Bangladesh / Bhutan

27

2021

The Twenty-seventh Regular Report

Cambodia / India / Kazakhstan

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 ten reports submitted by international correspondents in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Twenty-seventh Regular Report
Contents
Bangladesh

1

Bhutan6

Cambodia

10

India

13

Kazakhstan

17

Mst. Naheed Sultana
Darasbari Mosque: Ruins of a Unique Muslim Architecture in Bengal

Karma Tenzin
Archaeology Investigation on Choding Monastery Tsento Gewog, Paro Dzongkhag

Chan Vitharong
Current Survey Activities at Ancient Ishanapura, Sambor Prei Kuk

Kisha Shanker
Report on Archaeological Site Museums at World Heritage Sites in India

Gulnaz Kulmaganbetova and Smailov Zhuman Eginbaevich
Results of Archaeological Excavations of the Medieval City of Syganak in 2021

Kyrgyz Republic

22

Nepal

26

New Zealand

29

Papua New Guinea

35

Philippines

40

Kunbolot Akmatov and Kubatbek Tabaldiev
The Big Burial Mounds and Their Peripheries in the Suusamyr Valley, Kyrgyzstan

Suresh Suras SHRESTHA
Experience of the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting in Nepal: A Brief Note

Matthew Schmidt
Te Papa Atawhai Cultural Heritage Conservation Projects, Southern South Island 2021-2022

Jason Kariwiga et al.
Fifteen Years Since Mandui: Issues and Ways Forward for Cultural Heritage Protectionin Papua New Guinea

Louella Revilla-Baysic
Conservation Efforts of Our Heritage During the Pandemic

Bangladesh
Bangladesh
1

Darasbari Mosque: Ruins of a Unique Muslim Architecture in Bengal
Mst. Naheed Sultana, Regional Director
Department of Archaeology, Ministry of Cultural Affairs
The ruins of the fortified city of Gaur and its hinterlands
are located on the India-Bangladesh border in the Malda
district of West Bengal, India and Chapai Nawabganj
district of Bangladesh. According to A.H. Dani, the fort of
Gaur was built on the bank of the river Kalindi in an area
about 12 km from Phulwari in the Malda district to Firojpur
in the Chapai Nawabganj district. The victory of Muhammadbin-Bakht-Yar Khilji at Nadia in 1204 CE marked a newepoch in the history and culture of Bengal. Later, this expansionof Muslim supremacy extended from West Bengal to thesouth, east, and eventually the entire Gangeto-Brahmaputradelta.

A number of sultans and generals built this fort and city
step by step over a long period. It is known from aninscription found in Darasbari Mosque that the firstmosque of the Sultanate period was built here and themagnificent architectural monuments of Gaur spread beyond
the city. Later, this area became densely populated andseveral mosques, mausoleums, madrasas, mazars, resting
places, culverts, roads, etc. were built.

Location of the Chapai Nawabganj district on the map

Satellite image of Gaur Fort with its riverine location

Monuments and sites in the border area of the Malda (India)
and Chapai Nawabganj (Bangladesh) districts

Archaeological sites of Gaur, Bangladesh portion

Considering the historical and archaeological importanceof Darasbari Mosque, the government of Bangladesh
declared it a protected monument in 1979. Darsbari Mosque
is located near Omarpur, between the ancient Sota Sona
Mosque and the Kotwali gate, which is now being used
as a Bangladesh-India land port. The mosque measures
111 feet north-south on the outer surface and 67 feeteast-west. There was also a verandah 16 feet wide. There
were seven entrances to the east of the mosque and five
more to the north and south. As a result, the mosque had
24 domes and four vaults. The dome and vault above theverandah were supposed to be relatively small. The vault
and the dome are both fallen today. Darasbari Mosque is
one of the ancient structures. The word ‘Darasbari’ means

Ground plan of Darasbari Mosquelecture room or madrasa, which was attached to themosque. A madrasa was built 300 feet east of this mosque.

Bangladesh

The historicity of the mosque may be pushed back to1479 CE as it is evinced by the discovery of the Darasbari
Mosque inscription. It appears to be the earliest monumentof historic importance outside the citadel. The othermonuments belong to the subsequent period, i.e., Hossain
Shahi (late 15th to mid-16th centuries CE), Pathan-Karrani(mid-16th to late 16th centuries CE) and Mughal (17thcentury CE). The buildings of each above-mentioned
period are distinct based on the prevailing trends of thetime.

The inscription of the mosque was recovered by Mr. Ilahi
Baksh from the jungle adjacent to the mosque. He firstmentioned this inscription in his book ‘Khurshid-i-Jahannama’.
Later in 1880, Sir Alexander Cunningham published apicture of this inscription in his treatise. The inscriptionengraved on a black stone measuring 11.3 feet x 2.1 feetis a unique example of an Arabic manuscript. It is known
from the inscription that the mosque was built in 1479 CE(AH 884) by Sultan Shams-Ud-Deen Iusuf Shah, son of
Rukun-Ud-Deen Barbak Shah of Bengal (Cunningham
1984; Zakaria 2011:314).
The east wall of the mosque has seven arched doorways
and the middle one is comparatively larger than theothers. The mosque also has two arched doorways in thenorth wall and three in the south. There are nine mihrabs
in the west wall. Of these, seven mihrabs are of the same
size, but there are two smaller mihrabs adjacent to thecentral mihrab. The mihrabs are multi-cusped arches andhighly decorated with ornamental bricks. Stones havebeen used in the pillars and pilasters in this mosque. The
stone pillars have chain and bell motif ornamentations.

Imaginary ground plan of the mosque

Inscription of Darasbari Mosque – a photograph collected from Sir Alexander Cunningham’s book (Cunningham1994: Plate XXII)

2

Bangladesh
Ruins of Darasbari Mosque (Photo taken from south-east corner)

Ruins of Darasbari Mosque (Photo taken from north-east corner)

Inside the mosque, in the north-western corner, the ruinsof four octagonal pillars can be seen. It is easy to inferfrom these pillars that there was a two storied platform inthis part. This platform is called Badshah-Ki-Takht (Placeof Prayer of Sultans or Kings) or Zenana gallery (Ladies’
gallery), which has now almost completely disappeared.

Also, there are still specimens of stairs in the north-west
corner outside the mosque: “In the northern wing, at thenorthwest corner, the pillars are massive and octagonal.
They must have supported a ladies’ gallery in the second
story” (Dani 1961:109).

Fragments of stone pillars used in the Zenana gallery or Badshah-ki-Takht

3

The prayer chamber was divided into three sections. One
was the central nave, which was somewhat bigger than thenorth and south section. Probably, the central nave of themosque and the middle bay of the verandah were covered by
the typical Bengali Chauchala-style roof. Use of this typeof roof is seen at Sota Sona Mosque, which is near Darasbari
Mosque and Saat Gumbad Mosque in the Bagerhut
district. There were four octagonal corner turrets in thefour corners of the mosque, but all of them have been
destroyed.

The interior of the mosque (from the north)

The interior of the mosque (from the north)enclosed by a rectangular border. “Still higher up is an
outline of the arch-tympanum, which is relieved withvarious designs (Dani 1961:110)”. Similarly, outside themosque, there are many decorations on the west, northand south walls. A number of rectangular projected frames
have been created on the exterior walls, and tree, flower,
and leaf designs appear inside the frames.

Terracotta decoration in the arch-tympanum of a mihrab

Terracotta decoration on the top of a mihrab

Southern part of the mosque with three mihrabs

Central mihrabs of the mosqueSouth and west walls of the mosque

Projected part of the central mihrab

Bangladesh

The interior and exterior of Darashbari Mosque are equallydecorated. The decoration of the interior of the west wall,
especially, is very beautiful. The interior surface of themihrabs are fully decorated and the exterior is equallydecorated. A large arch-tympanum has also been createdon the west wall. It is divided into some small rectangulararch-tympana. They depict flowers, trees, creepers, andmany decorative motifs in various patterns. Each mihrab is4

Bangladesh
5

A small amount archaeological conservation work had
been conducted by the Department of Archaeology from1975 to 1978. Due to the absence of a roof on the mosque,the ornamentations are slowly eroding due to heavy rainfall,
extreme heat, dense fog, natural disasters and climatechange. In the end, it can be said that the Muslim rulers in
Bengal established an independent Muslim rule ofgovernment after being freed from the central rule of Delhi.
In addition to their political activities, they built numerous
mosques, madrasas, forts, royal palaces, roads, large
ponds, bridges, culverts, and so on. The construction ofarchitecture in the capital Gaur Pandua and its suburbs
has added its own features to Bengal. As a result, a uniquestyle has been created in the construction of architecture
in Bengal. The use of these features in Darasbari Mosque
is no exception.

Bibliography
1. 	Dani, Ahmed Hasan. “Muslim Architecture in Bengal”.
Asiatic Society of Pakistan, Publication No7, Dacca, 1961.
2.	Cunningham, Alexander. A Tour in Bihar and Bengal in
1879-80. Rahul Publishing House, Delhi, 1994.
3. 	Zakaria, Abul Kalam Mohammad. Bangladesher
Protonoshampod (in Bengali). Divya Prakash, 2011.
4. 	Hossain, Md. Mosharaf and Deyan Tofael Ahmed.
Lakhmanaboti Gaur. Bangladesh Government Press,
2004.
5. 	Ahmed, Dr, Nazimuddin. Discover the Monuments of
Bangladesh. The University Press Limited, Dhaka, 1984
Acknowledgements:
Md. Abusaid Inam Tanvirul, custodian, Department ofArchaeology, Rabindra Kachari Bari, ShahJadpur, Shirajgonj.
Abul Kalam Azad, photographer, Department of Archaeology,
regional office, Rajshahi & Rangpur.

Bhutan
BhutanArchaeology Investigation on Choding Monastery Tsento Gewog, Paro Dzongkhag
Karma Tenzin, Executive Architect
Division for Conservation of Heritage Sites, Department of Culture, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs
General background of the site
The Choding Monastery ruins in Tsento gewog, Paro
Dzongkhag are located on top of a mountain facing Paro
Taktshang Monastery. The site is approximately 20 km
from the town of Paro and 15 minutes’ walk from the endof the road.
Brief historical background
According to Lopen Ugyen Penjor of Taktshang Zimchu
Sarbu, Paro (descendant of the founder of Choding
Monastery), the monastery is said to have been built
between 1300 AD and 1400 AD by Drubchen Pema
Wangchen of the Kathok order of the Nyingma tradition of
Tibetan Buddhism. However, the exact date of constructionis unknown. Lopen narrates that the three-story monastery
was later damaged by an earthquake in the year of a bird
during the reign of His Majesty First King Gongsar Ugyen
Wangchcuk. The year possibly corresponds to 1909 AD, ashistory records that an earthquake had struck Bhutan in1909 in the earth female bird year.
Later, it is said that Lodey Rinchen, a Buddhist teacher ofthe Drukpa Kagyue order, had reconstructed the monastery
to two stories and had built sacred statues of Chö-LongTrul-Sum, Küntu Zangpo, and Damchen Dorji Legpa byhimself. After him, the monastery was managed by theretired Yanglop, Shacha Dorji, and retired Tse Zimpon,
Yudöm. Later, in 1996, the monastery was destroyed byfire and has been in ruins thereafter.

Fig. 1. Retired Yanglop Sacha Dorji (Source: Paro Dzongkhag)

General description and interpretation of the site
The ruins of Choding Monastery are rectangular in plan,measuring 22.2 m in length and 12.1 m in width (Fig. 3).
The walls of the ruins are of rammed earth construction.
The thickness of the rammed earth walls ranges from 850
mm to 900 mm. The main entrance to the lhakhang isfrom the eastern side facing Paro Taktshang Monastery.
The presence of mural paintings on the walls in tworooms (Fig. 4) indicates that the space was the main
altar/shrine rooms of the lhakhang. The narrow spacemeasuring 2.3 m in width was most certainly used as thestoreroom (Fig. 3). The walls of the room has remnantsof hanger holes and wooden members inside, clearly
indicating that the space was used as the storeroom for
hanging items (Fig. 5). Moreover, the size of the rooms is
too narrow to be used for other purposes, and in addition,
the presence of a kitchen right next to the room on thewestern side further justifies the function of the room (Figs.
3 and 6). There are fireplace remains in the kitchen and awater outlet for drainage from the kitchen to outside thebuilding. A small one-story structure attached to the easternside is possibly a room of the caretaker/helper.
Alterations
The building underwent several alterations over the periodof time which is clearly evident from the ruin remnants.
Further, the evidence clearly validates the oral history
that the building was later reconstructed to become twostories from the original three-story lhakhang after the

Fig. 2. Retired Tse Zimpon Eudom (Source: Paro Dzongkhag)

6

Bhutandestruction caused by an earthquake. For instance (Fig. 7),
the timber joists were shifted from the lower to the upper
level by approximately 400 mm to increase the height of
the rooms, and the window on the third floor was closed.
However, it is clearly evident that the rammed earth walls
were reused during the reconstruction and are remains
from the original construction.
Conclusion
The overall state of the ruins of Choding Monastery is fairly
good. The present state of the ruins provides further scopeand opportunity to examine the temple/monastic complex
through well planned, cautious scientific excavation only
in a few crucial areas to reveal evidence of the internallayout of the structure.

