)

8

IndiaIndia

Restoration of Wood Works at the Bhagamandala Kshetra in Kodagu,
Karnataka
Kunkuma Devi Kishore, Architect & Conservation Consultant
Good Earth Office, Hyderabad, India
Kodagu, more commonly known as Coorg, is anadministrative district in the Western Ghats of southwestern Karnataka and is widely known as the birthplaceof River Cauvery. It is also home to some of India’s
bravest soldiers and is noted for its immense scenic beauty
as a popular hill station. Misty hills, lush forests, acres
and acres of tea and coffee plantations, orange groves,
undulating streets and breathtaking views are what makeCoorg, the Scotland of India. Coorg also has somebeautiful historic temples like the Omakareshwara
Temple, the Bhagamandala Temple and the Talacauveri
Temple that attract vast number of tourists and pilgrims
every year.
The Bhagmandala Temple is a shrine dedicated to Lord
Bhagandeshwara (Lord Shiva). It is here that the River
Cauvery merges in joyous and divine form with the rivers
Kannike and Sujyothi to form a ‘Triveni Sangama’ (holyunion of the three). The Bhangandeshwara Temple built
in west coast style on the bank of the sangam also houses
idols of Lord Subramanya, Lord Mahavishnu and Lord
Ganapati. Talacauveri, the source of River Cauvery is a

Kaveri Neeravari Nigama Ltd, a Government of
Karnataka Enterprise, undertook the huge task ofrenovation of the temples and the allied works (to further
enhance pilgrimage and tourism facilities of Coorg) forthe historically significant, Talacauveri and Bhagamandala
Temples. During the execution of the project, it wasobserved in the Bhagamandala Temple, that the inner
Prakara (circumambulatory pathway) structure, the main
shrines, sub-shrines and the Teertha Mandapa (holypavilion) had exquisite and finely carved artworks (inlime, rosewood and teak wood), which have high historic

Condition assessment of the wooden members
belonging to the sloped roof system

Parts of the inner prakara sloped roof system that is
totally replaced by new wooden members*Prakara – the holy circumambulatory pathway

9

tiny spring, perennially flowing with water. It disappears
within a few yards of its birthplace and re-emerges at
Nagatirtha near Bhagamandala, just 9 kilometres away.
Here the Triveni Sangama takes place. In the vicinity of
the river source, is the Brahamagiri Hill. A steep climb of
300ft - that’s 363 steps - brings you to the summit of theBrahmagiri Peak, where according to legend, the 7 great
sages meditated. The Bhagamandala temple is named after
Bhagyananda Muni, one of the sages who are believed tohave installed the Shivalinga at this site.

Preliminary studies under Ravi Gundu Rao and
Associates revealed, invaluable timber artwork depicting
stories from the Puranas decaying in portions, delicately
carved artwork in lime hidden beneath the several layersof whitewash and part restoration in cement, over the pastfew decades, in several portions of the Temple Complex.
The restoration works constituted four major parts.
--

Removal of deteriorated lime plaster and existing
cement plaster and redoing the plaster works incoarse and fine lime mortar and finished in lime
wash of appropriate shades. Application of asuitable silicone based water proof coating.
Removal of layers of lime wash and oil paint from--over intricate and ornamental details so as toexpose the original and reveal the hidden beautyof workmanship as well as the stories from theholy Hindu scriptures.
Cleaning of stone (plinth, steps, columns andornamental details made of granite and soap stone)
with water and mild cleansing agents, to remove
discoloration due to deposition of dust, sootparticles and oil
Restoration of extensively used wooden members (acharacteristic feature of ‘western coast’ style
temples) structural as well as ornamental, plain as
well as carved.

India

significance. Considering the scale of the improvement
facilities planned and the nature of renovation works
undertaken, preservation and restoration of the original
structure (inclusive of the context, form, design, artworks,
construction materials, details) seemed inevitable, so as
not to lose our connection with the past. A Conservation
Study was constituted by the Chief Contractor for the
execution of this project and the study was undertaken by
the Mysore based firm Ravi Gundu Rao and Associates. I
was fortunate enough to be assigned the role of a Project
Leader for the restoration project. This article constitutes
some excerpts and photos taken from the Conservation
Report prepared for the restoration works undertaken in
addition to the author’s expression.

This article focuses on the wood works restoration. The
methodology followed was largely based on the Principles
for the Preservation of Historic Timber Structures (1999)
adopted by ICOMOS at the 12th General Assembly in
Mexico.
The first major wooden restoration work involved
removing and recycling the wooden members of the roofof the inner prakara structure. Prior to the involvementof Ravi Gundu Rao and Associates certain portions of
the wooden roof were completely dismantled assumingthat they needed total replacement. Vast portions of
the sloped roof were redone using new wood before
the expert intervention, and reassembling had alreadystarted. Some of the dismanlted members were however

Wooden figures and figurines found below the sloped
roof that required removal of paint and spot repairs

The wooden structural system of the sloped roof
before restoration - an interior view

Carpenters recycling the original wooden members of the sloped
roof system-cleaning, re-polishing and attaching new members todeteriorated portions maintaining the original joints

The wooden structural system of the sloped roof after
restoration- repairs, cleaning, anti-termite treatment,

10

Indiaassessed in detail and only very few members were foundto be deteriorated beyond reuse. These were carefully
documented and numbered appropriately according towhere they belonged originally with the help of expert
carpenters and repair works undertaken using matchingwood and original joinery details. Repair works followed
cleaning of the members and reassembling the sloped roof.
An anti termite treatment was undertaken at different
stages of assembling the roof.
The next part of the restoration involved re-carving all themissing as well as deteriorated wooden members, motifs
and figures that again form an essential part of the wooden
roof system that covered the open pavilions, shrines andsub shrines within the outer and inner prakaras. Spotrepairs and restoration of wooden figures and figurines
were carried out after a secure propping was structured.
It was observed that all the decorative members (that werealso an integral part of the structural system) that formed
the ceiling and roof structure of the structures within the
inner prakara were painted over using oil paints over the
past few decades as a part of charitable funds anddonations. Although these were done in a very attractive
manner and served well as a protective coating against theseeping moisture and dampness, the experts doubted its
authenticity. Samples of the paints used on the surface of
motifs and figures were collected and studied by experts
from the NRLC Lab (National Research Laboratory for

11

Conservation of Cultural Property Regional branch at
Mysore) on the site. It was concluded that they were very
recent additions and the original members were neverpainted upon. It is also important to mention that somestatutes were found to be originally painted upon as
revealed by the historic pigments and were only cleaned
up as a restoration measure. These were not repainted or
touched up and were left as it is. It was decided to restore
the original state of the other members and while
dismantling them remained the biggest challenge due tothe sheer number of members involved, dismantling also
seemed inevitable as many of the key members bearing
the ceiling/roof system required corrections fromstructural stability point of view. Beams were sagging or
disjointed in most cases either due to seepage of moistureor termite attacks. Bagamandala receives heavy amountsof annual rainfall and usage of good quality teak androsewood was a key factor in keeping the shrines intact
over centuries.
The members were carefully dismantled by experienced
carpenters in the presence of conservation architects and aunique system for cataloguing the same was devised so as
to aid in reassembling. The members belonging to eachsub-shrine were stored separately in different rooms thatwere well ventilated and under high security. The removalof paint pigments from these intricately carved members
was also undertaken in batches by skilled workers under
the control of able supervisors and on this scale, was one

The elaborately treated gable ends of the sloped roof whose
several members were deteriorated from inside due to insect
attacks

Dismantling of the gable after cataloguing under progress to
re-carve /repair the members as well as remove oil paint

Retaining the original carved details and replacing only the
dilapidated support system where necessary using original woodfrom other discarded larger members to retain authenticity

Total replacement of carved members by re-carving and copying
the original details

like working in open spaces, wearing masks and gloves etc
were taken due to risks involved in the nature ofchemicals used.

India

of its kinds in the region. The chemicals used were
Paraffin Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Methyl Isobutyl
Ketone (MIBK), Mineral Spirit and Pentachlorophenol
powder. The cleaning involved dissolving the lacquer andthe paint pigments using the above chemicals as per thedefined methodology prescribed by the NRLC LAB andcarefully scraping the finer details off the paint using
brushes and blunt scrapers/knives. The cleaned members
were then treated with a coating of anti-termite chemical(Termiseal) followed by coatings of rosewood colour andwax (waterproofing) respectively, the colour and chemicals
all approved by the NRLC LAB. Adequate precautions

The conservation of Bhagamandala Temple constituting
lime-plaster, wood and stone restoration works took about
five months to complete and is a good example of a
private-public partnership effort in Karnataka where atimely decision helped save invaluable historic wood workfrom being auctioned by the Public Works Department
out of ignorance and lack of expertise to repair andrestore.

Tools used to remove the oil paint from wooden surfaces

Cleaning of the ornamental details and removing thecolored paint pigments

Before dismantling and removal of colored paint pigments

After removal of colored paint and before polishing12Indonesia
Indonesia

Batujaya Site, Civilization of Multiple Cultures
Dewi Puspito Rini, Archaeologist
Heritage Conservation Office of Banten
Batujaya site is a unique site which is administratively
located in the Telagajaya sub-district and Batujaya subdistrict, Karawang district, West Java Province, Indonesia.
Some people refer to this site as an enshrined site, because
it consists of a group of temples that are scattered in thearea. The location of the enshrinement was by a lake,
where the temple was built on the shores of the lake. It ismarked by the names of some villages in this sub-district,which are Segaran and Telagajaya, which mean the sea or
the pool (lake in Sanskrit).
Batujaya Site was first examined by the archaeologicalteam of the Faculty of Letters, University of Indonesia(now called Faculty of Humanities) in 1984. Based on
their results, they found ancient objects around moundsof dirt in the middle of rice fields. Since the beginning of
the study until 2013, 31 remains of ancient buildings havebeen found, which are considered the forms of temples.
Since 2000, only 11 temples were excavated. Until now,there are still many questions that have not been revealed
for sure about the chronology, religious, shapes, andpatterns of the temples. Currently, two temples in the
Batujaya Site, namely Batujaya 1 (Jiwa Temple) andBatujaya 5 (Blandongan Temple) have been restored.
In 2012 from May to September were held excavation
activities at the Batujaya site. Excavation was done because
there was an environmental activity inthe Blandongan temple, which includes
construction of drainage in thenortheast and northwest of the site.
This excavation was considered as the
rescue excavations. The excavation was
aimed to rescue archaeological datathat may threaten from the risky
activities. On the other hand, thisexcavation was also aimed to investigate
other possible structures that have notbeen found.
Excavation activities at the Blandongan
temple were done in two ways, and thefirst way was vertical excavation(penetrating excavation). It means the
excavation in order to determine thedepth, sequence, and composition ofarchaeological remains vertically. The
aims of this excavation were to know
more about time dimension and to
trace the position of each artifact
chronologically without neglecting
transformation aspects. The second way
was horizontal excavation (clearing
excavation), which aimed to know theplan and the arrangement of horizontal
expansion or patterns of deposits incultural remains. These excavations

13

used a method that had been commonly applied inIndonesia. To determine the location of the excavated box,
it was done by plotting the box from existing excavation
grid map. The size of the dug box was equal to the size ofthat created on the grid map, which is 4 m x 4 m.
Based on the results of the excavation, the archaeologicalfindings on this site are quite diverse. They are brickbuilding structures, beads, fragments of statues, menhirs,
fragments of pottery, fragments of iron, rice stalk fossils,
shells, animal bones and teeth, and others. Even in the
excavations that were carried out in 2010, were foundhuman skeleton and stock tombs. The depth of the sites
where they unearthed the archaeological objects wasvaried from 50 cm depth to 90 cm. The artifacts found at
this site are not only from the results of the excavation.
Some artifacts were found at the surface of the groundwhen survey was conducted, so the archaeological context
is unknown. The location of this site is in the rice field
area. Soil in this area, especially at the surface to thedepth of 30 cm, is mixed because of agricultural activities.
Based on carbon dating (C14) from the artifacts that were
found at this site, it is known that the chronology isderived from the 2nd century AD to 12th century AD.
Besides absolute chronology, relative chronology of thissite is known from the paleography of some inscriptions

Map of Batujaya Site (BPCB Serang)If viewed from the archaeological findings, artifacts andstructures that found on this site represent of theperiodicity of several cultures. In Indonesia, archaeology is
distinguished in some periodization, which are prehistoric,
Hindu - Buddhist influences, Islamic influence, andcolonial period. If the archaeological finds at the site

Batujaya are disaggregated according to the periodization,
it would seem that the remains are from prehistoric until
the Hindu-Buddhist influences. Menhir, skeleton, stock
tomb, the pottery, and beads are identical to prehistoric
period. On the contrary, the temples, statues, and votive
tablets have a similarity to remains from the HinduBuddhist influences. Possibly this site was used
continuously from the prehistoric to the Hindu-Buddhist
influences. However, this hypothesis needs to beinvestigated because there are many areas on this site thathave not been excavated.

Indonesiathat were found at this site, as well as by analogy andtypology of other archaeological findings, such as Chinese
ceramics, potteries, votive tablets, mortar on the temple,
decorative motifs, and stucco statues.

