Samarkand (Uzbekistan)

Coordinator/Mission Manager

Simone Mantellini

Field of research and classifications

Archaeological disciplines from prehistory to the medieval age

VRA: area 10

ERC: SH 6, The study of the human past: archaeology, history and memory

SDG: 4) Quality education

Prevalent type of public engagement

Organising initiatives for the valorisation, consultation and sharing of research

Other public engagement initiatives

Description

The main activity consists of organising guided visits to the Kafir Kala site during the mission period and therefore while excavations are in progress. The visits involve both organised Italian tourist groups and student and teacher groups from local schools and universities in Samarkand.

Secondly, the archaeological base of the Italian mission, located in the historical centre of the city of Samarkand, has for many years served as a reference point and meeting place for international and local scholars, both archaeologists and non-archaeologists, including those only passing through the city for a few days. Dinners featuring Italian food, invitations to drink a coffee made with a moka pot, or evening conversations under the pergola on summer evenings are some examples of sharing between apparently different people and cultures, but in reality all the activities taking place at the Italian archaeological base were part of a ‘third mission’.

Locations and periods

Samarkand, Uzbekistan, May-June / August-September annually. Next campaign: 9 May-17 June 2023

Collaborations and partners

Department of History and Cultures - UNIBO: Simone Mantellini (Mission Director)

Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, Uzbek Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage - UMTCH: Samaritdin Suyunov (UIAP Project Co-Director)

National Center of Archaeology, Uzbek Academy of Sciences, Tashkent: Farhod Maksudov (Director)

International Institute for Central Asian Studies -IICAS, UNESCO, Samarkand: Dmitry Voyakin (Director)

Faculty of History, Samarkand State University - SAMSU: Dilfuza Djurakulova (Director)

Department of Archaeology, Silk Road International University of Tourism, Samarkand: Mastura Sidikova (Director)

Objectives and audiences involved

The project envisages the involvement of local actors at several levels:

- Institutions and local authorities, to share research and engage in various kinds of results dissemination in the form of publications, exhibitions, and issue-specific meetings aimed at an audience of specialists and non-specialists alike;

- Students and local schools at various levels: involvement and awareness-raising focused protecting and preserving archaeological heritage through meetings held at schools and guided visits to ongoing excavations;

- Citizens: the numerous campaigns and prolonged stays on site (an average of 50 days/year) have inevitably entailed a continuous dialogue with citizens: from the taxi driver to the cook, from the bazaar shopkeeper to the restaurateur, every occasion is an opportunity to explain the reasons behind our work and our relationship with the people and local area.

 Impact and evaluation tools

The number of visitors brought on tours of the Kafir Kala site amounts to an estimated 500 people over the course of approx. 10 years. The number of people hosted at the archaeological base is instead estimated to be approx. 200 between 2001 and 2008.

Media coverage: with few exceptions, guided tours of the Kafir Kala site were never organised in advance with tour operators. They were set up through the initiative of the local guide, a student who had learned Italian at the Institute of Foreign Languages in Samarkand and carried out training at our mission, who offered tourists a visit to the excavations in progress even though tours were not included in the original programme. The same applies to the archaeological base of the Italian mission. With the exception of local foreign colleagues working in the region, many scholars became aware of our base through word of mouth. 

Keywords

Samarkand, Public Archaeology, Community Engagement