However, some parts of the outer walls have collapsed andsome parts of the walls of the structure are on the verge ofcollapsing. Vegetation has grown over the walls, thus
affecting the rammed earth walls. Therefore, there is anurgent need for protection and consolidation to preventthe site from suffering further damage.
Glossary
Gewog:
Dzongkhag:
Lopen:
Lhakhang:

Block
District
Teacher/master
TempleFig. 3. Ground plan of the ruins

A

B

A

B

Fig. 4. Top: Photos with evidence of mural paintings. Bottom: Plan showing the direction and location of the mural paintings

7

BhutanFig. 5. Left: Photos showing evidence of hanger holes with wood remnants. Right: Plan showing the direction and location of hanger hole remnants

Fig. 6. Left: Fireplace. Right: Drainage outlet from the kitchen

Third floor window closed
while converting the lhakhang
into two stories by increasing
the height of the rooms

Ceiling joist moved up to
increase the height of therooms

Fig. 7. Photo showing evidence of a ceiling joist being shifted and window of the third floor being closed during reconstruction after an earthquake in 1909.

8

BhutanFig. 8. Ruins of Choding Monastery9Cambodia
Chan Vitharong, Director
Department of Site, Archaeology and Conservation, National Authority for Sambor Prei Kuk,
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
From 2017, the Department of Site, Archaeology andConservation of the National Authority for Sambor Prei
Kuk (NASPK) has been conducting a conservation andarchaeological survey at the World Heritage Site ofSambor Prei Kuk. Recently, the archaeological survey
activities have shifted to the moated city area, which ispart of the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site of Ancient

Cambodia

Current Survey Activities at Ancient Ishanapura, Sambor Prei Kuk

Ishanapura, located on the western side of the temple area.
This article will report the current activities of NASPK in
mainly the moated city area of the ancient city complex.
The approximately two square kilometers of the moatedcity represents the survey area and to the east the survey islimited by the natural waterways O Kok Kreng and O Kru
Ke (Streams) [Fig. 1].

Fig. 1: Map of the archaeological features of Sambor Prei Kuk

New Monument Documentation
The latest inventory of monument sites is 63 in themoated city area. Fourteen (among the 36 newly foundin the entire site of Sambor Prei Kuk) sites were newly
registered to the list of sites identified in the Sambor Prei
Kuk Conservation Project, a collaboration between the
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and Waseda University.
These additions to the inventory have been identified withthe 2015 LiDAR data as well as site field work confirmation.
This inventory required new confirmation, based on
new knowledge and technological support for mapping
the plan of monuments and their annex structures, e.g.,satellite towers, enclosure walls, ponds, moats, causeways,
etc. Before the LiDAR data was generated, it was problematic
to identify any of the collapsed brick temple mounds,

especially under the shade of trees. It is importance to add
to the illustration of the connection and form of the ancienturban cluster which represents religious and urbanadministration spaces.
Water Management Infrastructures
The topography of Sambor Prei Kuk is situated on a sandy
upland feature around five to seven meters higher than
the adjacent floodplain of the Stung Sen (River). The main
temple zone is situated at the highest elevation in a dense
forest area. The sloped surface from the northeast to thesouthwest has an approximate gradient of 1 percent. This
slope feature is challenging for regulating and managing
water resources. Therefore, the hydraulic system management
features were, and still are, important to enhanced control

10Cambodia

of water volume related to flooding (e.g., O Kru Ke) and
precipitation in the rainy season [Fig. 2].
The water control embankments system is a type constructed
for generating and trapping the natural water flow fromthe north for the city and temple areas. This type ofstructure is represented by five dikes across the stream of
O Kru Ke, from the Anglong Chambak (UTM: 503933 E/1423864 N), the location which diverts and controls thewatercourse to O Achak (Canal) flow to Stung Sen, to theend of the stream at Beng Prang (Lake), before drifting
to Stung Sen at the end point of the southeast moatedwall of the city. Additionally, four other embankments
were found from Robang Romeas to the north upstream.
They are not only remarkable civil engineering structures,
but also serve a religious purpose for the city since thecity side (on the West bank) was planned for religious
structures (monuments).

A series of artificial water reservoirs were formed in theurban cluster. Within the limits of the moated city area are
153 ponds and reservoirs. Among these, the artificial water
reservoirs were formed with a direct relationship to thenatural water resources [Fig. 3], e.g., Bang (W.853, UTM:
503047 E/ 1423346 N), which is situated along the flood
plain of O Kok Kreng and to the East of Ta Mon Group(M.61, M.167). At the end point of the moated wall of thecity it has a canal for trapping water and controlling theconnection from O Kok Kreng to O Kru Ke as an extensionof the upland landscape for the city area; and Koh Ronteah
Banh (W.737, UTM: 502341 E/1421851 N), which issituated within the natural water plain, etc. The water isaccumulated and stored during the rainy season forhousehold and agricultural use in the dry season. In theselocations, scattered ceramic sites were found.

Fig. 2: Example of principal water management control in the cropped area of the moated city and the main complexes

Fig. 3: Example of principal water-trapping from the watercourse (e.g., W.853) and precipitation (e.g.,W.737)

11

Cambodia

Fig. 4: Dotted ceramic scattering (71 green squares) from the surface collection in the moated city area in 2021

Ceramic Surface Collection
The ceramic surface collection survey phase was conducted
approximately two kilometers of the moated city represents
the survey area and to the east the survey was limited by
the natural waterways O Kok Kreng and O Kru Ke (Streams).
As a result of the primary survey (July 2021) from the ceramic
surface collection in the moated city area, 71 sites wereidentified [Fig. 4]. The artifacts collection comprise Khmer
earthenware and stoneware, and imported ceramics, mainly
identified as Chinese ceramics. Of the artifacts above, two
thousand pieces were found from touched surfaces (dueto human activities) at a depth of approximately 20 to 60
centimeters. Most of the collection comprises earthenwarethat dates to the pre-Angkor period. Flat roof tiles andkundi were also found that are categorized as being fromthe pre-Angkor period (dated to seventh century CE).
Remarkably, within the cross section of the royal roadto Angkor, were found stoneware (dated from the 9th tothe 14th centuries CE) and Chinese ceramics (dated fromthe 10th to the 14th centuries CE). The result explicatedthe span of human living activities principally in the
pre-Angkor period, and the dates of the artifacts collectedfrom Angkor-dated sites provide an adjacent relationshipmainly with the monument, water reservoirs and otherfeatures, and testifies to the longevity of site habitation.

The water management system was an engineering andplanning imperative for generating water resources inboth seasons of its environs. The design was not only fora cosmological epicenter landscape, but for the economic
and political administration of Ishanapura. In addition, thesurvey of the system provides a better understanding of
pre-Angkor period water management infrastructure. The
consequence of ceramic evaluation provides a reasonable
parallel comparison with the stages of construction ofmonuments, and validates the series of previous
archaeological survey results in Sambor Prei Kuk. Future
activities will be generated consistent with the longterm conservation and management plan for the Sambor
Prei Kuk site, especially, regarding the inhabitants andlandscape in the moated city area and beyond.
Remarks: This report has been published based on the
results of archaeological surveys of the Department of Site,
Archaeology and Conservation of the National Authority
for Sambor Prei Kuk (NASPK). The survey teams: Khann
Mony, Seang Sopheak, Em Phearak (monument andhydraulic system survey team, 2017-2021); Seng Chantha,
Em Phearak, Seng Sopheak, Chhun Reaksmei (surface
collection survey team, 2021- ). The LiDAR image wastaken in 2015 under the CALI project with the collaborationof APSARA, Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and Écolefrançaise d'Extrême-Orient.

12

IndiaIndia

Report on Archaeological Site Museums at World Heritage Sites in India
Kisha Shanker, Visitor Experience Manager
Ministry of Culture, India
Introduction
Tourists, adventurers, and globetrotters alike have allheard of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS), andbeing designated as such by UNESCO brings immenseinternational eminence to a particular place. This has
a constructive influence on many aspects of the way
a community develops, especially one associated withthe site in a multifaceted manner. Education, economic
growth, and community engagement are areas where thisis particularly treasured and tend to be more enhanced
than those where heritage items have no link with thecommunity. In this regard, museums come into attention
as they have to synchronise with the representative
communities to remain relevant in today’s world. This
report will focus on the management and other facetsof archaeological site museums established by theArchaeological Survey of India (ASI) which are at theWorld Heritage Sites in India and critically analyse thevarious components of it.
History of Museums in India
In India, the museum movement started in the lateeighteenth century. However, references like ‘alekhyagriha’(alekhya means ‘a picture or painting’, griha means ‘ghar
or house’, and ‘chitraśālā’ means picture gallery) can befound in the ancient texts. Moreover, various Sanskrit
plays, viz., Pratima Natakam by Bhasa and Naisadhivacarita
of Sriharsa (Mahakavya) (Biswas, 2011) belonging to the12th century AD respectively speak of the permanent andmobile exhibition galleries attached to the royal courts.
Artistic representation of the Jataka on Bharhut railings
and torana of Sanchi and sometimes on the exterior wallsof temples gives sufficient evidence of the concept ofopen-air museums as early as the 2nd century BC. Also,
the audio-visual shows and pattachitras (scroll paintings)
were intended basically for public enjoyment, whichis interestingly one of the important functions of themodern museum.
Archaeological Site Museums in India
In modern times, the value attributed to the in situ
display is the vital concept of archaeological sites. The
idea of shielding the structure and preserving the displayof the excavated ruins is not new as well. It can be wellunderstood that the idea and settings of the archaeologicalsite museum in practice can be placed far earlier than theterm itself.
In India, there are forty-six archaeological site museums
run by the ASI spread over the length and breadth ofIndia. Of these, ten are located at World Heritage Sites(WHS). These museums, being invariably attached toa WHS, represent the specific cultural repository at anarchaeological monument or site, where they preserve
the antiquities resulting from the excavation, exploration,and conservation of the site. The sole purpose of having

13

these museums is that the objects can be studied anddisplayed in their natural context while retaining theirecological background. Hence, the term ‘site museum’
implies the archaeological aspects as well as geographicaland historical context of the place in its totality (Sharma,
1998).
The last 100 years have been most significant for thegrowth of museums in India. The first such substantial
work on museums was done by S.F. Markham and H.
Hargreaves in 1936 funded by a grant from Carnegie
Corporation, New York to conduct a survey of Indian
museums. The report prepared by them after visiting the
105 museums which were taken into consideration issaid to be the first standard work of its kind (Markham &Hargreaves,1936).
Subsequently, the museum scenario in India completelychanged with the appointment of John Marshall to theArchaeological Survey of India (ASI); he was responsible
for setting up numerous site museums in India under the
direct command of the ASI. The first such site museum,long before it was designated a WHS, was set up in Agra
(1906) followed by Khajuraho (1910), Red Fort (1911),
Nalanda (1917), Taxila (1918), Sanchi (1919), Mohenjodaro,
Harappa (1926), etc. (Chandrasekhran, 2017). Although
after the partition in 1947, Taxila, Mohenjodaro, andHarappa were gone in Pakistan, after that, the pace ofsetting up more such museums slowly picked up under
the tenure of Mortimer Wheeler, who established a separate
branch in the ASI specifically dedicated to museums,
many such museums were established.
Analysis of Site Museums at World Heritage Sites in India
The power of museums located at World Heritage Sites
is immense; they can attract a plethora of visitors fromdifferent walks of life as these sites have major footfall
because of their international prominence. However, whencompared to their western counterpart museums, where
people line up for several hours to enter, it’s still a distantpath for India. Why is making a trip to an Indian museum
still an uninspiring prospect for most? A multitude ofreasons can come into the picture. The location of
museums is often fairly distant from the site; for example,
at Khajuraho, the site and its museum are located morethan 500 m apart and accessibility is poor. In addition,
there is hardly any information about the museum at thesite itself. Even signage is absent. How can a site museum
attract visitors when there is a dearth of basic information
related to it? The same goes with the site museum at theWorld Heritage Site of Bodh Gaya. One has to really struggle
to find the museum and after you have entered, all you canexperience is a doomy, static arrangement of railings in
two rooms. The apathy after visiting the museum stays
with you for a long time. Conversely the archaeologicalsite museum located at the Red Fort has recently beenIndiaArchaeological site museum, Khajuraho

Archaeological site museum, Bodh Gaya

upgraded and a new visitor center displaying the history
of Red Fort have been made, which is yet to be inaugurated.
In this era of technology when social media is an
important platform for marketing, most archaeologicalsite museum websites are in a dormant state; hardly ahandful have a presence on social media, and that too
is rarely updated. With the COVID-19 pandemic and themany restrictions that exist, attracting visitors to museums
is a strenuous task. Concurrently, every sector is goingdigital, and museums, especially site museums, can’t beleft behind. History enthusiasts who can’t travel overseas
should be yearning more for art connected via museums.
However, it is noted with utter dismay that the site museums
in India are far behind.