Condition of Jiwa Temple at Batujaya Site in the dry and rainy season
Documentation: BPCB SerangDrawings of Blandongan Temple at
Batujaya Site (BPCB Serang)

Human skeleton and menhirs that were found at Batujaya Site
Documentation: BPCB SerangPottery fragment, gold fragment, and beads that were found at Batujaya Site
Documentation: BPCB Serang

14

Malaysia
Malaysia

Restoration of the St. Joseph’s Novitiate, Penang, Malaysia
Professor Dr. A Ghafar Bin Ahmad, Professor
School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia
Introduction
In 2005, developer Hunza Properties (Penang) Sdn. Bhd(HPSB) purchased a 4.08-hectare site in the prime areaof Pulau Tikus, Penang from the Federation of Malaya
Christian Brothers’ School. The site, which includes theChristian Brother’s School and the St. Joseph’s Training
College also known as St. Joseph’s Novitiate, waspurchased as part of the HPSB plan to develop a RM475
million (USD158.3 million) mixed-use development
project which comprises two tower blocks of high-end
condominiums, an exclusive shopping mall called Gurney
Paragon, and Hunza’s new corporate headquarters. In
2008-2011, HPSB allocated a sum of RM10 million(USD3.3 million) to restore the St. Joseph’s Novitiate andanother RM3.5 million (USD1.17 million) to construct
two levels of basement car parks underneath the building.
The construction of these basement car parks throughthe underpinning process without causing any structural
failures to the St. Joseph’s Novitiate structures andfabric was considered an ingenious and a one-of-a-kindengineering feat, making it the first ever heritage building
to be done so in Malaysia.
Historical Background of St. Joseph’s Novitiate
The history of St. Joseph’s Novitiate dated back in 1916
when the Christian De La Salle Brothers purchased a siteat Pulau Tikus, Penang. The Christian Brothers wanted
the land for the development of a novitiate including
quarters for novices and a training college for local priests
to undertake the service of Christian education in
Malaysia and the Far East. In 1918, the three-storey
building of St. Joseph’s Novitiate was built at a site facing
the seafront along the North Beach of Penang Island,
now known as Gurney Drive. It was named the St.
Joseph’s Training College which was opened to trainteachers of the Christian missionary schools established by
the De La Salle Brothers in Penang, Ipoh and Singapore.
In 1925, the St. Joseph’s Novitiate was further extended,by the construction of a chapel attached to the middle
section, creating a T-shape in the building’s floor plan. It
covers a total floor area of 40,000 sq. ft. The chapel, thenknown as the St. Joseph’s Chapel, was built under thesupervision of Brother Cajetan L’Homaillfe of France who
had knowledge of and talent in architecture. Later in
1950s, the Christian Brothers who promoted a pious
Christian movement built a little shrine next to the St.
Joseph’s Novitiate. The little shrine was later known as
the National Shrine of the Boy Jesus.
In the late 1950s, the St. Joseph’s Training College began
to enroll regular students who, upon graduation, were
accepted by the Ministry of Education Malaysia to workin the national teaching service throughout the country.
By the early 1980s, the college ceased to function. Later,in 1988, it was leased out to the International School ofPenang (Uplands) who had moved in from the St. Xavier’s

15

Branch School on Kelawei Road, Pulau Tikus, Penang.
The International School occupied the premises until
2005 during which the St. Joseph’s Novitiate spaces wereconverted into classrooms, laboratories, offices, dormitories
and library. The ground floor of the St. Joseph’s Chapel
was turned into a hall with performing stage, while thefirst floor of the Chapel was converted into a library. The
little shrine was then used as a classroom.
When HPSB purchased the site in 2004-2005, theInternational School of Penang (Uplands) moved to its
new campus in Batu Feringghi, Penang. In late December
2006, a school block located next to the St. Joseph’s
Novitiate facing the Kelawai Road was torn down.
Demolition works continued until 2007 to pull down therest of the school blocks within the site with the
exception of the St. Joseph’s Novitiate building facing theGurney Drive. Such demolition caused a public outcryand HPSB was held under public scrutiny. The National
Shrine of the Boy Jesus, however, was dismantled, salvaged
and reconstructed at a new location within the site.
Architectural Background of St. Joseph’s Novitiate andits Chapel
Built symmetrically with a high portico attached in the
middle of the south façade, the St. Joseph’s Novitiate wasdesigned in a Colonial style that is adaptable to thetropical hot and humid climate of Penang. This style isevident in its building elements including large openings,
high ceiling, wide corridors and high doors at the exteriorfacades. The exterior façades of the building were
designed with repetitious windows, keystones and pilasters
to reflect the image of an educational institution. Some of
the common building materials used at the St. Joseph’s
Novitiate are plaster, timber, granite stone, bricks,
Marseille roof tiles, cement and stained glass. A buttresstype structure can be seen at each corner of the St.
Joseph’s Novitiate.
One of the most interesting features of the St. Joseph’s
Novitiate is its chapel, also known as the St. Joseph’s
Chapel. The Chapel is a two-storey building which wasbuilt later in 1925 as an extension to the main building.
It covers a total floor area of 8,000 sq. ft. The two-storey
ceiling height on the first floor was used as a chapel while
the ground floor was used as an open hall with aperforming stage. The St. Joseph’s Chapel was designed ina European Baroque style in which Classical forms andmotifs were transformed by the inventive use of space anddecoration. This can be seen in the stained-glass panels
and roundels depicting the saints, coved ceiling, classicalcapitals, keystones, festoons, cornices, marble altar,
decorative floor tiles and high doors made of the finest
Burmese teak. On the exterior wall of the Chapel facing
the Gurney Drive is the inscription in Latin, ANNOSANCTO MCMXXV (translation: Holy Year 1925), theyear the building was built. As stated in “Lasalle-Brothers:Dilapidation Survey
In August 2007, a dilapidation survey was conducted forboth the St. Joseph’s Novitiate and the National Shrineof the Boy Jesus. The dilapidation survey identified
and recorded several building defects through a detailed
photographic and digital documentation prior to
restoration works. It also involved an investigation on
any modification works previously carried out at thebuildings. The dilapidation survey report elaborated on
the nature and extent of building defects, their causes
and proposed conservation treatments. It also revealed
that the St. Joseph’s Novitiate suffered various building
defects including crumbling plaster, broken plaster, peelingof paint, crack, rising damp, salt contamination, harmful
growth, termite infestation, broken Marseilles roof tiles,
roof leakage, falling damp and corrosion of rainwater
goods. All building defects were indicated clearly on thebuilding plans and elevation drawings for cost estimation
purposes and future references.
Restoration Works
During the restoration works of the St. Joseph’s Novitiate
in 2009-2011, all building defects were treated inaccordance with the methods and techniques outlined in
the Dilapidation Survey Report. Some of the restoration
works involved include replacing the existing Marseilles
roof tiles with new roof tiles of similar design and profile;treatment of salt desalination and damp-proof course;
replastering of walls; repairing broken cornices andplastered rendering; removal of old paint and repainting
with new coats of breathable paint; protecting andtreating existing stained glass and roundels, marble andcoloured floor tiles at chapel; removing harmful growth;cleaning engraved foundation stone; and treating existing
timber doors and staircases.
The restoration of the St. Joseph’s Novitiate was carriedout based on the following principles:i. Record and document the conditions of the St.
Joseph’s Novitiate and the St. Joseph’s Chapel
before, during and after restoration, using asystematic methodology known as the Historical
Architectural Building Survey (HABS);ii. Minimise intervention to the original building
structures and fabric, whereby only the affected ordamaged areas are restored or repaired;iii. Provide temporary roofs throughout restoration
work;
iv. Adopt top-bottom sequence as a basis forrestoration work;v. Conduct scientific studies and laboratory tests on
existing building material such as wall plaster,timber, brick and paint;
vi. Apply only proven methods and techniques ofrestoration work;vii. Ensure the stability of building structures
throughout the construction and restoration
period; andviii. Maintain the authenticity and integrity of building
structures and fabric.
From the dilapidation survey report, almost 90% of the
St. Joseph’s Novitiate main structures and elements suchas roof structures, floors, corridors, walls, columns, pillars,
windows, doors and staircases remained intact and wereretained. Only the remaining 10% of building structuresand elements were replaced or changed including new
flooring finishes on the ground level due to structural
strengthening for the basement car parks; and new roof
tiles to replace the old broken ones. The architecturalelements and details at the Chapel including its pediment,
decorative urns, stained-glass roundels, classical pillars,
festoons, floor tiles, window and doors were completely
retained in their original forms and design.

Malaysia

Malaya and Singapore 1852-1952” (Francis Brown, 1997,
pg. 151):“.... chapel which is a baroque building, has one of
the most beautiful interiors in Malaysia. With its
coved ceiling, pilasters and decorative plaster work,
it is firmly in the classical tradition ... theproportions of the chamber give it a nobility anddistinction which are exceptional.”

To comply with the new function of the St. Joseph’s
Novitiate, aspects of fire safety and requirements for thedisabled group were incorporated such as the installationof new fire sprinklers, a disabled friendly glass elevator,
air-conditioning system, external and internal lighting,
kitchen exhausts, fire escape staircases, ramps forwheelchairs and new toilets. All new building structures
including steel supports at the staircases, cable bracing,steel structures and glass panels for the new elevator were
kept to a minimum to be least visible. All temporaryinternal partitions which divided the spaces forclassrooms, dormitories, library, offices, and laboratories
were carefully removed to provide more spaces for the
new corridors, restaurants, gift shops, kitchens and seatingareas. An external concrete staircase which was a later
addition at the north elevation of the building was also
demolished. No major changes were made to the building
facades and external features so as to retain theauthenticity and integrity of St. Joseph’s Novitiate.
Construction of Basement Car Parks Underneath St.
Joseph’s Novitiate
One of the major challenges facing the restoration of the
St. Joseph’s Novitiate was to construct the two-levelbasement car parks underneath the building as requiredby HPSB to accommodate the number of visitors andtenants to the Gurney Paragon shopping mall, offices andresidential towers. The consultant architect and structural
engineer worked together to safeguard the building and toensure that no cracks or structural failures occurred
during the construction of the basement car parks. The
St. Joseph’s Novitiate was built with load bearing brickwalls and columns that rested on either stone slabs or oldbrick mats footings. There were reinforced concrete beams
span between the brick columns supporting timber joists
and floorboards above. Initial investigation revealed thatthe building was structurally sound and in good condition
to allow for the underpinning process.
The construction of the two levels of basement car parks
underneath the St. Joseph’s Novitiate utilised theunderpinning process, a solution adopted to provide thenew pile foundations. The new piles below the building
allowed the removal of earth underneath it; thus creating
the space for the two levels of basement car parks. Prior

16

Malaysia

to the construction of the new pile foundation, a new
ground floor of concrete slab-and-beam system wasintroduced in the basement to support the existing brickcolumns. New micropiles were drilled and installed into
the ground to support the new slab-and–beam system.
To prop the building throughout the construction of
basement car parks, L-shaped steel plates with stiffener
plates were bolted onto the existing column bases and the
newly cast ground beams. This would allow a temporary
load path for transferring part of the existing column
loads to the newly cast ground beams. Heavy-duty
scaffolding as temporary propping system was also
installed inside the building to support the building upper
floors and beams. Small excavators were used to carefully
dig out the earth beneath, allowing the old foundations todrop and removed from the building. More micropile
shafts, later encased in concrete with steel bars to become
reinforced concrete columns, were installed to support andbond together the two basement concrete slabs. To
prevent the micropile shafts from bucking, temporary
bracing was fixed.
The underpinning process had given the St. Joseph’s
Novitiate new independent foundations where two levelsof basement slabs were created underneath the building to
make provisions for 132 car parking lots. Towards thecompletion of the basement car parks, the building looked
as if it was standing independently in the middle of anopen field supported by series of standing chopsticks, aremarkable engineering scene ever carried out insafeguarding a superstructure heritage building in the
country.
Conclusions
The restoration of the St. Joseph’s Novitiate involved
thorough studies on the aspects of historical, architecturaland engineering by a team of specialist consultants andbuilding conservator. Old photographs, historical records
and dilapidation survey report were used by the teammembers as the basis for determining the scope of
restoration and conservation works. The engineering
innovations through the construction of the underpinningand basement car parks underneath the building havebenefited HPSB in providing additional car parking lots
for the proposed mixed-use development.

Built in 1918 with a high portico attached in the middle of the south
elevation, the St. Joseph’s Novitiate was designed in a Colonialstyle that is adaptable to the tropical hot and humid climate ofPenang.

17

The newly restored St. Joseph’s Novitiate, now known as“St. Jo’s”, was officially opened to the public in January
2012. It currently houses retail outlets, restaurants andtemporary gallery for the public to enjoy; whilst its
chapel and multi-purpose hall on the third floor areused for meetings, international art exhibition, cultural
performances, social events, fine dining and private
functions. The restoration of the St. Joseph’s Novitiate
has shown that adaptive re-use of heritage building
benefits the owner and the public. The building now
becomes a key attraction among local and foreign tourists
who visit the Gurney Paragon shopping mall.
Acknowledgements:
I would like to thank Dato’ Khor Teng Tong, Director of
Hunza Properties Berhad, Shahruddin Shabri, Director of
Built Heritage; and consultant architect and engineer forproviding the information for this article.
References:
Built Heritage and A Ghafar Ahmad, 2007, Dilapidation
Survey Report: St. Joseph’s Novitiate and National Shrineof the Boy Jesus, Gurney, Penang, Penang: Built Heritage(unpublished).
Francis Brown, 1997, Lasalle-Brothers: Malaysia andSingapore 1852-1952, Petaling Jaya: La Salle Provincialate.
Hunza Properties (Penang) Sdn. Bhd., 2013, St. Jo’s:
Gurney Paragon, Penang: HPSB (unpublished).

In 1925, the St. Joseph’s Novitiate was further extended by theconstruction of a chapel attached to the middle section of the northelevation in a European Baroque style.

View of the south elevation portraying the repetitious windows, keystones
and pilasters that reflect the image of an educational institution.

Malaysia

A buttress-type structure can be seen at each corner of the
St. Joseph’s Novitiate.

In 1950s, the Christian Brothers who promoted a pious Christian
movement built a little shrine known as the National Shrine of the
Boy Jesus next to the St. Joseph’s Novitiate.

Condition of the Chapel before restoration.

Prior to the construction of the new pile foundation, a new groundfloor of concrete slab-and-beam system was introduced to support
the existing brick columns.

The construction of two levels of basement car parks underneaththe St. Joseph’s Novitiate was based on the underpinning process,a solution adopted to provide the new pile foundations.

View of the St. Joseph’s Novitiate standing independently in the
middle of an open field supported by series of micropile shafts, aone-of-a-kind engineering feat in the country.

18

Malaysia
During the construction of basement car parks, L-shaped steel
plates were bolted onto the existing column bases and the newly
cast ground beams.