There is a deep-rooted reason why museums abroad likethe Louvre drew 9.6 million visitors in 2019 with fairly
high-priced entry tickets (approximately INR 1100), while
museums in India run by the government recorded lessthan 1.5 million visitors despite offering tickets at just INR
20. The most basic issue is lack of will by the authorities
followed by lack of resources. In the 12th Plan period(2012-2017) a number of new schemes were introduced by
the Ministry of Culture for improvisation in museum functions
and specific advancements in the area of management in
the 14-point Museum Reform Agenda.
As technology is the most significant aspect of modern
society, the focus has been on overall museum digitization,
to create a national database of all antiquities, provide

14

Indiaenhanced accessibility to diverse visitors, as the focus
of using technology in museums is more about being
accessible and less about being innovative. The pivot isscientific documentation work for the museum collection
along with utilization of standard software being used byrenowned museums around the world. Another important
facet includes upgradation of the museum website,
Development of interactive information kiosks etc.
Issues of concern which archaeological site museums at
World Heritage Sites deal with despite receiving funds are:1. 	Lack of autonomy, archaic policies: no public
private partnership is encouraged, ignorance ofgovernment towards museums.
2. 	Lack of skilled manpower: personnel at almost
every site museum I visited during my field work
expressed this concern.
3. 	Lack of expertise: no proper training for museum
professionals.
4. 	No upgradation of museums: should be madepeople friendly, use of technology to make thedisplays more interactive.
5. Sub-standard maintenance, lighting, signage, etc.
Archaeological site museums located at WHS can prompt
visitors to learn about the history of a region, which canstimulate curiosity and draw compassion and respect
towards different cultures. These museums also connect
museum professionals, archaeologists, historians, and thegeneral public to re-discover historical linkages between
different sites through workshops, exhibitions, and research
projects. There are around 70,000 museums around theworld, and among them 8,000 museums are located incities or sites classified as World Heritage Sites. However,the sad reality is that many site-related museums andinterpretation centers as they currently stand lackcapacity, both financial and human, with little room forinterpretation. In this case, museums in South Asia are far
behind, especially in India. The Taj Mahal, which is one of
the world’s most visited WHS, is severely lacking in termsof infrastructure and maintenance of its site museum. Thissituation is the direct opposite of that faced by its counterpart
site museums located at World Heritage Sites in other partsof the world.
Conclusion
Museums, like all social and cultural spaces, have been
constantly changing and evolving. The evolutionary process
can be summarised thus: from a cultural repository to a
space of informal education by multifarious means. As weall know, India’s history and rich culture are immensely
diverse, but many of its museums follow a standard templatethat needs to change with every site; every museum isdifferent from the others. Barring a few exceptions, likethe Site Museum at Sanchi, no other museum at WHS
continuously evaluates the needs and expectations of thevisitors.
The reason for receiving a very tepid response for
exhibitions at a museum is not evaluating your visitors,
their expectations, etc. WHS are places of international
attention, and we should make our museums at thesesites thrive and in this regard, the involvement of thecommunity in terms of tourists as well as local people isessential.
Another aspect which needs focus is the redesign of old
spaces and creating new ones to make the experience
more captivating for visitors. This requires the use of
manpower resources and properly trained museum

Archaeological Site Museum, Sanchi

15

Biswas, S.S. (2011) ‘Museum in India: A Review’, (eds.)
Ancient India – Bulletin of the Archaeological Survey ofIndia, (369-398). New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of
India

These site museums have bright prospects to serve asa living emblem of our prosperous culture and varied
heritage, provided we create a veracious environment
for them to thrive. The role of museums, as mentioned
earlier, is constantly evolving so they are not merely acentre of collection, preservation and display of artifacts;
rather, they are living, thriving organs of society whichhave the potential to sensitise people in multifaceted ways
and act as a foundation for smooth nation building. In
this regard, if this goal is achieved, then people will alsofind cumulative interest in the affairs of museums, which
will emerge as a tool in the service of society.

Markham, S.F. & H. Hargreaves (1936). The Museums ofIndia. London: The Museums Association.

References
Agrawal, Usha 2009. Directory of Museums in India. New
Delhi: Sundeep Prakashan

India

professionals, an issue which most site museums arefacing. One striking feature which can’t be overlooked
is accurate standardised professional training, which is
crucial for all museum professionals. The Indian government
should collaborate with other famous museums andagencies of Japan, the UK, the USA, Germany, and Italy
for workshops and on-site training, to help make theirmuseum experience with visitors worthwhile.

Chandresekharan, T. (2017) Origin and Development ofMuseums in India, Shanlax International Journal of Arts,
Science & Humanities, 4(3)Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Scheme forFinancial Assistance for Digitization of Museum Collections.
Retrieved from http://www.indiaculture.nic.in/schemefinancial-assistance-digitization-museumcollections
Nigam, M.L. (1985). Fundamentals of Museology,
Hyderabad: Deva Publications
Sharma, I.K. (1998). Archaeological site museums in India:
the backbone of cultural education, Museum International
50 (2). Oxford: Blackwell Publishers
UNESCO, webpage World Heritage Centre - World Heritageand Museums (unesco.org)

Boylan, P.J. (Ed.). (2004). Running a museum: A practicalhandbook. Paris: International Council of Museums(ICOM). Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/
images/0014/001410/141067e.pdf

16

Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan

Results of Archaeological Excavations of the Medieval City of Syganak in 2021
Gulnaz Kulmaganbetova, Chief Researcher
Kazarchaeology LLP
Smailov Zhuman Eginbaevich, Director, Kazarchaeology LLP
Among the politically significant cities of the Middle
Ages, a city that stands out is Syganak, which was thecapital city throughout the Ak Orda and the Kazakh
Khanate. The name of the city is well known from written
sources. The significance of this city and its status havebeen written about since the 1920s, starting with A.Yu.
Yakubovsky, who gave a more scientific description of
the city in his special article “Ruins of Syganak (Sugnak),”
up to the recent article by H. Nagamine.
In the article “Sygnak as a port of Dasht-i Kypchak andCity-Mausoleum: the period from the reign of the left
wing of the Juchids to the founding of the Kazakh Khanate,”
H. Nagamine considered the significance of Sygnak as

The settlement of Syganak17

a capital, as well as a city with numerous mausoleums
khans of the steppe. For reference: the settlement of Syganak
is located 2 km north-west of the village of Sunakata in
the Zhanakorgan district of the Kyzylorda region of the
Republic of Kazakhstan.
Before the start of archaeological excavations, we studied
all the available materials on archaeological research fromprevious years. After gaining independence, archaeologicalresearch of the city of Syganak was resumed. Since 2003,
planned archaeological research has been carried out inthe city by an archaeological expedition of the International
Kazakh-Turkish University named after Khoja Ahmed
Yasawi, which until 2020 was headed by S. Zholdasbayev.

Mausoleum

In our first archaeological season, we examined two
objects inside the fortress wall, and one mausoleum
outside the fortress. Excavation site No. 1-2021: In
the specified area, a preliminary excavation was laid,measuring 5 m × 10 m, along the southern part of lastyear’s excavation. It was then expanded 10 m to the west.
The excavation is divided from the previous excavationin 2020 by an approximate edge left along the ZV line.
In the course of clearing the surface layer, fragmentsof ceramics, haphazardly scattered burnt bricks, andbones were found throughout the entire exposed area.
At a depth of -50, fragments of two archaeologicallyintact vessels were cleared, later restored by restorers ofKazarchaeology LLP.

followed by horizontal cleaning to reveal any structuresand spots. To comply with the requirements of the technicalspecifications, this excavation was enlarged on the southwestern side to the required dimensions and amounted to
10 m × 15 m.

It should be noted that the surface of the sod layer ishighly eroded and reaches 15-20 cm of the depth of theloose soil, which does not lend itself to cleaning. Later,
with a deeper, harder layer amenable to cleaning, excavation
work was carried out with layer-by-layer removal of soil,

Dimensions: Residue construction 2.1 m × 2.2 m, and 0.95 m
in height. On the northwest and to the northeastern endsof the wall there are 2 more jars (jar No. 1 and jar No. 2).
The rims of the jars are lined with brickwork on top,which suggests that these vessels were used as a hearth.

Household complex: In the central part of the excavation,
at a depth of -50 cm from the level of the ancient layer,
there are remains of an economic complex (?), consistingof a single load-bearing wall (presumably, the corner ofthe wall), inside which jars were mounted. Jar No. 2 wasinstalled closer to the middle. The thickness of the wall is
1.2 m at its narrowest, and reaches 2.2 m together with afragment of the floor, which is adjacent to the north side.

Kazakhstan

Excavation site No.1

Jar No. 1: A whole ceramic jar. Thick-walled. The clay ishomogeneous, dense, and light beige. The top of the jar islined with four rows of burnt bricks. The height of the jar is
54 cm, and the diameter of the rim is 50 cm. The jar is filledwith remains of ash with fragments of bricks. The bottom
is whole.
Jar No. 2: This jar is the largest in the complex. It is built
into the wall, and therefore, we made measurements along
the inner perimeter of the vessel. The diameter of the vessel
is 54 cm, and the height is 66cm. The jar is thick-walled,
made of dense clay. The vessel is filled with light gray ash
in large quantities, as well as calcified bones, fragmentsof ceramics and bricks. The ash takes up more than halfof the vessel. The bottom of the vessel is intact, does nothave any cracks, and is not punctured. This jar has notbeen extracted, and is left for presentation to tourists andguests.
Jar No. 3: The height of the jar is 41 cm, and the diameterof the rim is 50 cm. This vessel has been glued and restored.
The walls of the vessel are layered; some fragments havecreases and cracks. The clay is not homogeneous, and loose
in places. Inside the vessel were the remains of calcified
bones of small cattle, fragments of bricks, as well as anabundance of pale gray ash.

Excavation site No.2

is a sub-square area in terms of shape, in the center ofwhich there are utility pits. This area was cleared at a
depth of -87cm from the level of the surface on the NE side,-67cm on the NW side. This wall lags behind the westernedge by 4.67 m. Closer to the western side of the square,
there are two utility pits located in a chain from north tosouth. Pit No. 1 at the northern edge has a diameter of
1.03 cm; pit No. 2 has a diameter of 87 cm. In view of thenon-standard size, namely because of the large dimensionsof the parameters —the width along the line of the approximate
edge of the CU is 2.57 m, and along the NW side it is 2.49
m—this section is conventionally designated as an "area."
However, the final purpose of this area has not yet been
determined. The site, which is a continuation of the complexof the first construction period of excavation No. 18 (2020),
is either the most powerful wall that we have excavatedat this excavation site, or had the function of a site from
where they went to neighboring buildings. The surface ofthe square is smeared and compacted. However, it wasnoticed during and after clearing that there was strong
weathering of the coating layer.

Floor fragment: In the course of further study of thecircumference of this structure, a fragment of a baked
brick floor, rectangular in shape, oriented with its longside along the line NWZ-SEV, was revealed. The total
length of the brick floor is 1.7 m and its width is 1.2 m at
its widest point. In the course of studying this fragment, it
turned out that the fragment is composed of one row of
baked bricks in light yellow and terracotta colors, measuring
25 cm × 25 cm × 4 cm, the edges of which are closed by amasonry of one row of burnt bricks measuring 30 cm × 15
cm × 5.5 cm. This fragment of the floor adjoins the square.

Fragment of a mud wall: A fragment of a mud wall canbe attributed to an earlier construction period. This
blockage was found southeast of the complex, namely
0.66 m southeast of the extremity of the masonry of theeconomic complex. Within the limits of the excavation welaid, we found only a small part of the mud structure, thedimensions of which are 2.7 × 1.72 m. The fragment isoriented with its long side along the NW-SE line; therest of this structure extends beyond the limits of our
excavation. Raw bricks are made of light gray clay according
to a single standard size 18 cm × 25 cm × 5 cm. The mainpart of this building consists of a blockage of bricks, only
on the southern side of the wall can be traced a systematiclaying of flat-laid mud bricks. Among the rubble of thisbuilding, two decorative slabs and a glazed crescent were
found.

Square: In parallel with the stripping work, work was
carried out to identify the continuation of the walls of
the premises, excavated in 2020. For this purpose, thesouthern part of the excavation site was cleared, and thecontinuation of the southern wall was recorded, which

A fragment of a glazed turquoise crescent: 2.3 cm thick, 5 cm
wide, with numerous cracks in the glaze visible on thesurface. Presumably, we found a fragment of the middle
part of the crescent, made from dense, homogeneous
clay.

18

Kazakhstan

Decorative rectangular tiles in a turquoise color: Thickness
1.9 cm, width 5.5 cm, length 7 cm. The surface of the tileis cracked, with one edge broken off. Made from dense,
homogeneous, high-quality clay.
Decorative tiles with floral ornaments in the middle: In twocolors - turquoise and dark blue. The tiles have a rhombus
shape and are 8.7 cm long and 7.7 cm wide at their widest
point. Made of dense, homogeneous, light-colored clay.
It is worth noting that due to the fact that the walls ofdifferent layers were cleared, there is a difference inheights from the modern level. At the western edge, twomore walls are fixed, which are located at different levels.
The wall located to the south is fixed at the same level as
the central wall of the excavation and has dimensions of
1.72 × 1.29 m. According to the stratigraphy of this wall,
it was revealed that the wall was laid on a layer from agarbage heap, which indicates the unreliability and hasteof this construction. The wall located to the north isrecorded at a depth of only -1.01 m and has dimensions of
0.93 × 1.2 m. Also, due to the presence of a large numberof utility pits, the walls were pierced with pits, which
affects the objectivity of the study of the walls of thisexcavation. But still, it can be assumed that the economic
complex, the fragment of floor, and the area are locatedat the same level and belong to the same construction
period, and the fragment of mud wall to the second
construction period.
Excavation No. 2-2021 was laid on the site of pit No. 1,
investigated in 2020 by the staff of the International
Kazakh-Turkish University named after Khoja Ahmed
Yasawi. According to the results of the study of the pit, theremains of an economic building were found, in the wakeof which we continued our research in the current fieldseason. The excavation was laid on an area 10 m × 10 m.
During the cleaning of the surface, a small amount ofpottery and animal bones were found. Late walls made oforganic matter, 15 cm long and 4.5 cm thick, were foundin the walls of the pit. During the study of this wall,
strong weathering of this masonry was observed; by thetime this wall was completely cleaned of the depositedlayer, the organic masonry had practically crumbled. The
masonry was laid on the rubbish layer. The total length of
this masonry is 2.2 m, with a depth of 0.6 m. In order toobtain a more informative and presentable design, after

Decorative tiles of the mausoleum

19

detailed study and fixation, we carried out work to
deepen and further study the entire excavation area.
Based on the results of a complete study of the excavation
covering an area 10 m × 10 m, we have cleared a complex,
provisionally divided into three economic parts: the left
and right wings, as well as the central part. The rightwing consists of three hearths, a fragment of a floor madeof baked bricks, a tashnau, two small rooms, a pavement
made of adobe bricks, three utility pits, and a jar was also
found in situ. In the left wing there is one wall, cleared
at a depth of -80m, located parallel to the eastern edge
with a slight deviation to the north. On the left side of
the wall, on the “left” wing, the in-situ located lower partof the grain grater, two jars, a hearth and a tashnau werecleared. In the central part of the excavation, a hearth
with a tashnau was revealed; near the northern wall there
is a small amount of brickwork, presumably the remainsof a hearth from which the entire northern part of thewall was calcined.
Finds: One coin, jewelry, ceramic vessels, grain grater.
Mausoleum: On the site of the supposed mausoleum, an
excavation was laid, measuring 12 m × 12 m. According to
the results, 13 sets of remains were cleared around thecircumference of the mausoleum, including one set ofremains in room No. 1. The mausoleum is a sub-square
structure, made of mud bricks, measuring 7.8 m × 8.1 m
and 1.3 m high, consisting of two small rooms, around thecircumference of which children's remains are arranged.
The floor of the mausoleum is covered with layer of viscous
clay, but it was originally a tamped floor with plaster.
We have also identified areas that are promising for
further study, which will allow us to identify the urban
planning structure of Syganak. Thus, archaeologicalresearch at the Syganak settlement has yielded interesting
residential and burial buildings that reflect the material
culture and life of the medieval population. According to
the preliminary results of the study and analysis of theceramic complex, the excavated objects should be attributed
to the period of the Middle Ages, the 16th to 18th centuries.
At this stage of the research, we can say that the settlement
contains cultural layers of the period of the state of theOguzes, Kipchaks, Ak-Orda, and then existed until the
18th century.

A fragment of the decorative tile from the excavation site No.1

Kazakhstan

A fragment of the crescent tile from the excavation site No.1

Dectorative tile in rhombus shape from the excavation site No.1

The anphora from the excavation site No.2

The anphora with two handles from the excavation site No.2

Jar from the excavation site No.2.

Jar No.1 from the excavation site No.1

20

Kazakhstan
Jar No.3 from the excavation site No.1

21

Lamp from the mausolem

Kyrgyz Republic
Kunbolot Akmatov, Specialist
The Archaeological-Ethnographical Museum-Laboratory, Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University
Kubatbek Tabaldiev, Professor, Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
In 2019, a joint Kyrgyz-Romanian archaeological expedition
was conducted in the high altitude Suusamyr Valley,
Kyrgyzstan. The main purpose of the expedition was todiscover and map the historical heritage of one of the leastarchaeologically studied regions of Kyrgyzstan. As a resultof the expedition, 29 archaeological sites, which include
more than 1000 individual objects, were discovered andmapped. The vast majority of the discovered sites are
situated in the south-western part of the valley andrepresented by cemeteries of the Early Iron Age. Amongthem, the big burial mounds and various constructions on
their peripheries are of special interest.
Nine big burial mounds with a diameter of 30-75 m and aheight of up to 2 m are concentrated in the vicinity of two
cemeteries (Fig. 1). The mounds have either truncatedconical or hemispherical cross-sections (Figs. 2, 1; 2, 3;3, 1). The first shape is typical for the biggest mounds.
The plan view of the burial mounds is round (Figs. 4; 5).
There are several big mounds for which the plan viewis close to a rectangular shape. In the center of all burial
mounds there is a depression or hole, which indicates thatthey had been looted.
The big burial mounds of the Suusamyr Valley have beengrouped into 6 types, which are dif-ferentiated from eachother by the shapes and nature of the constructions on
their peripheries (Figs. 4; 5). The constructions are stone
enclosures, ditches and stone-earthen ramparts, whichhave a square (rectangular) or circular shape in the planview. The burial mounds are circled by these constructions,which are situated at a distance of 20-35 m from themounds. All stone enclosures, ditches and stone-earthen
ramparts have a passage (entrance) in their eastern andwestern parts. Almost all burial mounds are accompaniedby stone enclosures made up of eight stones, which aresituated in their western part (Fig. 6). The stone enclosures
are stretched out in a south–north direction in number
from 2 to 87.
Types of the big burial mounds and their quantity are as
follows: 1 – “burial mound on the stone-earthen platform,
encircled with double rectangular enclosure” is represented
by one example (Fig. 5, 1); 2 – “burial mound, encircled
with double stone round enclosure” is represented by one
example (Figs. 4, 1; 5, 2); 3 – “burial mound, encircled
with double stone round enclosure and vertical stone,
erected in the southern and northern parts of the enclosure”
is represented by one example (Figs. 2, 1, 2; 5, 3); 4 –“burial mound, encircled with rectangular ditch” isrepresented by two examples (Figs. 2, 4; 4, 2; 5, 4); 5 –“burial mound, encircled with round ditch” is represented
by three examples (Figs. 3, 2; 4, 3; 5, 5); 6 – “burial mound,encircled with double rampart” is represented by one
example (Figs. 4, 4; 5, 6).

Kyrgyz Republic

The Big Burial Mounds and Their Peripheries in the Suusamyr Valley, Kyrgyzstan

There is no doubt that the burial mounds with various
constructions and stone enclosures around them make up
one whole burial-memorial complex, and they are moreor less synchronous.
A comparative study of the Suusamyr burial-memorial
complex with those situated in other regions has allowed
us to identify the differences and similarities between
them. It also has helped to establish the general chronologyof the burial mounds within the 8th (7th) to 3rd centuries
BCE [Gass, 2011; Mozolevskii, Polin, 2005; Nagler, 2017;
Partsinger et al., 2017; Tashbaeva, 2011]. A more precise
date for the mounds could be established after excavation
and analysis of the finds. It is absolutely obvious thatsuch kinds of big and elaborate burial-memorial complexes
were built in honor of people who enjoyed a life ofprivilege. The concentration of the nine big burial mounds
not far from each other (within 4–6 km) indicates thatthey were built over several generations. All of this allows
us to assume that the Suusamyr Valley in the Early Iron
Age was one of the important political and/or cultcenters in Kyrgyzstan.
References
Gass A. K probleme izucheniya pamyatnikov rannego
zheleznogo veka yugo-vostochnogo Semirech’ya v svete
dannykh geoarkheologicheskikh issledovanii [Early Iron
Age burials in South-Eastern Zhetysu: the geoarchaeologicalevidence]. Arkheologiya, Etnografiya i Antropologiya
Evrazii [Archaeology, Ethnography and Anthropology ofEurasia], 2011, no. 3 (47), p. 57–69. (in Russ.)
Mozolevskii B. N., Polin S. V. Kurgany skifskogo Gerrosa IV
v. do n.e. [Burial mounds of the Scythian Gerros of the 4th
century BC]. Kiev, «Stilos» Publ., 2005, p. 599. (in Russ.)
Nagler A. Kurgany Evrazii – novyi vzglyad na pamyatniki inovye zadachi ikh issledovaniya [Burial mounds of Eurasia– a new look on the monuments and new challenges totheir study]. In: Mul'tidistsiplinarnye metody v arkheologii:
noveish-i.e., itogi i perspektivy [Multidisciplinary approachto archaeology: recent achievements and prospects].
Novosibirsk, IAET SB RAS Publ., 2017, p. 192–215. (in Russ.)
Partsinger G., Gass A., Fassbinder I. Arkheologo-geofizicheskie
issledovaniya mogil'nikov rannego zheleznogo veka na
territorii Kazakhstana i Severnogo Kavkaza [Archaeologicaland Geophysical investigations of the Early Iron Age
cemeteries in the territory of Kazakhstan and Northern
Caucasus]. In: Mul'tidistsiplinarnye metody v arkheologii:
noveishie itogi i perspektivy [Multidisciplinary approachto archaeology: recent achievements and prospects].
Novosibirsk, IAET SB RAS Publ., 2017, p. 216–239. (in Russ.)
Tashbaeva K. I. Kul’tura rannikh kochevnikov Tyan’-Shanya
i Alaya [Culture of the early nomads of the Tien Shan andAlai]. Bishkek, Ilim Publ., 2011, p. 274. (in Russ.)

21

Kyrgyz Republic
Fig.1. Location map of the big burial mounds (Chon-Uch-Emchek (1) I and 1-May (2) cemeteries in the Suusamyr Valley, Kyrgyzstan

Fig. 2. Big burial mounds and related constructions around them: 1, 2 – burial mound no. 13, 1-May cemetery; 3, 4 – burial mound no. 31, Chon-Uch-Emchek I.

22

Kyrgyz RepublicFig. 3. Big burial mound no. 10 and related constructions around it; Chon-Uch-Emchek I cemetery.

Fig. 4. Aerophotos of the big burial mounds and their peripheries in the cemeteries Chon-Uch-Emchek I and 1-May. The figure is not to scale.

23

Kyrgyz RepublicFig. 5. Schematic table of the big burial mound types at the cemeteries Chon-Uch-Emchek I and 1-May: 1 – burial mound on the stone-earthern platform, encircled
with double rectangular enclosure; 2 – burial mound, encircled with double stone round enclosure; 3 – burial mound, encircled with double stone round enclosureand vertical stone, erected in the southern and northern parts of the enclosure; 4 – burial mound, encircled with rectangular ditch; 5 – burial mound, encircled
with round ditch; 6 – burial mound, encircled with double rampart. The figure is not to scale. Suusamyr Valley, Kyrgyzstan.

Fig. 6. Stone enclosures in the western part of the burial mounds; Chon-Uch-Emchek I (1) and 1-May (2–4) cemeteries.

Acknowledgements
The field works were carried out within the frameworkof the Kyrgyz-Romanian Research Pro-ject. The following
researchers from Romania participated in the project:

24

Dr. Andrei Bălărie, Dr. Adriana Sărășan, and Dr. AdrianCristian Ardelean, National Museum of Banat, Timișoara,
Romania.