Temporary propping at the ground level of the St. Joseph’s
Novitiate during the construction of basement car parks.

The restoration of the St. Joseph’s Novitiate shows that adaptive
re-use of heritage building benefits both the owner and the public.

An adapted re-use building St. Joseph’s Novitiate offers spacious
outdoor cafes with landscape and seating areas for the customers’leisure and comfort.

Some parts of the wide corridors on the second level of the Saint
Joseph Novitiate were converted into seating areas of a restaurant.

19

Internal views of the Chapel before and after restoration.

Malaysia

Views of the corridor at ground level before and after restoration.

Views of the east wing of the St. Joseph’s Novitiate before and after restoration.

The newly restored St. Joseph’s Novitiate becomes a key attraction among local and foreign tourists
who visit the Gurney Paragon shopping mall.

20

Maldives
Maldives

Coral Stone Mosques of Maldives toward World Heritage List
Shiura Jaufar, Archaieologist
Department of Heritage, National Museum
Department of Heritage
Maldives is a small island nation located in the Indian
Ocean comprising 90 percent of water. Activities relating
to sea were common in Maldives and it is located in an
ancient major trade route. Due to this, many othercountries ported in Maldives for trade purposes. Thisbrought in many different skills and traditions from othercountries. Such is the case of mosques where we see awide array of coral stone structures, mostly mosques androyal buildings made of coral stone. Upon the suggestions
with UNESCO, Maldives decided to propose thesemosques to the World Heritage list. Initially it was topropose Male Friday mosque, the best and finest surviving
example of coral stone architecture in Maldives, to theWorld Heritage list. However, upon further consultation
with UNESCO it was decided to go for a serial
nomination and to include a series of coral stone mosquesfor a stronger nomination.
As a first step Male Friday Mosque was included in thetentative list in 2008. In 2011, the work to nominate themosque for World Heritage list started and initially adesktop research based on literature,, and oral history(interviews and phone calls with local islanders and island
councils) were done to compile a list of coral stone
mosques in Maldives. This produced a list of 52 coralstone mosques in Maldives out of which 21 were selected
for quick survey. The purpose of this was to sieve out
mosques that had the potential to nominate in the serial
nomination. Quick survey included general information
about each mosque, history, age and similar informationand from this came 6 mosques to be included in the serial
nomination. They are H.A Ihavandhoo Ancient Mosque,A. Dh Fenfushi Ancient Mosque, R. Meedhoo Ancient
Mosque, K. Male Friday Mosque, K. Male Eid Mosqueand L. Isdhoo Ancient Mosque. These mosques have been
updated this year in the previous tentative list which
included only Male Friday Mosque. Experts from
UNESCO visited Maldives and studied all the 6 mosquesand this resulted in 5 of the 6 mosques to be worked on
for final serial nomination. The mosque that was dropped
is K. Male Eid Mosque.
This project is divided in to two phases where the firstphase covers the quick survey of mosques and theselection of mosques for serial nomination. The second
phase includes the rest of the work before final

submission which includes completing the detailed surveyof each mosque in the serial nomination, preparing
condition assessment and a management plan for eachmosque, redrafting the national heritage law and finally,
the preparation of the nomination dossier. Currently,
work is being done to complete the detailed survey ofeach mosque. The detailed survey is divided in to several
parts. It includes architectural drawings (plan, sections
and elevations) of each mosque and its boundary (well/s,
cemetery, bathing tanks, shrines) land surveying andlocating the mosque, its boundary and buffer area, scaled
photography, studying the buffer zone, collecting
historical and cultural information of and around the site,
conservation status of each mosque and its boundary andtest excavations of each mosque.
Currently the work of two mosques, H. A Ihavandhoo
Ancient mosque and A. Dh Fenfushi Ancient mosquehave been completed. H. A Ihavandhoo mosque was built
in 1701 CE. The mosque complex consists of the mosquebuilding, a short minaret, an octagonal water well, amausoleum and the tombstones of the cemetery. A new
boundary wall surrounds the mosque with three
entrances. The mosque building is a typically small
mosque with the prayer hall and ‘Dhaalas’ or verandah
like antechambers on three sides. Typical to the coralmosques it is built on a coral stone platform with coralstonewalls. The roof structure and ceiling is constructed
in timber and mainly teak. With its fine carvings,
entrance steps, carved wooden doors, lacquer calligraphy
and decoration, the quality of workmanship is among thebest found outside Male’. The mosque has faced a lot ofdamages and changes over time which needs to be acted
upon soon.
Work done on A. Dh Fenfushi Ancient mosque showedthat this mosque was built between 1692-1701 CE. It is
one of the finest examples of a coral stone mosque with acomplete set of components within the mosque complex
and all elements in good condition. The mosque complex
has a complete set of components including the mosquebuilding, a unique coral stone bathing tank, coral stone
wells, a sun dial, a large cemetery with tombstones of finequality and a coral masonry boundary wall surrounding
the mosque with two entrances. The mosque building ispreserved well without damage to the structure. This

H. A Ihavandhoo Ancient Mosque21

Apart from the detailed survey of each mosque, we stillneed to compile the final nomination dossier and preparea management plan and conservation plan for each of thesite. However, we are facing a lot of challenges in carryingout this project due to lack of funds, resources andexperts and most importantly the lack of legal protection
given to these sites in our country. We do have a heritage
law that was passed in 1979 however this law is notstrong enough to protect our sites. We do not have anational heritage list therefore we are now working on
redrafting the heritage law with detailed sections andpenalties and such. This will provide us more support inprotecting our sites. Due to the lack of priority for thisfield in the governemnt, we get very limited funds fromthe government budget. Therefore we have financial
difficulties in obtaining the machinery and equipments
for the project and also to train our staff. We have very
limited capacity among ourselves to carry out the tasks
and we are slowly training our staff with the help of
UNESCO New Delhi Office and also ACCU Nara.

Maldives

building has a hypostyle layout with a prayer hall with no“Dhaalas”. The mosque is built on a highly decorated
coral stone platform with coral stone wall and timber roof
structure. The roof is two tiered with a modern metalroofing finish. It has a highly decorated coffered ceilingwith a stepped recess. The columns are made from timber.
With its fine carvings, entrance steps, carved wooden
doors, lacquer calligraphy and decoration, the quality ofworkmanship is among the finest in the country.

A. Dh Fenfushi Ancient MosqueMale’ Eid Mosque

L. Isdhoo Ancient Mosque

R. Meedhoo Ancient MosqueMale’ Friday Mosque22

Micronesia
Micronesia

Introduction to the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)
Yvonne Neth, Vice-Director / Anthropology Project Manager
Island Research and Education Initiative (IREI)

Introduction to the Federated States of Micronesia(FSM)
Slightly north of the equatorial belt, neighboring East of
the Philippine Islands, a chain of islands stretch across aconsiderable area of the Pacific Ocean. These islands,
comprised of volcanic high islands and a multitude of low
islands of sand and coral, make up the Federated States ofMicronesia (FSM). FSM is divided into four main states:
Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. With the exception of
Kosrae, these main states have scattered around thematolls and other low islands that we call “Outer Islands.”
The islands of the FSM seem to float atop a blanket ofdeep blue. Beneath the surface, you find the topplingwaves and the swift pursuits of currents cloak an entirely
different world of color and energy. Above the surface,these speckles of land are covered – from the highest
peaks of the cloud forests to the beach sands andbreathing stakes of the mangroves – in folklore, just as
colorful and pulsating with energy as the world
underwater. Subjects of folklore manifest themselves
physically in the form of stone, vegetation, even living
creatures. Examples of these include the mysterious ruinsof Nan Madol in Pohnpei, the distinctive figure of the
Sleeping Lady of Kosrae, the immense weight of the stonemoney of Yap, and the ominous powers within the
Chuukese masks.

Housed in the Smithsonian Institute, the below items were collected from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) many years before andrecently photographed by FSM Staff Archaeologist, Adam Thompson. On the left is a colorful grass skirt from Yap, and on the right are
Chuukese masks. Both photographs © FSM NACH

23

Micronesia

Left: Wreck from one of the sunken Japanese ships during World War II, © Tim Rock and FSM VB. Right: Photograph of participants for theWorkshop for Capacity Building for World Heritage Nomination of Nan Madol, © FSM NACH

FSM Office of National Archives, Culture and HistoricPreservation
The government framework of the FSM incorporates
three levels: National, State and Local. At the National
level, the Office of National Archives, Culture andHistoric Preservation (NACH) oversees and coordinates
historic preservation projects in the FSM. Funds fromthe US National Park Service (NPS) and UNESCO
stem from this office into the separate state HistoricPreservation Offices (HPO). NACH staffs one
Archaeologist and one Anthropologist to assist in cultural
heritage projects throughout the FSM.
Each State HPO is responsible for the registry ofhistorical sites to their State Registries and the UNESCOWorld Heritage List, as well as populate an inventory of
their intangible cultural heritage. To conduct theseregistries, a historic preservation review board must havebeen designated by the Governor of each state. Currently,
Pohnpei and Chuuk are without review boards; therefore
unable to register their sites. FSM NACH has assumed
the position in turn and undertaken the task on thenomination of Nan Madol to the World Heritage List.
The following workshops were conducted with theassistance of UNESCO:
1. Consultation on Safeguarding of Nan Madol, Nov. 2325, 2011.
2. Workshop for Capacity Building for World Heritage

Nomination of Nan Madol, Oct. 8-10, 2012.
3. 2nd Consultation on Safeguarding of Nan Madol,
March. 19-21, 2013.
Discussions regarding the World Heritage Nomination
have led to include Kosrae’s Lelu Ruins along with thenomination of Nan Madol Ruins into one proposal. The
two sites share similar basalt construction and generalpolitical ruling framework, with oral history tying thetwo sites together as well.
PohnpeiThough the registry of historical sites has been
compromised due to the lack of a state historicpreservation review board, Pohnpei HPO continues theirseparate tasks. Such tasks include the surveying of landfor cultural significance prior to construction projects,
monitoring that federally-funded construction projects do
not damage historical sites, and the coordination withinterested researchers intending to collect data that is ofequal interest to PHPO and in line with PHPO
responsibilities.
Two projects that have taken place recently, in affiliation
with the University of Otago, are:
1. The utilization of X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) on thestones of Nan Madol. The objective of this datacollection is to use the geo-chemical analyticalproperties of the XRF to determine the quarries these

Left: A skills transfer cultural activity at the Yap Living History Museum, © Yap State HPO. Right: Yapese elder seated by large stone money,© Micronesian Seminar.

24Micronesia
Left: 1910 map created by Paul Hambruch, German Surveyor. Right: Draft of new map with GPS points logged by FSM Archaeologist Adam
Thompson and University of Otago, NZ, student Jeremy Moyle.

stones originated from. It is known the quarries wereused in a sequential manner, therefore the data will
ascertain an approximate timeline to which islands
were formed first, second, and so forth. The final
report has yet to be delivered.
2. GPS points collection of the separate islands of Nan
Madol. These points will then be used to render amore accurate map of Nan Madol, a well-needed
update since the one map that has been commonly
utilized was created in 1910 by the German Surveyor
Paul Hambruch. The final map and report has yet to
be delivered.
KosraeFSM Staff Archaeologist Adam Thompson and Kosrae
HPO staff continue their registry of historical sites; recent
sites surveyed and registered are in Tofol. The Kosrae
HPO has expanded its efforts to environmental
conservation, registering sites in the Yela Valley as part ofa proposed Conservation Easement to increase theprotection of Kosrae’s unique Ka Forest.
After multiple years of fieldwork, Dr. Felicia Beardsley(University of La Verne) and FSM HPO staff havecompleted the first phase of the archaeological explorationof the Menke Ruins, the site of the highly revered deity
in Kosrae’s historical religion, the Breadfruit Goddess
Sinlaku. This project doubled as a field training
opportunity for FSM HPO officers and resulted in thefirst systematic archaeological documentation of the site.
Prior to this, the Menke Ruins were only known by its
weight on Kosrae’s oral history, this weight taking form in
the quantitative calculations and drawn up maps of Dr.

Beardsley’s fieldwork. In the end, the extent of its
structures was discovered as astoundingly huge in surface
area and complexity, so much so that it had become
apparent to the team the exploration of the Menke Ruins
is far from complete.
Yap
Yap State HPO (YSHPO) staff have busied themselveswith the registry and reconstruction of stone moneybanks (sites also serving as dancing grounds called malals),
historical sites in Yap where people came together to meetand show their respect, share their dances and exchange
gifts. The devastating effects of World War II and thecreeping of invasive vegetation have compromised thestructural integrity of these immense stones. Historical
record will show these stones did not originate from Yap,
but were quarried and carried across an expanse of ocean
on canoes from the neighboring island of Palau.
Therefore, it became concluded by YSHPO and Palau
HPO that a nomination to UNESCO’s World Heritage
List would be more comprehensive to include Yap’s stonemoney banks and Palau’s quarry sites in a single transboundary nomination. Currently, Dr. Rosalind HunterAnderson (University of New Mexico) is working withYSHPO to inventory many of these malals as part of theWorld Heritage nomination and to populate the Yap
State Registry.
The FSM Staff Anthropologist Stefan Krause andYSHPO staff has also undertaken the task ofinventorying and safeguarding of intangible cultural
heritage properties, in association with UNESCO’s
Intangible Cultural Heritage Program.

Left: Dr. McCoy of University of Otago, NZ, and XRF gun, © Pohnpei HPO. Right: GPS logging with Univ. of Otago graduate student Jeremy
Moyle at corner wall of Pahnwi island, Nan Madol, © Pohnpei HPO.

25

Micronesia

Left: A pathway and the wall of a structure in the Lelu Ruins complex. Right: The immense base of the endemic and endangered Ka treesof Kosrae, located in the Yela Valley. Both photographs © Tim Rock and FSM VB.