NepalNepal

Experience of the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting in Nepal: A Brief Note
Suresh Suras SHRESTHA, HeadWorld Heritage Conservation Section, Department of Archaeology, Nepal
BackgroundAs per the instruction since the last side event organizedby the UNESCO World Heritage Centre during the 43rd
Session in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Government of Nepal has
been consciously focusing on grave matters as Nepal has
been in the Post-Earthquake Rehabilitation Process for thelast five years. It’s a great opportunity in such a situationthat many of the issues and opportunities regarding World
Heritage Properties could be shared with the international
community as well as with the World Heritage Committee.
Unfortunately, this eagerly awaited moment was postponeddue to the devastating effect of the worldwide COVID-19
pandemic. The pandemic compelled the world to divert
from its regular activities and forced us to adapt in unusual
ways. In the meantime, Periodic Reporting, which takes
place every six years with assistance from the UNESCOWorld Heritage Centre, has been carried out during thispandemic in an unusual way, via online systems, including
the orientation, training and other related processes foreach and every stakeholder including: National Focal
Points, Site Managers, UNESCO staff and many others.
Nepal is one of the States Parties to the World Heritage
Convention 1972 that has been involved in this processfrom the beginning. Even with the challenging situationin Nepal caused by the pandemic, one of the great
opportunities taken was the use of online systems. As a
National Focal Person (Culture), I have been completely
involved in this Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting; having
experienced the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting in
2010-2012.
Experience on Exercises
After taking part in the pre-launch orientation andinauguration/launch program (during that time thepandemic was at its worst, especially in Kathmandu/
Nepal), government officials were not allowed to stay athome and instead continued their official activities while
being physically present, however there were certain
health protocols to be followed by all to prevent many
people gathering together. In this situation, I was taking
part in each and every orientation and training programorganized by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre’s Team
online using Teams, which still continues.
In such situation, all of the World Heritage Properties wereclosed due to imposition of a lockdown, and many of thesite mangers were out of contact and difficult to reach;
therefore, it took more than two months to inform everybodyof the process, the importance of their role in the process,and finally, to gather together in a different manner. We thenplanned to conduct a series of workshops to complete thisexercise with the approval of the Department of Archaeology(DoA) and began organizing an initial workshop in thedepartment, which we continue to do.

We used many methods of communication to reach thisstage, including:
1. Collection of telephone numbers and email addresses
2. Contact via telephone and email
3. 	Contact via the mass media (exploring their involvementin such media)
4. 	Online meetings with a few of the members (series of
discussions)5. Physical meetings in the Department,
6. Online discussions
7	Conducting the workshop on Exercise of the Third
Cycle of PR
When we conducted the first workshop, almost all
participants were very excited and requested us to continue
to organize regular workshops until completion of theseries. Therefore, we are organizing a site managers’
workshop specifically on the Third Cycle of PR twice a
week; sometimes online and sometimes with everybody
physically present.
The workshops include all the site managers of Kathmandu
Valley and Lumbini however, from the fourth workshop
onwards, the focal units’ representatives of natural sites
were also invited. It was difficult to coordinate theirinvolvement together with cultural site managers over thelast few months, but eventually it was successfully done.
There are seven protected monument zones (PMZ) within
Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property; therefore,
each PMZ has separate site managers as if it were a single
site. However, any issues or problems have been solvedin joint efforts by all site managers (SM). Furthermore,
there are multiple authorities taking care of each PMZ.
These include the DoA, related municipalities, and semigovernmental and non-governmental organizations thatare also working within the PMZs as site managers.
For example: Hanumandhoka Protected Monument Zoneis taken care of by a site manager from DoA/WHC Section(1); Kathmandu Metropolitan City (1); Monument
Preservation and Durbar Maintenance Office (MPDMO)(1) – altogether there are three site managers for each
PMZ. But some of them concurrently hold more than one
positions, therefore, there are thirteen (13) site managers
to manage Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property as
it consists of seven separate PMZs, which is defined by
the Integrated Management Framework for KV. However,while it seems like a complex site and management system,
we do have prior experience regarding site management
and reporting systems from the Second Cycle as well as
the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting.

25

NepalThe site managers who are involved in this process are:1. 	Hanumandhoka Durbar PMZ – Representative,
Kathmandu Metropolitan City (SM)
Representative, MPDMO (SM)DoA Officer (SM)2. 	Patan Durbar PMZ - Representative, Lalitpur Metropolitan
City (SM)
Representative, MPDMO (SM)DoA Officer (SM)3. 	Bhaktapur Durbar PMZ - Representative, Bhaktapur
Municipality (SM)
Representative, MPDMO (SM)DoA Officer (SM)4. 	Changunarayan PMZ - Representative, Kathmandu
Metropolitan City (SM)
Representative, MPDMO (SM)DoA Officer (SM)5. 	Bouddhanath PMZ - Representative, Kathmandu
Metropolitan City (SM)	Representative, Bouddha Area Development Committee(SM)
DoA Officer (SM)6. 	Swayambhu PMZ - Representative, Kathmandu
Metropolitan City (SM)	Representative, Federation of Swayambhu Management
and Conservation (SM)DoA Officer (SM)7. 	Pas hup ati PMZ - Re pre se nta tive , Ka t hmandu
Metropolitan City (SM)	Representative, Pashupati Area Development Trust(SM)DoA Officer (SM)8. 	Lumbini, the Birthplace of Lord Buddha, World Heritage
Property Representative (SM)9. 	Representatives – Department of National Parks andWildlife Conservation

Accepting our invitation, the representative from the
UNESCO Office in Kathmandu, Culture Unit also participatedduring the fourth workshop on 27 January 2021; which wasvery fruitful for the site managers and the representatives
from the World Heritage Unit, Department of National
Parks and Wildlife Conservation as well. The fourthworkshop was held with all participants physically present
at a meeting hall of the Department of Archaeology,
Kathmandu.
The participants were very excited to be involved in thisprocess. There were 15 members, who have been regularly
participating in the workshops, and we have alreadyconducted four workshops.
Conclusion
Pandemics are not a good thing—even the word itself
implies nothing good; but somehow these challenges
compel us to divert society through unusual and different
means of functioning. Similarly, the UNESCO World
Heritage Centre has been conducting a series of training
and orientation sessions as well as experience sharing
moments regarding the Third Cycle of PR process. In
parallel, Nepali authorities and the site managers for
cultural heritage are also actively participating withenthusiastic and eager interest, even in this situation
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This proves thatheritage and other professionals are dedicated to preserving,conserving and managing their sites from their hearts.
Finally, regarding the output of periodic reporting exercise,the reports were submitted to the World Heritage Committee
through the World Heritage Center on 31 July 2021, which
was the deadline agreed to by all states parties.

The third cycle of periodic reporting guidelines translation in Nepali, distribution to Coordinating Working Committee members and site managers

26

NepalThe third cycle of periodic reporting exercise jointly with cultural and natural World Heritage Site managers

The periodic reporting exercise with Coordinating Working Committee members at DoA

27

New Zealand
New Zealand

Te Papa Atawhai Cultural Heritage Conservation Projects, Southern South Island 2021-2022
Matthew Schmidt, Senior Heritage Advisor / Kaitohu Matua Taonga Tuku Iho
Southern South Island, Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation
Introduction

Fig. 1. Location map of heritage sites

The Southern South Island (SSI) Region of Te Papa Atawhai
Department of Conservation (DOC) contains thousands ofcultural heritage sites. The variety of heritage sites present
is extensive and includes Polynesian/Māori sites related tothe discovery and settlement of New Zealand commencing
ca. 1300AD, and later Pakeha/European and Chinese sites
with these sites dating from 1769 onwards. DOC is responsible
for the protection and management of these cultural heritage
resources, and this is advised on by a team of Senior Heritage
Advisors with one of these specialists located in each Regionof the organisation.
This report presents some examples of heritage conservation
projects and initiatives currently underway in the SSI overthe 2021-2022 year (Fig. 1). These projects have been
identified through the development of Four Year Heritage

28

Plans for each of the six Operations Districts which makeup the SSI Region.
Historic Backcountry Huts – Freeman Burn, Caswell
Sound, Martins & Big Dam/Turnbull’s Dam Huts
The Freeman Burn Hut measures ca. 4m × 6m and was
built in the 1930s of corrugated iron and native Rimu
timber by the Murrell family (Fig. 1 & 2). The Murrellfamily developed a private tourism venture in Fiordland
National Park by building a track between Bradshaw
Sound and Lake Manapouri and servicing this by four
huts. The Freeman Burn hut is the only hut that has
survived, and ownership of the hut passed over to the
Crown after the second world war. In the 1960s, the hut
interior was modified from its original 1930s construction
and painted National Park red (Fig. 3). The externalCaswell Sound Hut was built in 1949 by a United States
and New Zealand expedition to study the differences
between the Fiordland and American Wapiti populations(Fig. 1 & 4). In 1905, American Wapiti were released in
Fiordland and since this time had been cross breedingwith local Red Deer. The expedition ended soon after the
hut was built and following this it was used by hunters
and as an emergency supply depot for Amphibian
aircraft until the early 1960s. The hut is still in use today
but needs urgent restoration, the last major work being
undertaken on the structure in 1993/1994. The hut measures
5.3m × 3.7m, is made of corrugated iron and Rimu timberwith a classic West Coast corrugated iron chimney and has
a recycled early 20th century window. It is possibly themost original of the backcountry huts from the first halfof the 20th century left in Fiordland. To ensure that thisrestoration conserves the huts’ heritage authenticity, aConservation Plan and Works Specification was written bya heritage consultancy to guide restoration works plannedfor 2022. The style of the hut will be kept as is and all
original sound timbers and iron etc. retained. This hut sitsin Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Area.
Martin’s Hut is located in the Longwood Forest in Murihiku/Southland and measures 2.5m × 2.5m (Fig. 1 & 5). It
was built in 1910 by Mr Fred Mason but it is not known
if this hut was preceded by an earlier hut. The timber forthis weatherboard hut was pit sawn on site by Mr Mason
from local Silver Beech and the original wooden roof isstill present under the corrugated iron roof. The chimney
is made of corrugated iron and timber, and the window isearly 20th century. The interiors have been changed over
the years but essentially the hut is authentic. This hut wasused by a raceman who maintained Martin’s Water Race
nearby which was built ca. 1891 to provide water for gold
mining on the Longwoods. Hence it is possible this hut
was replaced an earlier raceman’s hut. A Conservation
Plan and Works Specification is currently being completed
for this hut and the conservation works may commencein late 2022.
Big Dam Hut (also known as Turnbull’s Dam Hut, Fig.
1 & 6) is also located in the Longwood Forest and may
have been built to maintain the nearby gold mining dam
which was built in 1898 (the dam is also known as Big
Dam). The hut measures 2.5m × 3.5m and is made of flat
iron with the pit sawn and adzed timber framing possibly
made of Silver Beech. The chimney of the hut is madefrom flat iron, the roof from corrugated iron and thewindow is early 20th century. The Conservation Plan andWorks Specification currently being developed for the
restoration of this hut will confirm the species of timber
the hut is made of and the age of the hut. It’s possible
this hut either has elements dating from both the late 19thand early 20th centuries or is of 20th century origin andreplaced an earlier hut. It is hoped the conservation ofthis hut will be undertaken in 2022.

New Zealandcorrugated iron chimney was removed in the 1970s.
Although over the years the hut has been maintained,
it now requires extensive work to bring it up to a safe
standard. To ensure that this work conserves the huts
heritage authenticity a Conservation Plan and Works
Specification was developed by a heritage consultancy toguide the restoration, which is planned for early 2022. As
most of the fabric dates to the 1960s and it is from thisperiod only those historic photographs are available, it
was decided to restore the hut to this period, though any
earlier original fabric identified will be left in place. The
hut will be available to any person who visits Fiordland
National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Area.

DOC is being assisted with the conservation of the above
huts by the Backcountry Trust and heritage consultancy
New Zealand Heritage Properties Ltd (NZHP Ltd).
Murihiku Kaitiaki Monitoring Guide Update
Back in 2012 one of my UNESCO reports described thedevelopment of a Kaitiaki Monitoring Guide for Murihiku(the Māori name for the area of land including Southland
and Rakiura/Stewart Island). This guide was written to
manage known and discovered Māori, Pakeha and Chinese
heritage sites and artefacts/taonga being lost to the sea
through coastal erosion. Volunteers who walked thecoastline of Murihiku used the guide to record information
about heritage sites encountered and recover artefacts
before they were lost to the sea or were taken by the
public. This guide needs updating not only due to ensure
best heritage practice is still be followed but because
the legislation protecting heritage sites has changed. The
updating of the guide is support by Kaitiaki Roopuu Ki
Murihiku and I will complete the first draft of the updated
Murihiku Kaitiaki Monitoring Guide by the end of 2021.
McMeekings Farmstead, Otago PeninsulaThis small farmstead on the Otago Peninsula dates back to
the 1870s and is an excellent example of the small dairy
farms that once operated not only on the Otago Peninsula
but more commonly around New Zealand beginning in
the mid-19th century (Fig. 1, 7 & 8). The farm is a nearintact, nineteenth century dairy farm complex that includes
an early cottage, and attached dairy building, cow byre,milking shed, stables and cart shed. The Conservation Plan
& Work Specification for this heritage site notes: “Whileeach building is represented elsewhere in New Zealand,
and are therefore not unique, as part of an intact unmodified
dairy farm complex their contribution to our understandingof pioneering Pakeha rural life is significant. The buildings’
aesthetic and architectural significance is largely unmodified
which is particularly rare on a small domestic scale.” This
heritage site therefore provides a continuous history ofsmall-scale colonial dairy farming that spans 125 years.
This cultural heritage place is also being prepared for Tohu
Whenua status which is a national list of 50 significant
heritage sites which tell the story of New Zealand.
Conservation work being undertaken on McMeekings overthe next year includes removing vegetation impacting on
the structures, making buildings watertight, controllingdrainage and removing nuisance trees. A local heritage
society and heritage consultancy New Zealand Heritage
Properties Ltd are supporting the conservation work.
William Rathbun’s Grave, Bowen Falls, Milford Sound
Located at Cemetery Point in Milford Sound, Fiordland
National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Area) is what
is considered by many as the most picturesque grave in

29New Zealand

New Zealand (Fig. 1, 9-11). This is the grave of William
Rathbun (1838-1894). William was from Westport andhad live there for ca. 25 years. His obituary in the New
Zealand Tablet (21/12/1894; page 33) notes he wasin good health and so his sudden death while visiting
his friend Donald Sutherland in Milford Sound was
unexpected. Donald and his wife Elizabeth ran a hotel
known as the ‘Chalet’ in the late 19th/early 20th century
in Milford Sound. William left a wife, four daughters andthree sons. One source says he was a Canadian man
possibly from Nova Scotia and died while working on
the Milford Track. A beautiful gravestone was made forWilliam’s burial place as well as an ornate iron surround.
Unfortunately, time has taken its toll on the grave and in
the 2020 floods in Fiordland, the headstone was split inhalf and the ironwork damaged. DOC is working on a
project with the Historic Cemeteries Conservation Trust to
have a monumental mason who specialises in restoring
heritage graves assess the grave for restoration and thenundertake repairs in 2021-2022. It is likely the original
gravestone will be kept permanently off site due to its
fragility and it will be put on display in the local Museum.
A new gravestone will be made for William’s burial. The
goal for the ironwork is to repair and return this to site.
Māori Cultural Heritage Sites Record Upgrades, Mason
Bay, Rakiura
The erosion of the huge dune system in Mason Bay on thewest coast of Rakiura has seen the exposer of numerous
Māori archaeological sites over many years (Fig. 1, 1214). Climate change causing increased high wave activity
has been accelerating this erosion and this will continue.
One of the issues contributing to the dune erosion andexpose of sites is marram grass which although this grass
was introduced by Pakeha/Europeans to hold dunes
together, it changed the natural dune dynamics over the
decades and the collapse of the resulting high dunes
continually exposes archaeological sites. Dune restoration
work by DOC is seeing the eradication of marram which
gives space for native dune plant species like Pingao toreintroduce itself and restore the natural dune dynamics.
This restoration also aids in protecting the buried archaeologicalsites. While this restoration work is being undertaken,
exposed sites need to be managed. In February 2022, DOC
will commence an annual project to survey the dunes
alongside Iwi in Mason Bay to update records on the
known sites, record new sites and manage exposed sitefeatures and taonga/artefacts. This work is crucial as there
are a number of sites culturally significant and sensitive toMāori.
Ned and Phil Callery Cottages, Golden Point Reserve, Macraes
The DOC Golden Point Historic Reserve at Macrae’s isimportant for the story is tells about alluvial and hard rockmining for the Macrae’s area from the 1860s through tothe mid-20th century (Fig. 1, 15 & 16). The key featureof the reserve is a functioning mining battery known as
Callery’s Battery powered by a rare single crank kerosene
engine. The battery site possibly dates to 1902 but thebattery as seen today is a machine reconditioned by theCallery brothers in the 1920s and then used until the
1950s to crush rock to extract gold and scheelite. Thisbattery is considered New Zealand’s best surviving

30

example of a working stamper battery on its originalsite. The cottages of Ned and Phil Callery were built in
the 1920s and are of an unusual build material for thistime being built of sod and mud brick. This materialpresents challenges for conservation due to it being very
sensitive to moisture, repairs requiring to be undertaken
by a sod and mud brick specialist, and if this material
is not managed carefully the structure can be prone to
movement. A Conservation Plan and Works Specification
has been produced to guide the conservation work onthese cottages which will commence in 2022. The Golden
Point Trust, OceanGold Mining Company, Heritage New
Zealand Pouhere Taonga and heritage consultancy New
Zealand Heritage Properties Ltd are supporting theconservation work.
Conclusions
The above projects to conserve and manage cultural
heritage sites in the SSI Region of DOC over the next few
years illustrates the commitment by DOC and its partners
to ensure the story of New Zealand is accessible by future
generations. Much of this work can only be achieved
through the donation of time and resources from externalgroups and this is important not only for the heritage
places themselves, but so as the connection is maintainedwith the public so they can also participate directly in
heritage conservation.
Acknowledgements
The heritage conservation work in the SSI can only beachieved through the dedication of the DOC Heritage
Rangers and Operations Managers in the Region, Iwi andthe input from the DOC Heritage Advice Team. Key to thesuccess of these projects is also the contributions madeby the parties mentioned above.

Fig. 2. Freeman Burn Hut built in the 1930s (Photo: NZHP Ltd)New ZealandFig. 3. Freeman Burn Hut in the 1960s (Photo: DOC archives)

Fig. 4. Caswell Sound Hut built in 1949 (Photo: Matt Schmidt)

Fig. 5. Martin’s Hut built 1910 (Photo: NZHP Ltd)

Fig. 6. Turnbull’s Dam Hut, possibly built early 20th century but could have
19th century elements (Photo: NZHP Ltd)

Fig. 7. Plan of McMeekings Farmstead (map by NZHP Ltd)

31

New ZealandFig. 8. McMeekings Farmstead Cottage which may date back to ca. 1870
(Photo: NZHP Ltd)

Fig. 9. Location of William Rathbun’s grave, Milford Sound, Fiordland
National Park (Photo: Matt Schmidt)

Fig. 10. DOC Heritage Ranger Luke Bovill recording William Rathbun’s
grave, Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park (Photo: Matt Schmidt)

Fig. 11. William Rathbun gravestone, broken and weather worn (Photo:
Matt Schmidt)

Fig. 12. Recorded archaeological sites, Mason Bay, Stewart Island/Rakiura (Source: ArchSite)

32

New ZealandFig. 13. High eroding dune exposing archaeological sites in Mason Bay,
Stewart Island/Rakiura (Photo: DOC/SCHIP partners)

Fig. 14. Close view of high eroding dune showing the edge of anarchaeological site being exposed (Photo: DOC/SCHIP partners)

Fig. 15. Ned Callery’s Cottage (Photo: NZHP Ltd)

Fig. 16. Phil Callery’s Cottage (Photo: NZHP Ltd)

33

Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea

Fifteen Years Since Mandui: Issues and Ways Forward for Cultural Heritage Protection in Papua
New Guinea
Jason Kariwiga, Teaching Fellow
University of Papua New Guinea
Roxanne Tsang, 3 1 Teppsy Beni, 1 Kylie Sesuki, 1 Vincent Kewibu, 1 and Matthew Leavesley 1 4 5 (Appendix)
Introduction
In 2006, the late Herman Mandui, Chief Government
Archaeologist, contributed a short essay in an edited
volume of works titled “Archaeology of Oceania:
Australia and the Pacific Island”. The volume has nearits conclusion a small section of papers written byindigenous Pacific archaeologists under the overall themeof ‘politics’. Mandui’s contribution, “What is the Future of
our Past? Papua New Guineans and Cultural Heritage”, isthe last overall chapter and is three pages in length. In
it, he considers the importance of protecting Papua New
Guinea’s archaeological heritage and argues why thisheritage should be protected. Fifteen years on, the issues
and challenges that Mandui so clearly articulates areagain at the forefront on discussions of cultural heritage
management. Here, we revisit the issues discussed in the
essay and their implications almost two decades later.

It is within this muddled context that Mandui pens thisessay. At the time of writing, Mandui was Deputy Headof Archaeology in the country’s National Museum & Art
Gallery (NMAG). The NMAG is the largest of the country’s
repositories for cultural objects; built in the year of PNG’s
independence in 1975 and opened to the public two years
later, it houses the country’s tangible cultural treasures.
The NMAG also functions as the state’s official regulatory
body through an all-important piece of legislation, theNational Museum and Art Gallery 1992. This law gives the
NMAG the power and responsibility to regulate archaeologicalresearch, artifact collection and conservation, site registration
and record maintenance, and cultural heritage management.
However, despite the myriad of cultures and traditions, thisvery diversity can be a “positive unifying force” (Mandui
2006:379). Unity, Mandui argues, can be achieved “only …
by understanding and preserving as much as possible ofthe nation’s 50,000-year past” (Mandui 2006:379).
Fifteen years ago: a review of ManduiAs the basis for his argument for unity in the face ofdiversity, Mandui (2006:379-381) offers four reasons why
it is important to protect PNG’s archaeological heritage.

Herman Mandui (left) observing stratigraphy, at the AER site, Kosipe, PNG,
2005. Photo. Matthew Leavesley

The national diversity conundrum
Much is made of the cultural and linguistic diversity foundin Papua New Guinea (PNG), the independent statecomprising the eastern part of the island of New Guinea,
islands of the Bismarck Archipelago and Bougainville,
and many thousands more that fringe every coastline.
Estimates for the number of languages currently spoken
in PNG vary but are generally estimated to be nearly
850 (“Papua New Guinea’s incredible linguistic diversity”
2017). These languages are spoken by an estimatednearly 9 million people in 2020 (United Nations 2021).
Adding to this mismatch of tribal societies is a long anddeep history. Archaeological evidence suggests humans
first settled eastern New Guinea some 50,000 years ago(Summerhayes et al. 2010) although it may be earlier at
65,000 years (Clarkson et al. 2017). European contact
was sporadic from the 16th century until the last 150-200
years when Europeans first settled permanently on the
coast. Indeed, it was only in the early 1930s that the first‘whitemen’ entered the interior remote highlands of New
Guinea and interacted with stone-age societies.

34

Firstly, having knowledge and an understanding of thepast contributes to creating and maintaining a sense ofcommon identity, in this case a common national identity.
Mandui argues that unlike many other countries whose
identities are forged in circumstances such as wars of
independence or founding historical documents, Papua
New Guineans must look to their deep history andspecifically the objects of shared pasts as symbols todevelop and sustain a common identity.
Secondly, Mandui points out that although individual PNG
societies routinely associate material objects with often
abstract meanings and behaviours (which are exclusive toeach group), these meanings can be lost or less definedat the national level, where the abstract connotations areof no or little value. Hence the materiality of the object
creates its own value, one that in time becomes of larger
significance. This fits perfectly with the concept ofarchaeological research, where objects and what they
infer about human pasts is the main objective. Because
tangible cultural heritage hinges on the material, then,certainly at a national level, material objects of significancecan be viewed as of overall national value.
Thirdly, PNG has a rapidly growing regional economy, onethat even fifteen years ago was obvious. This growth has
the consequence of rapid unplanned infrastructuredevelopment and urban expansion in areas such as mining
and forestry. A consequence of this is the “irreversible”