Yap State HPO has constructed traditional structures in acomplex they call the “Living History Museum,” such
structures include a men’s house, community house, stonemoney bank and dancing ground, a small local house fordemonstration of cultural activities, a residential house,
and two local canoe houses. The complex site grows
further still, as it is undergoing construction now on two
small local houses (one serving as a traditional kitchenhouse and the other for cultural demonstration),construction on retaining walls and a stone path. It isquite evident the purpose of this complex is to promote
its living culture with the locals, but also with foreigners.
Given each village of Yap contains their respective
meeting houses and traditional structures, it is notprudent or respectful for foreigners to enter at any time
and without permission of the village chiefs. This Living
History Museum allows foreigners to visit Yapese
traditional structures and allows for community programs
to be conducted on the site, e.g. traditional rope making
event.

Left: Field work at Menke Ruins by Dr. Felicia Beardsley and KHPO staff, © Kosrae HPO. Right: Tofol area where current surveys are being
conducted by FSM Staff Archaeologist and KHPO, © Google Maps

Left: Recently restored stone path, © Yap State HPO. Right: Recently restored Men’s House, © Yap State HPO

26

Mongolia
Mongolia

Silver Vessels from Ancient Turkic Period Found in Mongolia
Munkhtulga Rinchinkhorol, Researcher
Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology
There have been some excavated monuments of theAncient Turkic (6th-8th cc. AD) period in Mongolia dueto the recent big progress in archaeological studies during
the last ten more years. A huge number of important
evidences was uncovered, which supported to recognize
culture, society, art, belief, politics and foreign relation of
Early Medieval inhabitants of Mongolian plateau. Some ofthem were made to be shown for the public, being
restored by Mongolian specialists. The restored findings
were sent to big international exhibitions and received
high acclaim. Some of such findings are silver vessels
which still have not been studied specifically.
Since 1990, the former situation of Mongolian society andeconomy was fundamentally changed and the state
propaganda of communist dictatorship collapsed. The
socio-economic reform influenced on traditional views of
the Mongolian people on cultural heritage. Cultural
heritage has become only good for making money due todegeneration of morals and falling standards of living.
Regulations on cultural heritage have extremely increased
and it seems to be more organized. During the last 10
more years, there have already been organized regulations
that control illegal excavation of archaeologicalmonuments and trading goods that were looted fromancient tombs and structures in Mongolia. Recently, we
documented two silver vessels of the Ancient Turkic
period. Each of them was certainly found fromarchaeological monuments looted by such bands. In thisarticle, the silver vessel revealed by the archaeologicalstudy is presented briefly and the looted one described
more in detail.
Khushoo Tsaidam’s vessels
In 2001, the Mongolian-Turkish Joint Archaeological
Expedition discovered buried treasures in the west of ashrine and north of a huge cubic stone with cylindricalhole at its center during the excavation at the ruin ofmemorial complex of Bilge Khagan (684-734), who was apowerful supreme leader of Second Turkic Khaganate(682-745) (WORK ..., 2003, 426-428). There were about
4000 golden and silver goods and precious gems in the‘hoard’. Most of kinds of the goods were never found or
rarely appeared before. The most interesting finding was adiadem made of ornamented golden sheet. It is believedthat the golden diadem belonged to Bilge Khagan.
Sacrificial golden and silver vessels, plaques and door
handles were among the findings, too (BAYAR & ...,
2003, 79-80; BAYAR, 2004, 78-81). There were silver
vessels such as a typical Sogdian-styled jar with a highthin neck and a ‘bird-headed’ mouth (Fig. 1), 2 cylindricalcups with round bottom (Fig. 2, 3), and 3 vessels with awide mouth and a long handle (Fig. 4-6). Khushoo
Tsaidam’s silver vessels are generally smaller than usual
ones. Also, one of the distinctive characteristics is that thevessels have no ornaments.

27

Shoroon Bumbagar’s vessel
In 2011, a team of the Mongolian-Japanese Joint Project“Inscriptions-3” documented a silver vessel found from anancient monument, named Shoroon Bumbagar by local
people, in the territory of Zaamar soum, Tuv aimag(OSAWA &..., 2011, 139). An epitaph revealed in theunderground structure indicates that it was a mausoleum
founded in memory of an aristocrat of Pugu tribe in 667
AD (/DANILOV & ..., 2010, 254). Pugu is one of thetribes of the Confederation of Nine Oguzs. According to
the runic sources and Chinese historical annals, theConfederation of Nine Oguz Tribes controlled Northern
Mongolia at the same time and it was a most powerful
enemy of the Ancient Turks (BATSUREN, 2009, 39-40).
The vessel was found by a local person who was searchinggold with metal-detector near the mausoleum in 2009
(OSAWA &..., 2011, 140).
Description
The vessel has a wide mouth, out-turned flanged rim,wide keel, flat bottom and low direct base. A quite
narrow low neck is under the rim. There is a narrowcircle on the bottom. Rim diameter 7.5 cm; maximum
body diameter 9.7 cm; base diameter 7.5 cm; body height
8 cm. There is a handle, which consists of ten circled
little balls joined to each other, on the central part of the
body or under the neck. It is possible that some charactershaped chaotic signs have been engraved on the centre of
the bottom are tamgas. But it is difficult to observe
because the signs are too narrow (Fig. 7).
31 runic characters engraved with a sharp tool in a single
line and around the narrow circle of the bottom (Fig. 8).
It is 1.5 cm between the inscription and the circle ofbottom. Its character type is similar to that of the Uighur
period (745-840 AD) runic inscriptions (OSAWA &...,
2011, 140, 142).
Researchers proposed that the sentences were written by adescendant of the deceased person to pray for his soul inthe second half of the 8th century (OSAWA &..., 2011,142). It means that the silver vessel might have beenburied as a traditional ceremony of the Pugu tribesmen
80 more years after the mausoleum had been founded.
Such silver vessel as it has a wide mouth, keeled body, flatbottom, low direct base, handle consists of many circled
little balls and runic inscription on its bottom occurs
in Ancient Turkic grave goods of the 7th-9th century
in Russian Altai (Fig. 8) (KISJELJOV, 1951, Table LII;SAVINOV, 1984, 124-125; OVCHINNIKOVA, 1990,
63; KUBARJEV, 2005, 312). Also it has been represented
in some stone statues of the 7th-8th cc (SHJER, 1966,
77, 87; KUBARJEV, 1984, 32; BAYAR, 1997, 63;
HAYASHI, 2003).
A Sogdian-styled cup
In January 2010, the public prosecutors were temporarilytransferred to the Mongolian Academy of the Sciences
since many ancient findings had been confiscated from

Description
The cup has a low body. A handle and a round basejoined to the body by welding. Body height is 5.2 cm, andthe weight is 0.42 kg. Rim is quite flanged, measuring of
0.2 cm thin and 14.2 cm in diameter. Wall of the bodyis almost direct. Wide and narrow bands are aroundthe upper body (Fig. 10, 14). Space between the rim
and the upper narrow band is 1.1 cm. Total 9 palmette
decorations of 2 kinds were engraved under the bands andaround the body (Fig. 10, 15). There are 3 thin rounds
joined to each other on the top of a typical Sogdian-styled
handle (10, 12, 14, and 17). The rounds are very suitable
to be pushed by a thumb. The biggest one, which is at
the center, is 2 cm in diameter. 2 smaller rounds are 1.4
cm in diameter. The base is 7.6 cm in diameter, 0.8 cm
high and thickness or 0.25 cm.
Spaces between the above-mentioned 9 palmettes havebeen ornamented with many semi-circular images (Fig.
15). The same palmette pattern appears not only in many
Sogdian-styled silver vessels (Fig. 11), but also in work of
nomadic art.
The circular base is 6.7 cm in diameter. The plain
surface of the bottom or inner side of the circular basehas been engraved with such representations as 5 crosses,
inscription, mounted man, ‘hook’ tamga, sword, dagger or
short sword, ‘mountain goat’ tamga and some disordered
images (Fig. 13, 18).
It is possible to say, according to erosion, that thesituation and direction of the lines that the images might
have been represented by the following sequence:
Crosses (Perhaps the palmette decorations are made insame time);
Inscription, mounted man, ‘hook’ tamga, sword, dagger or
short sword, little ‘mountain goat’ tamga and otherchaotic images;
Big ‘mountain goat’ tamga.
Cross-like images. The cross images are similar to eachother in size. One of them is in the center and the others
are represented symmetrically in its four sides. Twocrosses have a square-shaped fence. The fence of the othertwo crosses is circular. All the fences are depicted withjoined round images. It is visible that the cross images
have been eroded due to long-term use.
The five crosses are imitated copy of Byzantine trademark (MARSHAK, 2006, 74). A similar trade-markappears in Sogdian-styled jars of 7th century found in
Semirech’e, Eastern Kazakhstan (Fig. 19) (MARSHAK,
1971, 60). It confirms that the cup had been used by its
owner for a long time after the production.
Runic inscription. The runic inscription was engravedwith a sharp tool almost at the border of the bottom
surface, against the side with a handle and between thesquare-fenced and the circular-fenced crosses. The head of
the five characters are directed to the center of thesurface. Therefore, it should be the upper part of thesurface. The inscription is 2.2 cm in length and 1 cm inwidth. It may be deciphered as in one sentence and in
two words as follows: hRBqv
transliteration: WQBRng
transcription: uq barïηtranslation: Be an origin (an ancestor)!
B.Marshak suggests that it is a word as a name of ownerof the cup (MARSHAK, 2006, 74).
Picture. A very sketchy representation of a mounted man
is depicted on the upper-right part of the inscription andabove the square-fenced cross.
A dagger or short sword is engraved above the mid of theinscription. Its point is directed to upper side of thesurface. A long sword is across the short one and its
handle is in the right side of the inscription. A top of thesword is on the left circular-fenced cross.
Analogous swords with the sword depicted on the
cup were found from Ancient Turkic graves in South
Siberia (KHUDJAKOV, 1986, 153-155). And also it wasrepresented in stone statues of 7th-8th cc. (BAYAR, 1997,
58).
Tamgas. The small “wild goat” tamga is on the upper left
side of the surface and between square-fenced andcircular-fenced crosses. Like the horsemen, its head is
directed to the left-hand side. Its horn is long. The tail is
missing. Top of the horn is on the eroded part of thesquare-fenced cross on the upper right side.
A ‘hook’ tamga is in the left-hand side of the horseman.
The big ‘wild goat’ tamga is engraved on the upper rightside of the surface and the right of the central cross bydeep and wide lines. Its head directed to the upper side.
The single ‘wild goat’ and ‘a wild goat and a hook’tamgas are the political symbol of Ashina which was the
Khagan’s clan of the Ancient Turkic Khaganate(VOJTOV, 1996, 86-87; KLJASHTORNYJ & ..., 2005,
321; SAMASHEV & ..., 2010, 141-143, 146).
Such the symbols as tamgas, representation of mountedman, arms and inscription are engraved not only on
nomadic grave vessels in Altai region of 7th-8th cc. but
also in Ancient Turkic petroglyph complexes (STJEPI ...,
1981, 126).
It is possible that the second images were depicted lateraccording to a ritual which was valid in that time.
Above description shows that this Sogdian-styled cup was
sacrificed to an aristocrat of the Second Turkic Khaganate(682-745 AD) according to a burial or offering rite of thenomads in the first half of the 8th century.
The silver cup, perhaps, were made by Sogdian (orSogdian-influenced) craftsman as part of an elite
production sphere associated with Ancient Turkic
aristocratic layer.

Mongolia

citizens. Thus, a silver cup, which was one of the artifacts,
was described by me (Fig. 10).
When, where and how the silver cup was found is still
unknown. But it is clear that the cup had been illegally
owned by someone before confiscation.
In 2006, B.I.Marshak, who was a famous specialist in
Sogdian arts and archaeology, described the cup on thebasis of its photos for the first time (MARSHAK, 2006,81). He received the photos from a Mongolian antiquarian
M.Odkhuu. Therefore, the cup might have been found
before 2006.

References
BATSUREN, 2009 – Б.Батсүрэн. Өндөр тэрэгтнүүд баэртний түрэгүүд (VI-IX зуун). УБ.
BAYAR, 1997 – Д.Баяр. Монголын төв нутаг дахьТүрэгийн хүн чулуу. УБ.
BAYAR & …, 2003 – Д.Баяр, Ч.Амартүвшин, А.
Энхтөр, Ж.Гэрэлбадрах. Билгэ хааны тахилын онгоны
судалгаа. // SA. Tom. (I) XXI, fasc. 8. УБ., 75-83
BAYAR, 2004 – D.Bayar Recent archaeological research28

Mongolia

at the Bilge-Kagan’s site.
// Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia.
№ 4 (20). 73-84
DANILOV & …, 2010 – С.В.Данилов, А.И.Бураев,Б.В.Саганов, А.Очир, Л.Эрдэнэболд, Х.Батболд.
Курган Шороон дов и его место в общей системе
археологических памятников Тюркской эпохи
Центральной Азии. // Древние культуры Монголии иБайкальской Сибири. Улан-Удэ, С. 254-257
HAYASHI, 2003 – T.Hayashi. Sogdian Influences Seenon Turkic Stone Statues Focusing on the Fingers
Representations. // Ērān ud Anērān. Webfestschrift
Marshak
HELLER, 2003 – A.Heller. The Silver Jug of the Lhasa
Jokhang: Some Observations on silver objects andcostumes from the Tibetan Empire (7th-9th century)
http://asianart.com/articles/heller/index.html/
KHUDJAKOV, 1986 – Ю.С.Худяков. Вооружение
средневековых кочевников Южной Сибири иЦентральной Азии. Н.
KISJELJOV, 1951 – С.В.Киселёв Древняя история
Южной Сибири. М.
KLJASHTORNYJ & …, 2005 – С.Г.Кляшторный,Д.Г.Савинов. Степные империи древней Евразии.
СПб.
KUBARJEV, 1984 – В.Д.Кубарев. Древнетюркские

изваяния Алтая. Н.
KUBARJEV, 2005 – Г.В.Кубарев. Культура древних
тюрок Алтая. Н.
MARSHAK, 1971 – Б.И.Маршак. Согдийское серебро.
Очерки по восточной торевтике. М.
MARSHAK, 2006 – Б.И.Маршак. Серебро за меха. //Византийская идея. Византия в эпоху Комнинов иПалеологов. СПб., С. 72-82
OVCHINNIKOVA,
1990–
Б.Б.Овчинникова.
Тюркские древности Саяно-Алтая в VI-X веках.
СвердловскOSAWA &…, 2011 – Т.Осава, К.Сузуки, Г.Лхүндэв.
Заамарын Шороон Довоос олдсон мөнгөн сав дээрх
руни бичээс. // SA. Tom. XXX, fasc. 8. УБ., 139-145
SAMASHEV & ..., 2010 – З.Самашев, Н.Базылхан,С.Самашев. Древнетюркские тамги. Алматы
SAVINOV, 1984 – Д.Г.Савинов. Народы Южной
Сибири в древнетюркскую эпоху. Л.
SHJER, 1966 – Я.А.Шер. Каменные изваяния
Семиречья. М.-Л.
STJEPI …, 1981 – Степи Евразии в эпоху
средневековья. М.
VOJTOV, 1996 – В.Е.Войтов. Древнетюркский
пантеон и модель мироздания. М.
WORK …, 2003 – Work for the Project Turkish
Monuments in Mongolia in Year 2001. Ankara

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 5.