Lastly, Mandui argues that every archaeological site is uniqueand holds its own intrinsic value. Therefore, protecting asample of every type of site is necessary, lest we lose foreversomething of cultural and scientific value.
Who is responsible for protecting our cultural heritage?
Individually, every Papua New Guinean has the responsibility
as current guardians of tens of thousands of years of acontinuing past to protect, preserve and promote their
history. How Papua New Guineans perceive the Westernidea of cultural heritage is difficult to define, so perhaps itis better to view the concept through ‘kastom’, this being,in part, the Melanesian perception of experiencing thepresent and past as existing at the same time (Leavesley
et al. 2005). Papua New Guineans thereby protect andpromote cultural heritage by ‘living it’ or using it to theirbenefit such as in legitimizing membership to clans andtribes, or indeed, through pursuing land ownership claims.
The individual obligation is transcribed into national laws
and international agreements that the country is party to.
For example, PNG is a signatory to UNESCO’s ‘Convention
Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural andNatural Heritage’. This document recognises the intrinsic
value and importance of cultural and natural heritage,
ongoing threats to this heritage, and the need for collective
and collaborative effort at all levels to ensure thesafeguarding of these legacies. Nationally, the ‘Papua New
Guinea Vision 2050’1 is a national policy document thatsets out the country’s goals and aspirations leading up to
the year 2050. Vision 2050 is built around seven priority
areas of growth; one of these ‘pillars’ is Environmental
Sustainability and Climate Change. This states:
We owe it to future generations to preserve our uniquely
diverse cultures and traditions. Our cultures and traditions
identify our uniqueness in the world. Principles andvalues that are embedded in our time-tested cultures alsoneed to be captured, emulated, and passed on to future
generations [Section 15.2].
To realise such lofty goals, one must take stock of thecurrent situation. Fifteen years on from Mandui’s essay,
we again look at the issue of cultural heritage protectionin PNG.
Fifteen years on: the situation today and looking forward
PNG will celebrate 50 years of political independence in
2025. Needless to say, Mandui’s assertion of finding suchan identity through a shared material history still rings
true today. A 2012 study among tertiary students at the
University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) found that
attitudes towards national identity and nation-building aredependent on several factors, including place of origin,gender, language, and group identity (Feeny et al. 2012).
1

PNG Vision 2050 https://www.mindbank.info/download_file/814/cf294fc7247e78039454fd9

For instance, 70 per cent of respondents from three of thecountry’s four regions reported being ‘very close’ tofeeling Papua New Guinean while only 56.4 per centfrom the fourth region felt the same way (n=288). For
group identities, respondents (n=293, ranked % firstpreference) identified ‘Family’ (57%), ‘Religion’ (18.1%),‘Occupation’ (11.6%), ‘Ethnic/language’ (5.1%) groups as
more important than ‘Nationalist’ (3.8%). 2 Also, theover whelming majority (71.5% to 28.5%, n=284)
maintained that it is “better if groups maintain their
distinct languages, customs and traditions” rather than (itis) “better if these groups adapt and blend into society(Feeny et al. 2012:137). Even so, the same study foundthat 92.5% (n=varies) were ‘Proud’ of ‘PNG’s history’. A
further 95.4% (n=varies) felt the same about ‘Its [PNGs]
distinctive culture and crafts’ (Feeny et al. 2012:135).3
This cross-section may well be regarded as a fairly
accurate indicator of the attitudes of the current youth
cohort given UPNG, as the largest tertiary institution in
the country with around 15,000 total enrolments, attracts
high school graduates from across the country every year.
The latter two findings support Mandui’s position of acommon national identity through a shared tangible (andintangible) history.
From 2003 to 2015, PNG enjoyed “comparatively robust
economic growth” (Osbourne et al. 2017:55). This was
because of various factors such as high prices for commodity
exports and development of the resources sector (Osbourne
et al. 2018). The latter is especially relevant to discussionsof cultural development management; specifically, largescale mining and petroleum projects require large areas ofland to be cleared and modified, and through this process,many sites of archaeological and cultural importanceare being destroyed. Another issue worth highlighting is
the lack of enforcement by the responsible authorities,
primarily the NMAG, of the relevant laws and regulations
relating to the protection of tangible and intangible
cultural heritage. This issue again comes down to theshortage of appropriate human resources, financial andfunding difficulties at the institutional level, access issues—both physical (access) and gatekeeper access, andlegacy issues of past mismanagement at the administrationlevel.
The question now turns to what is being done to safeguard
PNG’s tangible cultural heritage.
The concept of cultural heritage for sustainable tourism
has been gaining traction in the recent decade (seeDenham 2013; Ford et al. 2019; N’Drower 2014). Denham(2013) writes of a community-driven museum he visitedwhile conducting fieldwork in the highlands of New
Guinea in 2007; the Kalam Cultural Museum was initiated“to foster a sense of cultural awareness among community
members [at Simbai] and was part of initiatives to generate
tourism in the area” (Denham 2013:118). Denham’s
team of archaeologists were requested to inventory theartifacts on display, including stone club heads, stone
axe adzes, bone points, headdresses, and stone bowls,
do you rate as the most important?’ (Feeny et al 2012:135)

21aeb1e91f0373ad8

3

2

Not Very Proud, Not Proud at all, Don’t know (Feeny et al 2012:135)‘We are all part of different groups, but some are more important than others to us. WhichPapua New Guinea(Mandui 2006:380) loss of 50,000 years of history. Hence,a sample of archaeological sites must be preserved in theface of this wanton destruction.

‘How proud are you of PNG in each of the following?’ (%, N varies). Very Proud, Proud,35Papua New Guinea

for tourist information and safekeeping (Denham 2013).
More recently, similar efforts have been made in Madang
Province on the north coast of New Guinea (Ford et al.
2019). Here, there are opportunities for cultural dance
festivals, handicrafts and markets, World War II heritage,
as well as contemporary pottery-making which survives
on Bilbil Island near the town of Madang (Ford et al.
2019). These ventures not only keep stories and crafts
alive for younger generations but also allow locals to earnmoney.
There have been some successes on the issue of destructionof cultural heritage resulting from resource projects.
Starting in 2008, staff and students of the Anthropology,
Sociology and Archaeology Strand of UPNG participatedin extensive archaeological salvage excavations at a
proposed liquified natural gas plant construction site at
Caution Bay, 20 km northwest of Port Moresby. These
excavations uncovered the presence of a 2,900-year-old
pottery-making culture called Lapita, then only known
from the Bismarck Archipelago and the islands of the
Pacific to the east (McNiven et al. 2011; David et al.
2011). On a smaller scale, UPNG Archaeology carriedout archaeological excavations at a series of sites also
at Caution Bay between February-March 2018; this wasundertaken for a local electricity company that planned tobuild a power station (digim’Rina et al. 2018).
A scarcity of trained personnel working in cultural
heritage still plagues the sector today. Despite this there
has been progress, specifically in the country’s tertiary
education system. UPNG offers the largest anthropology,sociology, (and in the case of archaeology, the only)
university degree in the country.4 Between 2016 to 2021,
a total of 123 high school graduates were accepted to
study in the program. 5 6 While not all these undergraduate
courses focus on cultural heritage exclusively, there is adetermined focus spread throughout (e.g., archaeology
courses, social impact and social mapping assessment
courses, PNG cultural anthropology and cultural ecology
courses).
Finally, more must be done to protect PNG’s cultural
heritage moving forward.
First, PNG’s prehistory and culture should be introduced
as specialist subjects into the national education curriculum
at both higher primary and lower high school levels.
Presently, these are taught under the umbrella subject‘Social Science’. 7 Taking the subject of history, forinstance, the origins of Papua New Guineans (i.e., mostof PNG’s history) is taught at Grade 6, while Grades 7
and 8 focus on the period of European contact andcolonisation and World War II (Department of Education
2018). Students only begin to receive specialist history
lessons (as opposed to ‘Social Science’) in Grades 11 and
12 (Department of Education 2008). Understanding PNG’s

4

36

Divine Word University offers a Bachelor of Arts (PNG Studies & International Relations)long and unique prehistory can not only instil a sense ofidentity and ownership in young people but also makecultural heritage a desirable sector for future employment.
Second, research and research collaborations between
stakeholder state departments, institutions and groups
should be encouraged and increased. This includes the
NMAG and UPNG, but also other universities and specialisedorganisations such as the National Research Institute(NRI) and the Conservation and Environment Protection
Authority (CEPA), and those guarding intangible cultural
heritage such as the National Cultural Commission(NCC). The importance of such institutions cannot be
understated; they represent the state and more explicitly
the national agenda when it comes to unifying Papua New
Guineans. Moreover, cultural heritage workers (e.g.,anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, and museum
curators) should be encouraged to interact with local
communities in the course of their work. This meansorganising community meetings on fieldwork, recordingsites and origin stories, fielding questions on heritage
law and processes, organising workshops, and speaking
at local schools. This brings cultural heritage down toa personal and more relatable level for the ultimate
stakeholder, i.e., the people.
Third, funding for research and conservation activities
must be prioritized by future governments. Spreading
research and management funding across stakeholder
institutions means an increase in knowledge and awarenessof the issues surrounding cultural heritage. In addition,
funding towards community and provincial heritage projects,
such as local museums (see Ford et al. 2019) and festivals,
will translate to greater ownership of both the tangible andintangible, and can lead to greater cooperation at all levels.
Lastly, a review of PNG’s cultural heritage laws is necessary.
Other commentators have alluded to this need (e.g.,
Denham 2013). The country’s laws for cultural heritage
date back to the 1950s, 1960s, and 1990s. A review should
consider issues relating to land ownership, economic
development and its impact on land and cultural heritage,
having standardised operating procedures, and the exportof cultural artifacts, among others. Updated laws mean
stakeholders and enforcement personnel are better able
to manage cultural heritage.
Further considerations: archaeology as a uniting force
The role of archaeology in discussions of national unity
in PNG is one that should be encouraged beyond academia
and cultural heritage management. The nationalism ideology
has recruited archaeology to validate the existence of anation, and the value of archaeology is in its ability to“produce material evidence of lengthy cultural continuity
and connection with ancestors” (Shnirel'man 2013:14).
Beyond feelings of patriotism and nationalism, archaeologicaldiscoveries situate countries within a global framework.

time, as well as excluding students who over four years of undergraduate study chose to

and the University of Goroka offers the same degree (BA) in Sociology & Anthropology.

undertake the program as a study minor.

5

7

Enrolment figures, 2016 – 16, 2017 – 25, 2018 – 20, 2019 – 20, 2020 – 21, 2021 – 21. UPNG

At higher primary level (Grades 6, 7, 8) Social Science includes as components ‘Culture’

Acceptance Lists for school leavers, 2016-2021.

and ‘History and Change’ but also three other ‘strands’ (‘Civic and Organisation, ‘Environment

6

and Resources’ and ‘Trade’) (Department of Education, 2018).

Figure excludes those re-enrolling, and enrolling as non-high school leavers for the firstof Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Papua
New Guinea, National Capital District 134, Papua New
Guinea2
	School of Social Science, The University of Queensland,
St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
3	School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science,
Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit, Griffith
Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University,
Gold Coast Campus, Queensland 4222, Australia
4	College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook
University, Cairns, Queensland 4811, Australia
5	ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity
and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong,
New South Wales 2522, Australia

Conclusion
Since Mandui first set out his thoughts on the state ofcultural heritage management in PNG fifteen years ago,significant progress has been made. This progress is seenin the steady number of anthropology and archaeology
student intakes at UPNG every year. It is seen in themutual working relationships between the large gas andpetroleum companies and the cultural heritage sector.
Issues remain, of course, such as shortages in funding forthe overall sector; however, this is a challenge for current
cultural heritage stakeholders to properly utilise existingand secure outside resources through collaboration withother local and overseas partners. There is also the added
responsibility of making archaeology and cultural heritageappeal to the national conscious. Through these efforts,
we continue to grow the legacy that Mandui and others
before him left for future Papua New Guineans.

Brucato, N, André, M., Tsang, R., Saag, L., Kariwiga, J.,
Sesuki, K., Beni, T., Pomat, W., Muke, J., Meyer, V., Boland, A.,
Deleuze, J-F., Sudoyo, H., Mondal, M., Pagani, L., Gallego
Romero, I., Metspalu, M., Cox, M.P., Leavesley, M., &Ricaut, F-X. (2021). Papua New Guinean Genomes Reveal
the Complex Settlement of North Sahul, Molecular Biology
and Evolution, 2021, msab238. Retrieved from https://doi.
org/10.1093/molbev/msab238

Acknowledgements
Herman Mandui (1969-2014) was Chief Government
Archaeologist from 2008, and Deputy Director of Scienceand Research at the PNG National Museum & Art Gallery
until his untimely passing. He was a close friend andfrequent collaborator with staff and students of UPNG’s
Anthropology, Sociology & Archaeology Strand. We also
acknowledge the life and work of the late Jo Mangi (d.
2020), former UPNG archaeology and anthropology
lecturer and pioneer in PNG’s cultural heritage sector. We
thank the UPNG Archaeology Laboratory Group, and the
PNG National Museum & Art Gallery.

David, B., McNiven, I.J., Richards, T., Connaughton, S.P.,
Leavesley, M., Barker, B., & Rowe, C. (2011). Lapita sites
in the Central Province of mainland Papua New Guinea.
World Archaeology, 43:4, 576-593.