Fig. 6.

Khushoo Tsaidam’s silver vessels:
Fig. 1. Jar; Fig. 2, 3. Cups; Fig. 4-6. Vessels with long handle

29

Mongolia

Fig. 7. Shoroon Bumbagar’s silver vessel and its bottom /OSAWA & ..., 2011/

Fig. 8. Silver vessel and its bottom found from Tuyakhta, Russian Altai

Fig. 9. Inscription of the Shoroon Bumbagar’s vessel /OSAWA & ..., 2011/30

Mongolia
Fig. 10. Silver cup found from Mongolia

Fig. 11. Gilded silver cup found from Tibet. Late 7th-8th cc. Pierre
Uldry collection, the Rietberg Museum, Zürich /HELLER, 2003/

Fig. 12. Top and bottom of the cup from Mongolia

Fig. 13. Bottom of the cup from Mongolia

Fig. 14. Silver cup found from Mongolia

Fig. 15. Palmette decoration on the wall of the silver cup found from Mongolia

31

Mongolia

Fig. 16. Palmette decoration of the silver cup found from Central Asia (?). Second half 8th - first half 9th c.

Fig. 17. Top and bottom of the cup from Mongolia

Fig. 18. Engravings on the bottom of the cup from Mongolia:
1. Trade-mark; 2. Mounted man; 3. Swords; 4. Small “wild goat”
tamga;
5. ‘Hook’ tamga; 6. Runic inscription; 7. Big “wild goat” tamga

Fig. 19. Trade-mark on the bottom of a Sogdian-styled silver jar
fromSemirech’e, Eastern Kazakhstan. 7th century /MARSHAK, 1971/

32

NepalNepal

The Certification of Movable Art Objects in Nepal
Suresh Suras Shrestha, Chief Archaeological Officer
Heritage/Monument Conservation Section, Department of Archaeology
Introduction
Nepal is rich in diversified cultural and natural heritage
in the world ever since one can remember. The heritageis actually something like a creation of human activities
whether could be movable or not. The people used
to carry or trade the movable objects from one toanother place since the beginning of the human history,
because they were their creations and they could do
whatever they wanted with it. But in the process ofdevelopment of human civilization and the concept ofsociety, many things are being changed as well as theirthought. Much national and international organizations
and legislations have been created for maintaining thecivilized and identified socio-cultural environment. In
this process, one of the most important conventions
for the safeguarding the cultural objects was created,
and the world communities have agreed through theUnited Nations. The ratified convention is Convention
on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit
Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural
Property, 14 November 1970. The convention defines thecultural property is the property which, on religious or
secular grounds, is specifically designated by each State as
being of importance for archaeology, prehistory, history,
literature, art or science and which belongs to its Article
1a – 1k in different categories. As per the provision ofarticle 2, “The States Parties to this Convention recognizethat the illicit import, export and transfer of ownershipof cultural property is one of the main causes of theimpoverishment of the cultural heritage of the countriesof origin of such property. Article 5 of the convention
clearly says that the States Parties to this Convention
are to undertake to set up one or more national services
within their territories with qualified staff members

Application form for curio certification33

sufficient in number for the effective implementationof the specified functions (in article 5a - 5g). This is
to ensure the above-mentioned Convention (UNESCO/
WHC, 1970); i.e. the formation of laws and regulations
designed to secure the protection of the cultural heritageand particularly prevention of the illicit import, export
and transfer of ownership of important cultural property;
establishing and maintaining the national inventoryof protected property, including a list of important
public and private cultural property whose export would
constitute an appreciable impoverishment of the national
cultural heritage, and so on.
Legislation on Certification of Art objects to Export
Nepal has ratified this convention in 1976 (www.unesco.
org) and is a state party for this convention since thattime and recently after ratifying this convention Nepal
has amended its major legislation for the management andconservation of the cultural heritage - Ancient Monument
Preservation Act, 1956 to have the provisions related tothe convention on its fifth amendment in 1995. Article
13 of this act has a provision on Restriction on transfer,transaction, export or collection of ancient monument andarchaeological object or curio; which has provisioned a lot
for the restrictions in illicit import, export and transfer ofthe ownership of the cultural properties. As per theprovisions of the Act; any historical, archaeological or
artistic object as prescribed by Government of Nepal by a
notification published in the Nepal Gazette shall not beexported from the territory of Nepal or transferred fromone place to another or to store even within the territoryof Nepal. If it is to be transferred to any place, priorapproval of Government shall be taken [Article 13(1)]. If
a person or an institution has, in its personal, traditional

Certificate for the curio objects

to the individuals’ or the commercial traders’ applications
as per the provisions of the act, by which they can easilytransact or export these objects. Firstly, one should apply
with the details of the object i.e. name of the object aswell as its weight, measurement, price including bills/
voucher, exporting country etc, then the related officers
inspect the entire object to be certified, and then issue thecertificate on it. The process for certification is goodenough, but there is a need of recording and making
inventory as the provisions are in the 1956 Act. The
government should also summon to the public forregistration of their ancient / archaeological objects thatwould be helpful to make an inventory of archaeologicalobjects as per provision of article 13(2) of the Act.

Nepal

or ancestral any archaeological object of more than one
hundred years (any artistic or architectural or othermentioned object which is at least of 100 years or more isdefined as archaeological object by the act in Nepal), theowner of such collections shall have to register such object
in a prescribed office as per the Government notification
published in the Nepal Gazette. It is not necessary toregister the idol/image of family deities (Kul Devata)[Article13(2)].
The movable art objects can either be an archeologicalimportant objects or curio objects. According to thedefinition of act curio object is the object which produced
as the modern handicraft as the copy of antiquity and theact provisioned for the curio objects transaction as if any
person or an institution, willing to produce or transact incurio or is producing or transacting in curio shall holdlicense by registering the owner’s name in the prescribed
office as per Government notification published in the
Nepal Gazette and each produced curio object shall havemarked as approved by Government of Nepal along with
the name of the seller [Article 13(2B)]. The buyer of the
curio also shall buy only the curio marked as approved
pursuant to Sub- Section (3) [Article 13(4)].
In such a way, transaction of the curio objects isprovisioned in legislation of Nepal. Under these provisions
Department of Archaeology, the sole authority of theGovernment of Nepal for the conservation andmanagement of cultural heritage; has been working as per
the UNESCO convention 1970 establishing a major
section in its premises. There are hundreds and hundreds
art objects certifying in a day by the officials in its’ own
process. The section is known as Curio Checking
Section, which is running under the Under Secretary(Gazetted II Class Officer) and the section head is
directly under the Director General of the department as
well. The section also looks after the all art objects which
are theft and come under the police custody; when thetheft object come to the police custody they send to thissection for inspection/examine for either archaeologicalrestricted objects or just the curio non-restricted objects as
per the act. Report of such inspection on theft object
plays a vital role to restrict on theft of art object as wellas in the process of police custody and filing the case in
the court.
The section has been issuing hundreds of this kind of
certification in a day for the non-restricted curio objects

Conclusion
Nepal has working as per the objectives of the UNESCO
Convention on means of Prohibiting and Preventing the
Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership ofCultural Property 1970 after its ratification in 1976. It
has own legislation for executing the provisions ofconvention. The Department of Archaeology has working
as per the legislation; it issues certificates for the curio
objects to export. It is a single place to issue certificatesfor curio goods in the country, however there is provisionin the 1956 Act that anyone should have certification forevery object to carry or take from one to another placeeven within the territory of Nepal as well as to export inabroad. So, there should be some other branches of thedepartment as per as in where necessary districts. The
mechanism of curio certification is working very well, but
it needs to be equipped with more scientific knowledge
and modern advanced technologies (Hi-Tech) as well as totrain the staffs for entire job. The registration of thearchaeological objects should be done by the governmentthat would be most helpful in the case of theft andexporting without permission as well. It should bemanaged gradually for the preparation of a good inventoryof all archaeological objects of Nepal and extension of the
curio certification offices under Department ofArchaeology for the better execution of the 1970
convention in Nepal as well as for preventing from theillicit import, export and transfer of the culturalproperties.

Curio objects on process for certification

34

NepalReferences:
UNESCO/WHC, 1970. Convention on the Means of
Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import,
Export and Transfer of the ownership of culturalproperty, 14 November 1970. UNESCO/WHC:
Paris.
Government of Nepal, 1956. Ancient Monument
Preservation Act, 2013 (1956). Government of
Nepal: Kathmandu, Nepal.
www.unesco.org

Inspection process of curio objects

Tagging to the curio objects after inspection

35

New Zealand
Dr Matthew Schmidt, Regional Archaeologist Otago/Southland
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
Introduction
My previous International Correspondent Report
described Project Njord, a cultural heritage project which
had three aims: 1) to undertake a marine archaeologicalsurvey of the water in front of the Norwegians Whalers’Base (‘The Base’) to determine the nature and extent ofany marine heritage structure/features/items, 2) to gather
additional terrestrial heritage data to supplement that
already recorded previously at The Base, and 3) use themarine and terrestrial heritage survey data to prepare a
proposal to the Board of the New Zealand Historic Places
Trust (“NZHPT”) to declare the Norwegian Whalers’Base an archaeological site under Section 9(2) of theHistoric Places Act (1993). The prime reason for the
project was to increase the legal protection of the site due
to an increased risk of fossicking, particularly the removalof the whale chaser boat propellers.
The first two aims of the project were achieved in March2013 when the project team (Matthew Schmidt, Andy
Dodd, Matthew Carter, David Dudfield, Jim Watt)
undertook five days of fieldwork surveying heritage
remains of The Base in the terrestrial and marine
environments. This report presents the preliminary results

New Zealand

Project Njord: Investigation and Protection of the 1926-1932 Norwegian
Whalers’ Base, Price’s Inlet, Rakiura/Stewart Island〈Project Update〉
A Southland Coastal Heritage Inventory Project (“SCHIP”) Cultural Heritage Projectof the archaeological survey. It will be seen that thefindings of the marine archaeological survey revealed morethan anticipated and in doing so, the project illustrated
the importance of marine archaeological surveys when
understanding coastal marine heritage sites.
Brief History of the Norwegian Whalers’ Base
Between 1926 and 1932 the Ross Sea Whaling Company
of Sandefjord, Norway established its repair base forwhale catcher vessels in Price’s Inlet, Rakiura (Figures 1to 4). The Ross Sea Whaling Company named their

Figure 2. The Base ca. 1928 showing a whale catcher at the start ofthe slipway at medium tide (Photo: Southland Museum & Art Gallery).

Figure 3. The Base ca. 1927 showing the slipway (centre), built on
top of Prices’ 1865 slipway, and the Othello jetty (far left) (Photo:
Southland Museum & Art Gallery).

Figure 1. Location of the Norwegian Whalers’ Base in Price’s Inlet, Kaipipi
Bay, Rakiura/Stewart Island. The sunken hulk of the 1853 ship Othello,used as a dry jetty by the Norwegians from 1926-1932, is noted.

Figure 4. The five Star chaser boats moored at the Othello jetty with anotherarriving in the background (Photo: Southland Museum & Art Gallery).

36

New Zealand
37

shipyard the ‘Kaipipi Shipyard’ but it is also known as‘The Base’, ‘Price’s’ or ‘The Whalers’ Base’ (Watt 2006:3).
Watt (2006:3) notes that the purpose of the facility was
to maintain and repair whale catchers during the southern
winter while the factory ships returned to Europe withthe whale oil taken during the hunting season from
November to February. The fifteen Star whale catchers
were repaired at various times at the yard as well as othercatchers such as the Karrakatta. The yard consisted of theslipway, workshop (including a forge), cookhouse,carpenters shop, bunkhouse, winch house, a tin hut andthe Othello jetty which was a jetty made from the hulk of
the ship Othello (the hulk was fixed, not floating). The
buildings were weatherboard built on concrete
foundations (pads, footings or piles) with the manager’s
house and bunkhouse being kit set buildings broughtfrom Norway (these buildings still survive in Oban
today). The Base was used for basic maintenance andrepairs of the catcher boats as it did not have a foundry
to undertake any larger repairs, this being carried out at
Port Chalmers near Dunedin (Watt 2006:3). Up to 38
Norwegians operated The Base and during the weekends
excursions were made to Oban, Rakiura’s main town, for
supplies and socialising. The base closed in 1932 due to a‘glut’ in the whale oil market (Watt 2006:3). This led towhaling moving away from the Ross Sea and the Ross Sea
Whaling Company moving its facilities to South Africa.
The Base (Lot 31) has not been occupied since 1932 andis currently privately owned.

(Rakiura’s main town) which were recovered fromThe Base.
* The Base is a key heritage site for tourism on
Rakiura receiving numerous visitors every year.

Cultural Heritage Significance
The Base is a highly significant cultural heritage site for
Rakiura and New Zealand because:* ‘The Base’ is part of the story of Rakiura/Stewart
Island.
* The site is unique in New Zealand in terms of thehistory of Norwegian whaling.
* The site is directly related to the creation of theRoss Dependency in Antarctica in 1923.
* There are tangible heritage remains which can still
be seen and interpreted.
* The site has persons living today who are either
related to the Norwegians from The Base or
persons who worked on the ships.
* People today still live in buildings in Oban

The Terrestrial Archaeological Survey
As illustrated in the previous report, The Base isextensively covered in native bush making recognition andmapping of the various structures difficult (Figures 5 &6). It was therefore essential for the locations of the
known features to be cleared of vegetation prior tosurveying. This was achieved by the project team as well
as volunteers from the Rakiura/Stewart Island communityand staff from the Department of Conservation (Figure7). The vegetation clearance achieved identifying all the
known structures on the site which were found to be in avery good state of preservation overall. Building
foundations and structures, such as those of theWorkshop, Tin Hut, Managers House, winch base and its
associated hawser pulley base (Figure 8-18), were made ofa high quality concrete, a significant achievement for thebuilders considering their isolation from any populous
centre where materials could be readily sourced. The
structural features exposed and other artefacts, such as
propellers and cables, were able to be identified in historicphotographs of The Base (Figures 16 to 17). Remains of
the shipyard slipway were found beneath the vegetationand this confirmed that the slipway extended somedistance onto the land from its origins in the bay and up
to the edge of the concrete winch pulley base. The
slipway had been made of interspersed 17m longhorizontal lengths of timber and poured concrete. On thiswas laid the tracks on which the rollers used to pull boats
up the slipway were placed. Only the concrete sections of
the slipway survived in the bush environment (Figure 18).
One of the key features which required to be identified in
the terrestrial survey was the original 19th century survey
point from which the boundaries of the land used by the
Norwegians were established. This was important as aclear legal boundary of the site is required for theincreased legal protection process. Surveyors in the 19th
century typically chose high areas and a distinctive
permanent feature in the landscape to establish survey
marks (or ‘trigs’). A surveyor’s mark placed in thislocation could be an iron bar with a letter stamped on the

Figure 5. The Base as it looks today covered in thick native bush
(Photo: NZHPT).

Figure 6. The Base as it looks today covered in thick bush (Photo:
NZHPT).

The terrestrial survey also identified the fresh water dam
built by the Norwegians located in the bay to the west of
the inlet. The dam was built of earth and a pipeline tookwater from this around the rocky headland to The Baseto the east. This was confirmed during the marine survey
when two water pipes were found in the water below the
rocky headland.
Evidence of 19th century occupation was also found at thesite by way of black beer bottles, a dark green ‘champagne’
style bottle, a clear glass bottle and handmade nails. In
the bay to the west where the dam is located, was found a
rubbish dump containing both late 19th and early 20th
century bottles and shoes/boots.

The Marine Archaeological Survey
The survey area extended from the high tide mark to ca.
130m into the inlet (Figure 20). Any heritage items
within the inter-tidal environment were mapped by theterrestrial based archaeologists while the marinearchaeologists concentrated on any underwater remains.
The underwater survey was non-invasive ie. visual only.
The most important artefacts recorded in the inter-tidal
survey area were the twelve discarded whale chaser
propellers as these items have been at the most risk ofremoval by fossickers and collectors of marine heritage(Figure 21, 22). The dimensions of the propellers were
measured and any distinctive features, such as ice damage
to the propeller blades and whale chaser boat
identification marks, were recorded on drawings of theitems (Figure 23). Other key objects of interest also
recorded was one of the slipway rollers, winch drums,
which can be seen in their original position in historicphotographs of The Base, the Swedish boiler, which cameto rest in its position today from a failed attempt tosalvage it in 1946, and the dimensions and makeup of theslipway for the shipyard (Figures 24 to 26). In this tidal
environment, the timbers from the slipway had largely
survived, though the level of preservation was quite
variable, compared to those revealed during bush clearance

New Zealand

top, a large wooden stake with the top foot of the stake
painted white, or a cairn built using stone or earth. If anatural feature was used, it would be one that stood out
from any of the surrounding landscape features. The
survey found a large split granite rock used by the
Norwegians to set their flag pole in was the location of
the 19th century surveyors mark establish by at least 1878
(Figures 19). Bearings off this rock found that only fromthis point could other geological features be seen as notedon an 1893 survey map.

Figure 7. Volunteers from the Rakiura/Stewart Is. community and the Department of Conservation helping with bush clearance to reveal
heritage features (Photo: NZHPT)

Figure 8. The Workshop cleared of vegetation and the boiler room
turfed to reveal the structure (Photo: NZHPT).

Figure 9. The foundations of the Managers House after vegetation
clearance (Photo: NZHPT).

38

New Zealandwhich had almost entirely rotted away leaving only theconcrete elements and iron bolts where timbers were once
present. Given this, the construction technique could beclearly interpreted and mapped and many of the iron
fixtures, such as large timber fixing bolts, were stillpresent.

39). The wreck generated international interest, such as
from the Archaeological Institute of America, and is atleast nationally significant in New Zealand as a uniqueexample of an in-situ wreck of a 19th century American
whaler. More research will ascertain the international
importance of this site.

The underwater marine archaeological survey provided
data on the nature and extent of heritage remains on theseabed which were the result of the day to day workingsof the Base such as winch cables, fresh water pipes, glass
bottles, discarded or dropped metal objects etc. It also
produced crucial data on the two most significant heritage
items in this environment: the form and structure of the
1926-27 slipway below the low tide mark; and theremains of the 1853 whaler the Othello.

Conclusions
Currently the data from the fieldwork is still being
compiled, but a draft map of The Base clearly illustrates
the nature and extent of the tangible heritage remains(Figure 40). The survey added significantly to theprevious knowledge of what remained of The Base,particularly in the marine environment. It identified thatthe site is of national importance in the story it tells ofearly 20th century Norwegian whaling in the Ross Sea andinternationally in terms of the role it played in theestablishment of the Ross Sea Dependency in 1923. The
project also found that the Othello is a rare example of a
19th century whaler preserved in-situ, illustrating theimportance of marine archaeological surveys when
determining the nature, extent and significance of coastal
heritage sites.

It was found that the construction of the slipway below
the low tide mark was quite different from that above thislevel as seen on the beach. The investigation confirmed
the historic account that numerous granite boulders weredumped on the soft sea bed to build a sold and stablebase for the slipway (Figures 27, 28). The slipway timbers
were then lowered onto this base as sections andconnected one after another by the Base diver who used a‘John Brown’ diving suit with air pumped to the suitfrom a divers air pump located on a pontoon floating
above the diver. The rails were then bolted down onto thecompleted timber base. Only one of the rails is present
today still bolted to the timbers. Recorded lying down thecentre of the slipway was a concrete strip on which thecentral roller rail would have originally been fixed. The
total length of the slipway from the high tide mark andout into the inlet was 76m (The total length of theslipway being 101.3m measured from the concrete pulleybase).
The survey of the 1853 whaler the Othello produced
unexpected results. The Othello was brought to the Basefrom Bluff (the South Island port town which is the main
port of contact with Rakiura) in 1927 by the Norwegians
and used as the ‘t-end’ of the shipyards’ jetty by being
pushed up onto rocks, holed in its side and bollards
driven into the sea bed on its port side to hold it in place(Figure 29). This oak ship was built as an American
whaling vessel in 1853 (Figure 30) but it finally ended up
in Bluff as a coal hulk. After the Norwegians left theBase, it was abandoned. Over the years the hulk shifted
off the rocks and sunk onto the shallow bottom of thebay in ca. 5m of water. At very low tide the bow andstern ends of the ship can be seen just protruding fromthe water’s surface.
The marine survey found that the Othello was in a goodstate of preservation with the hull largely intact (Figures
31 to 35). The original rudder was still in place (Figure35) and copper sheathing placed along the hull in 1863,
used to discourage marine organisms impacting on thewooden hull, was still present (Figure 33). Also found was
the hawse pipe, planking timbers, wood and iron knees, apossible mast support, ballast stones etc (Figures 36 to38). Overall, the wreck still retained its original 1853
main frame and structure and features of its later
maintenance such as the 1863 copper sheathing (Figure39

Acknowledgements
Thank you to the Environmental Committee ofEnvironment Southland, the SCHIP partners, theSouthland Branch of the New Zealand Historic Places
Trust, the Marine Archaeological Association of New
Zealand, the Southland Museum & Art Gallery, theAnthropology Dept. (Phil Latham) and Surveying Dept.
(Richard Hemi) of the University of Otago and theDepartment of Conservation for their project support.
Thank you also to Owen Graham, Jonathan Howard,
Huia Pacey, the Rakiura office of the Department ofConservation for use of boat the ‘Hananui’, and its
skipper Steve Meads, and the Rakiura community andvolunteers who generously gave their time to clear
vegetation from the site.
References

Barr, W. & J. Watt. 2005. Pioneer whalers in the Ross Sea, 1923-33. Polar
Record 41 (219): 281-304.
Department of Conservation Interpretation Panels, Price’s inlet Norwegian
Whalers’ Base, Stewart Island.
Howard, Basil. 1927-1931. The Places Names of Stewart Island. Unpublishedresearch notebook held by the Howard Family, Dunedin.
Howard, Basil. 1974. Rakiura – A History of Stewart Island, New Zealand.
Published by A.H. and A.W. Reed, Dunedin and Wellington for The Stewart
Island Centennial Committee. (reprint of 1940 edition).
Sanson, 1970.
Watt, Jim. 1989. Stewart Island’s Kaipipi Shipyard and the Ross Sea Whalers’.
Published by Jim Watt, 41 Chambers Street, Havelock North 4130, New
Zealand. (reprinted 2000).
Watt, Jim. 2006. An Explanation and guide to The Whalers’ Base, Paterson
inlet, Stewart Island, New Zealand. Published by Jim Watt, 41 Chambers
Street, Havelock North 4130, New Zealand.

New ZealandFigure 10. The foundations of the Tin Hut, where the Bases’ diver
initially resided (Photo: NZHPT).

Figure 11. The foundations of the Winch base (Photo:NZHPT).

Figure 12. The foundations of the winch pulley base located 52m
down slope from the winch (Photo:NZHPT).

Figure 13. The foundations of the Carpenters’ Shop (Photo:NZHPT).

Figure 14. The piles on which the Bunkhouse was positioned. The kitset
Bunkhouse was brought over from Norway and after the Norwegians leftthe Base, it was rebuilt in Oban where it resides today (Photo:NZHPT).

Figure 15. The concrete wash basin uncovered from the bush at
the south end of the Bunkhouse piles. The scale it at 1m(Photo:NZHPT).

Figure 16. Abandoned whale chaser propellers in the bush (Photo:
NZHPT).

Figure 17. Discarded coils of cabling located near the winch pulley(Photo: Matthew Carter).

40

New ZealandFigure 18. The slipway revealed after beneath turf in the native
bush. The photograph is in the direction of the pulley base with theinlet behind the photographer. The 17m long horizontal slipway
timbers which used to be located between each successive
horizontal concrete slipway sleeper have rotted away. Occasionalbolts also indicate where the timbers were located (Photo: Matthew
Carter).

Figure 19. Top: Natural split granite rock with bolt which held theNorwegian flag. This rock was also used as a survey trig point as
early as 1878 (Photo: NZHPT). Bottom: Survey map SO 2848 from1893 showing the trig point (circled) on the eastern side of theheadland (source: LINZ).

Figure 20. Marine archaeological survey area (Graphic: SCHIP &Subsurface Ltd with Google earth satellite photo).

Figure 21. Abandoned whale chaser propellers lying on the beach(Photo: NZHPT). These are the most at risk items at the Basebeing the subject of fossicking attempts.

41

Figure 22. Whale chaser propellers discarded on the beach. The
survey identified that different designs of propellers were present.
These propellers are possibly a later design (ie. late 1920s) as they
are made of an alloy and are a sleeker more light weight design.
Other propellers are a more robust solid steel design and appear
to be much heavier (Photo: NZHPT).

New ZealandFigure 24. Winch cable drum on the beach (Photo: NZHPT).

Figure 23. Distinctive marks on propellers were recorded so they
could be identified individually if illegally removed. The propeller inthe top photograph is marked as belonging to the Star II whalechaser. The bottom photograph shows a distinctive ‘chuck’ feature
which was used in later propellers to make removing them easierfrom the drive shaft (Photo: NZHPT).

Figure 25. A slipway roller lying on the slipway exposed at low tide
(Photo: NZHPT).

Figure 26. The slipway exposed at low tide showing the timber andconcrete construction. The boiler from the workshop lies where it
was abandoned in 1946 (Photo: NZHPT).

Figure 27. Diver swimming along a surviving rail on the boat
slipway. The slipway extended 76m out into the bay from the hightide mark (Photo: SCHIP & Subsurface Ltd).

Figure 28. The remaining slipway left rail fixed on the wooden sleepers
which were lain on a granite rock base with rock laid in between thesleepers to stabilise them (Photo: SCHIP & Subsurface Ltd).

Figure 29. The Othello in 1928 fixed in place using bollards driven
into the seabed (Photo: Southland Museum & Art Gallery).

42

New ZealandFigure 30. The Othello at sail from a painting by AV Gregory in1885 (Source: Sanson 1970).

Figure 31. Diver recording the wreck of the Othello (Photo: SCHIP& Subsurface Ltd).

Figure 32. The bow of the Othello, starboard side, showing the wellpreserved form of the wreck (Photo: SCHIP & Subsurface Ltd).

Figure 33. Close view of the hull showing the intact 1863 copper
sheathing (Photo: SCHIP & Subsurface Ltd).

Figure 34. The stern and rudder post of the Othello (Photo: SCHIP & Subsurface Ltd).

Figure 35. Intact rudder, starboard side showing pintle & gudgeon (Photo: SCHIP & Subsurface Ltd).

43

New ZealandFigure 37. Bracing around mast/bowsprit timber (Photo: SCHIP &Subsurface Ltd).

Figure 36. Hawse pipe on the Othello, at Bluff harbour ca. 1902,
and as found on the sea bed in March 2013 (Photo: SCHIP &Subsurface Ltd).