Appendix (Affiliation of co-authors)	Anthropology, Sociology and Archaeology Strand, School

1

8

Papua New Guinea

The archaeological heritage of PNG has a holistic appeal,
one that should surpass individual tribal and linguistic
groupings, and one that ideally must have national andglobal appeal. An added issue is who and what sets theagenda for archaeological research in PNG. In the first
decade of archaeological research in (then colonial) PNG
from around 1960, expatriate researchers focused
primarily on the antiquity of man, the origins of agriculture,and pottery traditions in both highland and coastal New
Guinea (Allen 1972). By the 1980s to 1990s, the Lapita
culture in the Bismarck Archipelago became the centre ofattention for expatriates and some Papua New Guineanarchaeologists (e.g., Jo Mangi, John Muke) (e.g., Allen &Gosden 1991, Allen & White 1989). More recently the
focus has shifted to incorporating cutting-edge scientificmethods such as genetic evidence (e.g., Brucato et al.
2021) and having more in-depth and equal researchcollaborations between local and international institutions(e.g., the Papuan Past Project 8 ). This collaborativeenvironment ensures Papua New Guineans have a greater
voice in questions of how and in what direction theircultural heritage is investigated. It remains true, however,that even Papua New Guinean archaeologists are notindigenous to the areas where they work, and so differing
priorities will exist between even them and local
communities. Hence these issues need to be voiced on all
sides before conducting research.

References
Allen, J. (1972). The first decade in New Guinea archaeology.
Antiquity, 46:183, 180-190.
Allen, J., & Gosden, C. (Eds.). (1991). Report of the Lapita
homeland project. Occasional papers in prehistory no. 20.
Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Prehistory, Research School ofPacific Studies, Australian National University.
Allen, J., & White, J.P. (1989). The Lapita homeland: somenew data and an interpretation. Journal of the PolynesianSociety 98:129-46.

Clarkson, C., Jacobs, Z., Marwick, B., Fullagar, R., Wallis, L.,
Smith, M., Roberts, R.G., Hayes, E., Lowe, K., Carah, X.,
Florin, S.A., McNeil, J., Cox, D., Arnold, L.J., Hua, Q.,
Huntley, J., Brand, H.E.A., Manne, T., Fairbairn, A.,
Shulmeister, J., Lyle, L., Salinas, M., Page, M., Connell, K.,
Park, G., Norman, K., Murphy, T., & Pardoe, C. (2017).
Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years
ago. Nature, 547: 306–310.

Denham, T. (2013). Traim tasol … Cultural heritage
management in Papua New Guinea. In S. Brockwell, S.
O’Connor & D. Byrne (Eds.), Transcending the Culture–
Nature Divide in Cultural Heritage: Views from the Asia–
Pacific region (pp. 117-127). Canberra: ANU Press.
Department of Education. (2008). History: Upper Secondary
Syllabus. Department of Education, Papua New Guinea:
Port Moresby. Retrieved fromhttps://www.education.gov.pg/quicklinks/secondary-https://papuanpast.hypotheses.org/

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Papua New Guinea

Department of Education. (2018). Social Science syllabus.
Grades 6, 7 & 8. Standards Based. Department of Education,
Papua New Guinea: Port Moresby. Retrieved fromhttps://www.education.gov.pg/quicklinks/primarysyllabus/n.sp-syllabus/sp-socials-cience-syllabus.pdf
digim’Rina, L., Leavesley, M., Kariwiga, J., Beni T., &Sesuki, K. (2018). Salvage archaeology at Portion 2740,
Roku Creek, Caution Bay, Central Province. Unpublished
Report, held at Anthropology, Archaeology & Sociology
Strand, University of Papua New Guinea.
Feeny, S. Leach, M., & Scambary, J. (2012). Measuring
Attitudes to National Identity and Nation-building in
Papua New Guinea. Political Science, 64:2, 121-144.
Ford, A., Carr, A., Mildwater, N., & Summerhayes, G. (2019).
Promoting Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Tourism
Development: Madang, Papua New Guinea. New ZealandInstitute for Pacific Research. Retrieved fromhttps://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/201906/apo-nid242516.pdf
Leavesley, M., Minol, B., Kop, H., & Kewibu, V.H. (2005).
Cross-cultural concepts of archaeology: Kastom, community,
education and cultural heritage management in Papua
New Guinea, Public Archaeology, 4:1, 3-13.
Mandui, H. (2006). What is the future of our past? Papua
New Guineans and cultural heritage. In I. Lilley (Ed.),
Archaeology in Oceania: Australia and the Pacific Islands(pp. 379–382). Oxford: Blackwell.

38

McNiven, I.J., David, B., Richards, T., Aplin, K., Asmussen,B., Mialanes, J., Leavesley M., Faulkner, P. and Ulm, S.
(2011). New direction in human colonisation of the Pacific:
Lapita settlement of south coast New Guinea. AustralianArchaeology, 72:1-6.
N’Drower, F. (2014). Sustainable rural tourism practices
in Madang Province, PNG. Contemporary PNG Studies:DWU Research Journal, 20, 90-102.
Osbourne, D., Harden, R., and Hoy, C. (2017). Economic
analysis of Papua New Guinea. Retrieved from https://interactives.lowyinstitute.org/archive/png-in-2017/
downloads/Osborne_Harden_Hoy_Economics.pdf
Papua New Guinea’s incredible linguistic diversity. (2017).
Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2017/07/20/papua-new-guineas-incrediblelinguistic-diversity
Shnirel’man, V.A. (2013) Nationalism and Archeology,
Anthropology & Archeology of Eurasia, 52:2, 13-32.
Summerhayes, G.R., Leavesley, M., Fairbairn, A., Mandui,
H., Field, J., Ford, A., & Fullagar, R. (2010). Human
adaptation and use of plants in highland New Guinea
49,000-44,000 years ago. Science, 330, 78-81.
United Nations. (2021). Papua New Guinea. Retrieved
from http://data.un.org/en/iso/pg.html

Philippines
Louella Revilla-Baysic, Conservator and Head / Supervisor
Conservation Laboratory, San Agustin Museum, Intramuros, Manila
Projects to safeguard collections in museums and heritage
sites have been put on hold for some time. It is only
during certain instances when COVID-19 cases in the
country are low that the government becomes lenient
and relaxes the Community Quarantine. It is during thisperiod that as cultural workers, we get the opportunity
to continue our tasks, to carry on our responsibility
to maintain museum collections and our rich heritage.
This paper will focus on the conservation efforts mainly
in Intramuros during the pandemic, specifically at San
Agustin Museum, Museo de Intramuros, the Intramuros
walls and fortification, and the collaborative efforts ofcultural entities.
At San Agustin Museum
The San Agustin Museum holds some of the oldest
ecclesiastical collections in the country. It was formerlya monastery located within the San Agustin Church
Compound in Intramuros, Manila. The church was
founded in 1571 and assigned to the Augustinian Friars byPhilippines

Conservation Efforts of Our Heritage During the Pandemic

Miguel López de Legazpi upon the order of King Philip
II of Spain. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage
Site by UNESCO in 1993. The walls of the monastery andthe present museum where the collections are exhibited
are made of adobe. Because of its porous characteristics,
some parts of the wall become damp and powdery overtime. Depending on where the items are stored, thef luctuations in temperature and relative humidity,
inadequate ventilation, and insect infestations are somefactors that affect these centuries-old collections.
Preventive conservation can certainly mitigate andminimize the degradation of our tangible cultural heritage.
Along the cloisters of this former monastery are four
18th century retablos or altars dedicated to particular
saints, known to the Augustinians as the “altars of theprocessions.” The altars represent the journey of a friar tothe priesthood. The retablos pictured below were among
those that needed immediate intervention.

Retablo of Santo Tomás de Villanueva portrayed giving alms to the poor. The upper part is a relief of St. Joseph and the Child Jesus. There are severe groundand paint losses and lifting of paint layers that had to be consolidated to prevent further deterioration. Photographic documentation was done using naturallight and with a thermal vision camera.

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Philippines
The altar dedicated to San Juan de Sahagun . The figure is seen holding a chalice for his symbolic devotion to the Holy Eucharist. The surface required carefulcleaning. Partial consolidation was applied to ground and paint layers that were lifting. The relief of Santa Rita can be found in the attic.

Corner altar dedicated to San Nicolás de Tolentino . The upper panel portrays the finding of the True Cross by St. Helena and Emperor Constantine. Surface
cleaning, partial consolidation of paint layers and reintegration were done. San Guillermo el Ermitaño is depicted in the last photograph wearing theAugustinian habit, resisting the devil’s temptation to leave his penitential ways. This altar is yet to be cleaned and preserved.

This 18th century polychrome wooden image of Mary Magdalene has elaborated floral designs and punched patterns. It was in severe condition. There wasmold and white particles present on the surface. The bottom part had evidence of insect attacks. The image was cleaned, consolidated, and stabilized. Fullrestoration will be done eventually.

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Philippines

The photographs above show the condition and the cleaning process done to a huge painting entitled “The Last Supper” by Luigi Diacobe, exhibited at the Old
Refectory of the Augustinians. The painting was covered with mold and dust. Extensive and careful surface cleaning was successfully done.

At Museo de Intramuros
The Intramuros Administration is the government body
responsible for the orderly restoration and developmentof Intramuros as a monument to the Hispanic periodof Philippine history. Museo de Intramuros, under thisagency, was recently established after the Reconstructionof the San Ignacio Church and the Casa Misión (The
Reconstruction of the San Ignacio Church was included in
the Sixteenth Regular Report) to house their religious andsecular heritage. The Museo de Intramuros is run by the
Intramuros Administration, part of the Cultural Property
Conservation Development Program.

The restoration of the missing parts of a wooden calado with floral, leaf, and bird motif ornamentation was part of their project. The composition wascompleted based on the remaining existing parts. The wood material used is narra, considered as one of the hardest local woods.

The missing parts of a late 19th century wooden altar for the Holy Family image, a 19th century relief depicting the “Crucifixion,” and a polychrome statue
were also restored.

41

Restoration and rehabilitation of Reducto de San Pedro

Philippines
Located within the walls of Intramuros is an artillery storage area called the Reducto de San Pedro (Recent photographs from the Intramuros Administration).

Condition prior to restoration: There were traces of damp roofing used during the 1950s rehabilitation that had contributed to further deterioration of thewalls.

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Philippines

The Reducto de San Pedro is one of the historic
defense systems of Intramuros facing the bay side
(Manila Bay). According to a study of the preparationof the Intramuros Conser vation Management
Plan, Reducto de San Pedro and portions of theseafront walls are the most intact parts of the wallsof Intramuros after World War II. The proposed
project is the activation of Reducto de San Pedro inwhich part of the scope of works is the restorationof the reducto itself, installation of electrical andplumbing facilities, and restoration of the bridgeconnecting the reducto to the main defense wall of
Intramuros (Source: Culture, History, Development.
The Intramuros History. Intramuros Administration).

Collaboration among cultural entities
The restoration of the “Portrait of Rafaela de Erenas,” aJuan Luna painting, is a collaborative work between thePhilippines and the San Agustin Museum. The painting

was acquired by the Intramuros Administration restorationof this significant work upon the approval of the San
Agustin Museum Director.

Juan Luna was a distinguished Filipino painter who painted the Spoliarium. He won several prizes abroad and achieved international recognition in Italy, Spainand France. Juan Luna was born on October 23, 1857, and died in Hong Kong in 1899. His remains were later placed in Niche No. 73 inside the San Agustin
Crypt in the San Agustin Church Compound. The portrait of Juan Luna (1857-1899) (left) appeared in Illustracion Artista on October 20, 1884, as indicated in
the caption placed inside the crypt.

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Philippines

The restoration of this Juan Luna painting is a timely
tribute for Juan Luna’s 164th Birth Anniversary. The
subject in this restored painting, Srta. Rafaela de Erenas,
was a niece of the former Governor General of thePhilippines Don Ramon Blanco Erenas Reira y Polo. She

is depicted wearing regal attire and a headdress most
likely to indicate her social status or political affiliation.
The painting is signed by the artist at the bottom rightwith the following inscription: A la Srta. Da. Rafaela deErenas, signed by LVNA 1895.

Documentation of the painting with a thermal vision camera and the use of UV light.

The painting was mechanically cleaned, deformations were corrected, and loose paint layers were consolidated.

The original canvas support of the painting was already brittle. It was therefore necessary to attach a lining. Ground and paint losses were filled andretouched.

The “pointillism” technique was introduced.

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Philippines

The most recent photo of the painting using illuminated light, after the application of a protective coat

Acknowledgements:
San Agustin Museum, Rev. Fr. Ricky B. Villar, OSA(Director of San Agustin Museum), the Intramuros
Administration, Atty. Guiller B. Asido (IA Administrator),

Ar. Ramil Tibayan (Chief-CPCD, IA), Amelita Guillermo(IA), National Museum, and Roberto Barlarbar (NM).
Photographs courtesy of San Agustin Museum and theIntramuros Administration.

45

Published by
Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)
437-3, Somanouchi-cho, Tenri, 632-0032 Japan
E-mail: nara@accu.or.jp
URL: https://www.nara.accu.or.jp© Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU) 2022

Kyrgyz Republic / Nepal / New Zealand

Papua New Guinea / Philippines