Figure 38. Slipway roller on the deck of the Othello and on theslipway (Photo: SCHIP & Subsurface Ltd).

Figure 39. Photo montage and map of the 1853 whaler the
Othello (Photo/Plan: SCHIP & Subsurface Ltd).

Figure 40. Preliminary site plan of the 1926-1932 Norwegian Whalers’Base, Prices Inlet, Rakiura/Stewart Is (Graphic: NZHPT).
Page 31 of 31

44

Pakistan
Pakistan

Antiquities Seized at Lahore Airport
Muhammad Aasim Dogar, Field Officer
Antiquities Trade Control Branch, Directorate General of Archaeology, Government of the Punjab
The Additional Collector Customs, Lahore, received
information through secret sources on 7th April 2013 thatan attempt would be made to smuggle antiquities toThailand in the guise of water filters. It was also
informed that four packages containing antiquities wereavailable in the cargo bonded area of export shed, Shaheen
Airport services, Lahore, for loading on Thai Airways
flight No TG-346 bound for Bangkok. Therefore, thefour wooden boxes were opened in the presence of
witness, which resulted in recovery of the antiquities.
The Additional Collector Custom Department, Lahore,
immediately contacted the Director General ofArchaeology, Government of the Punjab, to depute an
officer from Archaeology Department for verification of
the objects seized by the Custom Department. The
Director General deputed the field officer (Antiquities
Trade Control Branch) for the verification of seizedobjects at Lahore Airport.
The seized consignment consisting of 26 objects included
stone and copper Buddha sculptures, human heads ofstone and stucco, toilet trays and 313 copper coins. These
objects were identified as pieces of Gandhara Art (belong
to from 1st century B.C. to 5th century A.D.). The
copper coins were not in a good state of preservation andwere not clearly readable until they were identified after
cleaning. However, the coins were genuine and of thesame period as other objects mentioned above.
The consignment of antiquities comes under the preview
of Antiquities (Amendment) Act 2012 and cannot beallowed to be exported outside the country.
After the verification of the antiquities, the representativeof Archaeology Department and Custom Department
arrested the scanning machine operator and registeredcase against the machine operator who was involved inattempt to export cultural heritage of Pakistan to abroad.
According to the law, the seized antiquities belonged toArchaeology Department and were shifted to the reserve
collection of Lahore Fort Museum for safe custody andpreservation as well as further study purpose.

Details of seized antiquities are as under.

45

1. Standing Buddha sculpture with one hand missing in schist stone.

2. A square frieze depicting male and female figure.

3. Buddha sculpture in dharma chakra mudra, schist stone.

4. Buddha sculpture in dharma chakra mudra.

Pakistan

5. Buddha head in schist stone.

6. Buddha head in stucco.

7. Buddha head in stucco.

8. Buddha head in schist stone.

9. Seated Buddha sculpture in dharma chakra mudra.

10. Seated Buddha sculpture in dharma chakra mudra schist stone.

11. Frieze depicting seated Buddha figure in schist stone

12. Human head in red stone.

46

Pakistan47

13. Human head.

14. Rectangular frieze depicting seated Buddha and six humanfigures in schist stone

15. Frieze depicting seated Buddha Abahya mudra, flanked by four
persons. At the top four seated Buddha figures in meditation.

16. A broken stone bowl depicting a human figure in side

17. Toilet tray depicting three human figures in schist stone

18. Seated Buddha sculpture on Lotus in bronze

19. Bronze Hindu deity head

20. A bronze Hindu deity hollow inside probably mold

Pakistan

21. A bronze ring

22. Standing Buddha sculpture in stucco

23. Standing Buddha sculpture in schist stone

24. Seated Buddha sculpture in meditation

25. Rectangular frieze death scene of Buddha in schist stone

26. Copper coins 313 in numbers

48

Philippines
Philippines

San Agustin Museum: A Premier Repository of the Treasures of theAugustinian Order in the Philippines
Louella Solmerano Revilla, Administrative Assisstant
San Agustin Museum/Administrative Assisstant
The 16th Century San Agustin Church and theMonastery in Intramuros, Manila withstood several
invasions and earthquakes, a lone survivor of World War
II, and declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
The Augustinians built the church made of stone“FIRMITER AEDIFICATA,” meaning strongly built
indicative of their faith. It is considered the oldest stone
church in the Philippines. Housed in one of the chapelsof the church is the tomb of the Founder of Manila,
Adelantado Miguel López de Legazpi. In 1973, theMonastery was converted into an Ecclesiastical Museum,presently called San Agustin Museum. All halls were used
for permanent and temporary exhibits of religious
collections with provenance from Mexico, Spain, China,
and the Philippines. The Augustinians were the first
Chroniclers in the Orient during the time of expansion.
They wrote books, dictionaries, and built great churches.
The San Agustin Museum is a premier repository of
the treasures of the Augustinian Order, and of the rich,centuries-old colonial and ecclesiastical art collectionsin the Philippines. The institution is committed tobe the leading ecclesiastical institution that promotes
conservation and preservation of the rich Filipino-Spanish
cultural and artistic heritage of the Philippines so thatthe present and future generations of Filipinos learn their
history and take pride in these collections of Philippine
art and culture.

Facade of San Agustin Church

49

In the next few years, theviewers of San Agustin
Museum will gain a more
profound experience. The
Order of Saint Augustinein Intramuros, Manila,
Philippines, under theVicariate of the Orient,
has immediate plans to Emblem of the Augustinian Order
refurbish and restore thishistoric place of universal significance. The exhibit rooms
will undergo renovation. New electrical system, new antifire alarm, new air-condition system with humidifier andnew security (CCTV) and new video system will be
provided. Collections will be preserved, conserved andrestored. The Augustinians will not only focus on
showcasing its rich collection, they will also share to theaudience, with more clarity and zeal, the values of theAugustinian Order.
The San Agustin Museum is sustained by admission feesof visitors and generous patrons. It has its pricelesscollection of paintings, sculpture, liturgical vestments,
church utensils, porcelain, and potteries. There will be
new attractions in Intramuros. New museums are
expected to be built. The outstanding style of thebuilding, design of the church and monastery, the rich

Ground floor cloister with 19th century paintings on the walls done
by Filipino artists.

Philippines

Tolentine) at the cloisters remind us of the cycle andjourney of an Augustinian and believers of Christ. The
Inner Garden of the Monastery will be a place solely for
meditation, where one can have peace and quiet while
communing with the Creator. The Augustinians consider
anything of beauty a reflection of God’s image, of his
grace and abiding love. Their strong dedication for culture
and the arts are evident in the San Agustin Church andMuseum today.
The writer has been designated by the San Agustin
Museum Director to supervise restoration works in theconservation laboratory, to prepare full documentation
and restore the sillerias or choir stalls at the choirloft ofthe church, to formulate proposals and to prioritize whichof the collections are in need of immediate intervention.
All of these plans have specific purposes. It can surely
help preserve their legacy as Augustinians, and the writeras self-confessed art lover is one with them in this worthy
endeavour.

One of the ground floor cloister altars. The image of St. John of
Sahagun, an Augustinian Saint is depicted. This icon exemplifies
the life of an Augustinian as sustained by the Holy Eucharist.

historic evidence, and the dynamic function associatedwith religious significance will make San Agustin
Museum superbly unique and different.
Explanation and portrayal on how the halls of theMonastery (the museum) were utilized before as aclassroom, rooms of the religious priests and brothers,
sacristy, refectory, and infirmary will be given emphasis.
The Order hopes to create interest by showing their wayof life in the past. The centuries-old religious practice ofreading verses while at the Old Refectory pulpit will soon
be restaged. The four altars with depictions of fourAugustinian Saints (St. John of Sahagun, St. Thomas ofVillanova, St. William of Aquitania, and St. Nicholas ofHere lies the remains of Adelantado Miguel López de Legazpi(Founder of Manila, 1571).

At the choirloft, one of the hallmarks of monastic life, with 68
intricately carved choir stalls, a place where members of thecommunity would converge several times during the day for
prayers.

50

Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka

Restoration of Old Naval Commissioner’s House − Trincomalee
D.A. Rasika Dissanayaka, Assistant Director (Promotions)
Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.
Introduction
The Old Naval Commissioner’s House is located in
Trincomalee, a city in the north east coastal line in Sri
Lanka. It is situated close proximity to the Trincomalee
Dutch Fort as well as the sea (8˚ 34’ 11.42”N, 81˚ 14’
14.62” E).
Sri Lanka was dominated by three European countries i.e.
Portugal, Holland (Netherlands−Dutch) and Britain
during 1505−1948. Trincomalee has a natural harbor;therefore it had been most important for defense andcommercial purpose for any invaders.
In reign of Dutch, who built several fortresses within Sri
Lanka, they erected a fort in Trincomalee, which wasdeveloped by British subsequently, and spread commercial/ official /residential area inside the rampart. They built
their officer’s quarters at quite a distance from those forts
and this building is a good example for that system.
Cultural property in northern and eastern area in Sri
Lanka had been neglected and unused for the past 30
years due to war and terrorist activities. They had been
deteriorated or abandoned. Most of the heritage sites
were unattended and neglected as the archaeologicalauthority could not interfere their activities for the last
three decades. Now the war situation has been over since2009 and the Department of Archaeology has to takeconservation measures to protect cultural properties inthese areas.
Old Naval Commissioner’s House
According to the archival records obtained from the
National Archives of Sri Lanka, this particular building
has been called as Naval Commissioner’s House.
This building had been abandoned for more than 30
years of period and was in a dilapidated condition withlarge Banyans Trees covering in it. Huge colonnaded
structure of the building also had been structurally failed.
Structural engineers were also not quite sure about thepossibility of the restoration of the building. The land
belonged to the Eastern University of Sri Lanka and theyfrequently complained about the threat and danger of thisruined building to their students. They had built someother temporary type structures around the building.
Several proposals were done by various teams to remove
the building and put up new buildings on this land. But
the Department of Archaeology did not agree with those
proposals and was able to get the funds to conserve thebuilding.
The dilapidated condition of the building and lack offunds for its conservation were the main constraints for
its conservation. But due to the invaluable historic
importance of the building and its rare architecturalfeatures, it was decided to conserve it under any cost.
Conservation cost was estimated as 75 million rupees. So
that a request for funding was done from the kingdom ofNetherlands who had funded several conservation projectsof Dutch buildings at that time and the Netherlands
Government agreed to fund the project.

51

Analysis of Condition
This old naval commissioner’s building is one of themost significant historical monuments in this areaand depicting a composition of Dutch and British
architectural features.
It is a two storied rectangular shaped building sized 97’-5”
X 85’-8” (29.23mx25.7m) with roof top and around thelarge outer garden. The entrance faced to west and whichcontains direct flight stair case to upper floor near justafter the entrance.
There are rooms around the entrance lobby with open
verandah facing the garden to every side in ground andupper floors. This historically important building haddamaged by the negligence.
This has been affected by following ways of causes ofdeterioration.
i. Civil War
In this situation, the building was directly
subjected to bomb / shell / artillery attacks.
ii. The negligence, lack of maintenance orunattendance due to unsafe condition
This results in the heavy growth of vegetation.
iii. Looting
Wooden elements, where they were in the roof andframes of the doors and the windows, have beenstolen. Some visible parts of the large cross sectionsof timber parts have been cut and taken out.
Therefore the structural stability of timber floor
and roof have failed as timber elements have beenstoleniv. Vegetation growth
Vegetation growth was existed inside and outside
the building as well as on walls. The growth ofroots on the walls resulted in the failure ofstability. The growth of roots and vegetation on
the walls had detached the cross walls, plasters andstones. Floors have been cracked by roots of trees.
It is revealed that in past 30 years there has been
no any maintenance carried out to this building.
v. Climatic causes (weathering effects i.e. raining,
sunning and windy)
After deterioration of above causes, weatheringfactors give bad effect.
vi. Capillary action
Powdering the mortor and brick walls has loosened
the structural stability of elements.
vii. Erosion or decaying of brick elements
High speed of salty wind has eroded the rooflessbrick walls. It occurs when the lime plaster was
removed from its wall, which was in winddirection due to salty wind. Then it started
decaying of brick works. Finally the stability of thewall had been loosened.
Analyses of technical condition of different structuralelements of the building and explanation on how it wasmaintained are mentioned below.

iii. Lighting for the building and the garden
iv. Establishment of a Naval and Marine museum inthe building
Value Analysis
Although this building had been abandoned in the past
decades, it has much value representing from the Dutch
Colonial Period as a part of their administration system.
The building gives clues for Dutch culture of that period
in Sri Lanka. This is a good example for their culture ofconstructing quarters close to their defense forts. The
heritage values connected with this building could besummarized as follows.
Historic value
This building was used as a residential purpose formain administrative Officer in Dutch colonial period in
Trincomalee district. Dutch rulers played a vital role of
Sri Lanka’s administration and trade, so this is a historicaltestimony for future world.
Architectural value
This building represents the Dutch architecture of the
17th century A.D. Large volume of spacers, thick walls,
and colonnaded verandahs is its characteristics.
Economic value
This premise is situated in a high land value area andnear the ancient fortress, sea shore and present
administration centre. When applying adaptive reuseproposal, it will become an income generating place to thegovernment if it is used for tourism development
purposes.
Material / Technical value
This building has three brick layer floor slabs on timber
beams as a special feature, which gives it a value intechnical and material aspect of the construction period.
Artistic value
The building design itself has given the building to a
grand look, and the colonnaded structure in all four sides
emphasizes its artistic look. Since it is located in a focal
point of the area in front of the beach, its artistic value
gets more emphasized. Tall openings / windows or doors
which only existed today have a different style and artisticfeatures to this building.
Symbolic value
It is a symbolic value of a certain period as administrationof Eastern area. The building itself is a landmark in the
Trincomalee town, and therefore, the symbolic value isimportant. It also gets a value as a symbol of Dutch
Colonial period.

Sri Lanka

Foundations
The foundation of outer and inner walls consists oflimestone with mortar. Even though the detail survey has
not been conducted, the foundation of the most elements
is in satisfactory condition.
Walls
The building was constructed by large brick walls. Everywall had been plastered using lime mortar. The conditionof structural stability of most of walls is in bad situation
due to vegetation, water or moisture damage and erosion
or decaying of brick elements. The roots of large trees had
penetrated all over the walls when the restoration works
were started. Except very small parts, most of the walls
are original and only damaged and weakened areas of theplaster and walls were redone with cement, lime and sandplaster.
Columns
Most of the columns on the upper verandah and a few ofthe ground floor had collapsed or been damaged andreconstructed at the restoration. Columns which are notcollapsed or damaged are remaining with theirauthenticity and properly documented. No harm should
be done for their authenticity at the restoration.
Doors and windows
Most of the timber parts of the doors and windows had
been missing due to theft and damages. They were
replaced using partly damaged timber members foundfrom the site and new imported timber. Original timberparts should be carefully treated at the restoration.
Staircase
The original timber staircase had been changed in toconcrete staircase a few decades ago and it is proposed to
redo with timber as the original one according to theremaining evidences.
Slab and the beams of the outer verandahSpecial kind of floor existed in this building. The thinlayer of cement concrete laid on special kind of bricks andtimber beams. Only a few timber beams are original andthe others were replaced at the restoration with imported
timber. Special care was taken for the original beams at
the maintenance. Only a small area of the original slab
was remaining and special care was needed.
First floor slab and the beams of the inner area
A timber deck was missing and only a few timber beams
were remaining. The timber deck was completely redone.
Special care was taken to protect the timber deck andtimber beams.
Slab and the beams of the roof
This slab is also the same as above brick slab andmost of the parts had collapsed and been destroyed.
The roof slab and beams over the outer verandah werecompletely reconstructed at the restoration according to
the evidences. The remaining areas of the roof slab ingood condition were conserved. And for the other areas it
had been proposed to imitate to get the same appearance
from down, with flat cement fiber sheets. And also it
was proposed to construct a hidden modern roof over the
inner part of the building to protect the areas including
original slab and this imitation. The remaining original
brick slab and timber beams were treated very carefully at
the restoration.
The project comprised the following main activities.
i. Restoration of the building
ii. Landscaping around the building

Adaptive Reuse
The Old Naval Commissioner’s House was proposed tobe re-used for the establishment of the museum on “Navaland Marine Museum of Sri Lanka”. As its place andarchitectural appearance given by tall columns, tourists ofboth local and foreign could be attracted. The outer
garden area can be used for recreation purpose of special
occasions of organizations under some of restrictions forsafety of the building. The aim of the adaptive reuse ofthis building is to maintain an architectural important
cultural property. If it remains close of unattended or not
used, the building will deteriorate again. If it is reused forany suitable purposes, the building will be wellmaintained.

52

Sri Lanka
53

Conclusion
These kinds of buildings are threatened and vanishing
mainly due to the lack of funds for their restoration.
Normally restoration work of heritage buildings will be
more expensive than the new construction. If, however,restored and have poor maintenance plan, then it may
cause the risk again. Therefore establishing a good
maintenance plan is a highly important factor.
Short term and long term benefits to be achieved fromthe projecti. Protecting an important historic building with rarearchitectural features and giving people a goodknowledge about Dutch colonial architecture.
ii. Establishing a Naval and Marine Museum andeducate people about the naval history of thecountry.

iii. Increasing the tourist attraction to the eastern partof Sri Lanka.
iv. Upgrading the lifestyles of the local community
both in economic and social aspects.
The conservation was started at the end of year 2008and being done with the collaboration of Sri Lanka
Navy, according to the conservation proposal done by the
Department of Archaeology. Department of Archaeology
had appointed conservation staff for the task whowere directly instructed and guided by the Director
General of Archaeology (architectural conservation). Thisconservation work was being done very successfully andceremonially opened by the excellency of the Sri Lankan
President Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa as a part of the 65th
Independence Day celebrations in Trincomalee.

1. Before conservation-1

2. Before conservation-2

3. Ground Floor Plan

4. Upper Floor Plan

5. Conservation Proposal 1

6. Conservation Proposal 2

Sri Lanka

7. Timber Beams were stolen

8. Special type Brick slab

9. weathering effect

10. Vegitable Growth

11. While Conserving

12. after conservation

13. Museum

14. Museum

54

Tajikistan
Tajikistan

Report on the Conservation Works to Settlement Sarazm in 2012-2013
Inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO in 2010
Razzoqov Farhod, Researcher
Insitute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan
Sarazm settlement situated on the left bank of the river,Zarafshan, which is 15 km to the west of the center ofthe disctrict, Panjakent. Sarazm settlement is located on
the second terrace above the floodplain at the left bank ofZarafshan, extending from west to east at an altitude ofabout 2 km and a width of 400 to 600 m. Most of thisarea is lined with the modern buildings.
The area with the remains of the cultural layers is about
48 hectares, but only the area of 17 ha. is represented
as a relatively large capacity (three to four building
horizons) of ancient cultural layers. On this site, there areabout ten hillocks, rising by 1.5 and 2 m. Judging by the
topographic survey, the maximum elevation can be foundin the half part of the site. If you go further to the west,
there should be a relative decrease in the surface of thesettlement.
Architecture is represented by domestic, public andcultural buildings. The population possibly worshiped fire,as we have observed the presence of large and small
circular and quadrangular fire places or “altars” accurately
constructed and located in the main rooms of thecomplex buildings.
Excavations and research in the settlement have revealed
specialized rooms located in the building complexes andworkshops devoted to the craft production such as
pottery, weapons, jewelry and so on. Public monuments
also included granaries and cultic premises.

Group B: Architectural remains, excavated before theconstruction of the metal shed and to be subjected tominor destruction.

Group C: Architectural remains excavated in past years,
and then covered with the ground

Group D: Architectural remains without any protection
Major project in 2012-2013, focused on conservation ofarchitectural remains of the group B and C.

From 2012 to 2013, a joint project between PanjakentSarazm archaeological base and CRATERRE FrenchCenter was continued for the conservation of raw
residuals.
There were four groups of mud balance:
Group A: Architectural remains to be unearthed in the
coming years and under metal roofs.

55

Use of material: Loess, hay, and water .
Manufacturing Method: The basic material used in large
quantities (90%) is loess. Hay and water were added
together to reinforce and stirred several times to make it
lubricant.

Tajikistan

Method of use: Prepared lubricant was applied to theobject and closed by hand pressure or pressed with a tool
against it.

4. Excavation V. The northwest corner. Horizon 2. The
houses are built of mud-brick walls whose size is 50–
52x25x10–11 cm. The preserved height exceeding 1 m.
Objects for conservation:
1. The eastern section of the excavation II. The segmentsof the walls are built out of pahsa (beaten clay). The
wall is not as high as 70 cm.

5. Excavation IX. The remains of a building area of over
80 m2 . The houses are built of mud-brick walls whose
size of 45h x 30h x 12 cm. The preserved height notexceeding 30 cm.
2. Round-storey pottery kiln in the horizon 3 of theeastern section of the excavation II.

3. Excavation III. The remains of the monumentalbuilding area of over 225 m2 . The walls are built of
mud-brick whose size is 57–60 x 26–30 x 10–12 cm.
The entire complex is covered with a metallic
structure.

Organised with the support of:Penjikent Historical and Archaeological Reserve Sarazm
CRATerre ENSAG
Funded through the support of:French Ministry of Culture and Communications.
Department of Architecture and Heritage
International Relations and Labex AE & CC, Ecole
Nationale Supérieure d'A rchitecture de Grenoble

56

Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan

From Practical Restoration of Art Carving in the Interiors of Navoi Theatre
Tashkent hall
Akmaljon Ulmasov, Researcher
Fine Arts Institute, Academy of Science of Uzbekistan
History of the building
The State Academic Opera and Ballet Great Theatre
named after Alisher Navoi at the Ministry of Culture &Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan is one of theoutstanding socio-cultural centers of the country. At thesame time, the building of the theatre is a Cultural
Heritage.
The building was designed by the academician A.V.
Shusev 1 project. Construction began in 1939, which wasinterrupted in 1942 because of difficulties related withthe beginning of the Second World War. In 1944, after
the turning point in the course of hostilities theconstruction of the building began again. At theNovember 1945 in Tashkent were departed Japanesesoldiers from «Kvantun» army and they took part at theend of construction.
There are a lot of legend and remembrances which are
related with that theatre. Until that times majority ofpeople think, that the theatre was built by Japanese.
Whereas the terrible earthquake which was in Tashkent
in 1966 year the building stood safe. After that local
citizens feel respect to Japanese people, who took part at
the construction of the theatre. While the independentyears, exactly in 2001 year at the Navai theatre was put
the famous Japanese opera “Yudzuru” by initiative of the“Japan–Uzbekistan” society.
By the idea of the author of the project there were built 6foyers and each foyer represents 6 main areas of
Uzbekistan that time. Especially stile has Tashkent hall,
Bukhara hall, Khorezm hall, Samarqand hall, Ferghanahall and Termez hall. At the trimming works took partand represented high professional skills vernacular Uzbek
painters like Usta Shirin, Muradov, A.Hudaybergenov, H.
Boltayev and others. The main reason of the recent
restoration was aggravation of the ganch (stucco, gesso)
panel and the overhaul repair.
Decoration of Tashkent hall was made by People’s Artistof Uzbekistan all-round master Tashpulat Arslankulov.
His works notable for its variety, but the mastercommonly used ornament “islimiy” (as plant form). In
decoration of the hall he mainly used motif of decorative
wall niche, typical for Uzbek dwellings.
The condition of the monument before restoration
At the visual viewing were remarked some interiorconditions in the Tashkent hall, which I described below:– ganch panel into the Tashkent hall became very frail
and vulnerable under the effects of time and nature
like wetness, ultraviolet rays and etc.
– because of unprofessional multiplex restoration works
the ornament and traceries lost their thin forms andartistic delicacy, what demand full restoration.
– colors on the surface of the ganch ornaments grew

pale and brightened.
– in the entrance of the Tashkent hall one can observe
broken frieze pieces and cracks above the window.
Cracks have also been observed on the covering of
the window opening above the front access entrance;
the panel frames are partly broken.
– in the big hall on the right wall above the frieze
there is a big stitch due to installation works. Lower
draught parts of the window openings are partly
broken.
– square small panels on the lower part of the wall
were damage due to the high humidity– frieze of ganch panels are formed by square andrectangular carved stoves; after drying and cleaning
stitch were observed, which need to be painted over
– there are various cracks within the hall’s perimeter ofthe different condition and length. After the visual
examination it became clear that ganch panel needs
to be professionally restored and preserved after.
The restoration process
Firstly the mechanical clearing of the ganch panel was
implemented, and then ganch ornaments and patterns
were softening by distilled water with the ground polymer
mainly based on water basis. Then color layer from thesurface of ornaments and patterns was cleared by scraping(scalpel). In addition, ornament lines were drawn carefullyby carving and grinding with a flint-paper. The next stepis the ganch basis smoothing and erasure from the redlayer and soiling. Scratches are filled by mastic formed
after the clearing of the ganch ornaments.
After the careful elaboration of the ganch panels theirelaborated parts fully strengthened acrylic copolymer.
After the wall parts free from ornament are plastered.
Ganch consists of various small parts (ticks, tiny
limestone and so on). After the place became free fromanything, on other words capillary holes were created.
During the process of the color layer removal on theupper layers exfoliated. These places on the wall were
stopped up. The places where ornaments were knocked off
the reconstruction were held. As a result, the ganch panel
was colored according the original appearance.
At the restoration works in the Tashkent hall took partyoung specialists, artists-restorers from National Instituteof Arts and Design named after K. Bekzad under theleadership of the author of the report.
Conclusion
As a result of conservation and restoration works which
had been done in the Tashkent hall, ganch panel was
renewed and changed of view. Ornaments and traceries
which lost their thin and slim forms after multiplex repair
works return in their origin appearance. After restoration

1 Aleksey Viktorovich Shchusev graduated from Paris Academy in 1897. He is known to be the finest of the architecture of Ancient East. In 1894, heparticipated in archaeological expeditions on Central Asia, where monuments of Amir Temur’s epoch (XIV-XV cc.) in Samarqand were investigated.
Love to the Eastern architecture, his knowledge related with Eastern monuments affected on his work under the construction of the Navoi Theatre.

57

Used materials and literatures
1. Tyurikov A. Istoriya o Shusevskom tvorenii //Istoriya o Tashkente (History about Shusev’s creative
work // History about Tashkent). – Tashkent, 1983.
– P. 47-50.
2. Японларга паноҳ бўлган юрт // Навои театри
қурилиши ҳақида қайдлар (The country which wasa coverture for Japanese // Notes about constructionof Navai theatre). – Tashkent, 2012. – P. 156.
3. Echo of History // Scientifically practical moral
educative magazine. – Tashkent, 2012. №1 (Thisedition is devoted to unique historic monument andcultural center of Tashkent and magnificent templeof Art – to State Academic Opera and Ballet Great
Theatre named after Alisher Navoi).

1. General view of Tashkent Hall before restoration.

2. Cracks above cornice on the wall.

3. Seams between Ganch panels.

4. Part of ornaments and cornice with cracks.

5. Process of restoration in the Hall.

6. Cleaning of patterns.

Uzbekistan

works sutures between ganch panels became imperceptible.
At all ganch panels of the hall return into their origin
appearance and got their initial emphasis, which was put
up by the vernacular painter and mastery of the lastcentury.
We hope that the Navoi theatre during its subsistence has
been keeping worthy name of the leading musical andcultural centre in our country.

58

Uzbekistan
8. Process of removing color layer.

7. Draw in detail patterns.

9. Process of restoration works.

11. Part of Ganch panels after scrape.

59

10. Creative carving of Ganch panels.

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) 2013

Mongolia / Nepal / New Zealand / Pakistan

公益財団法人 ユネスコ・アジア文化センター
文化遺産保護協力事務所
Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)

P h i l i p p i n e s / S r i L a n k a / Ta j i k i s t a n / U z b e k i s t a n