compiled by Çiler Çilingiroğlu (cilingirogluciler@hotmail.com)

UNESCO's Cultural Heritage Protection Handbooks translated into Turkish by Istanbul-based NGO

by Saadet Güner & Mahmut Aydın (sguner.kumid@gmail.com)

Kültürel Mirasın Dostları Derneği – KUMID (Friends of Cultural Heritage-FOCUH) was established in 2006 as a non-governmental, volunteer-based association in Istanbul, Turkey. Its volunteers and executive board encompass academic scholars, researchers, archaeologists, and private citizens dedicated to supporting the aim of protecting cultural heritage in Turkey and in the World. FOCUH is one of the Institutional Members of Pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage (EUROPA NOSTRA), The Hague, The Netherlands since May 18, 2006 and one of the members of the Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies, Vienna, Austria since 2006.

 

 First introduction event for UNESCO-“CULTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION HANDBOOK” and ceremony for the 10th Anniversary of FOCUH took place with the participation of the representative from Turkish National Commission for UNESCO and related sectors from Istanbul on March 11th 2016 at Maritime Museum, Beşiktaş, Istanbul / TURKEY (© Friends of Cultural Heritage)

FOCUH’s members have published widely in journals and book publications, and it has acted as a lead or partner for various European Union (EU) projects. FOCUH has presented numerous papers at national and international conferences held in Turkey, Austria, France, Italy, Jordan, Georgia and Azerbaijan.FOCUH celebrated the 10th anniversary of its establishment by translating the six volumes of the UNESCO “Cultural Heritage Protection Handbook” (*) into Turkish, and then publishing and distributing with its own means in 2016.  The publishing work (1000 Numbers) was crowned with an authorization to use logos of UNESCO Headquarters and the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO on the publications.


Figure 1: (*) First of the six books translated into Turkish. UNESCO- Cultural Heritage Protection Handbooks: 1-Security at Museums, 2-Care and Handling of Manuscripts, 3-Documentation of Artefacts’ Collection, 4-Disaster Risk Management for Museums, 5- Handling of Collections in Storage,6-Securing Heritage of Religious Interest.(© Friends of Cultural Heritage) 

The six handbooks were translated into Turkish in cooperation between FOCUH, Istanbul / TURKEY, Turkish National Commission for UNESCO, Ankara / TURKEY and UNESCO Headquarter, Paris / FRANCE. Those handbooks expose core principles for the six topics of security at museums, securing heritage of religious interest, disaster risk management for museums, documentation of artefacts’ collections, and care and handling of manuscripts and of collections in storage. Those principles are aimed to guide museums, religious heritage managers, museums experts, security officers, collectors and all others concerned.  There is no doubt that applying those principles is less expensive, yet more effective than conservation and restoration activities.

An event introducing the UNESCO-“CULTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION HANDBOOK” and ceremony for the 10th Anniversary of FOCUH took place with the participation of the representative from the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO and related sectors from Istanbul on March 11th 2016 at the Maritime Museum, Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey.  At the end of the event, FOCUH members and those contributing to the Turkish translation of the handbooks posed for a family photo and FOCUH’s President, presented a set of handbooks to the Representative of the Maritime Museum’s Director in order to give a symbolic start to the distribution of the handbooks in Turkey.

To ensure the sustainability and distribution, and to increase public awareness of UNESCO-Cultural Heritage Handbook, FOCUH organized a lecture series in different cities across Turkey (such as Mardin, Batman, İzmir, Kocaeli and İstanbul) in May 2016, with the kind and voluntarily contributions of its members. Thanks to the first introductory event, lecture series, and news published on national media and social media, UNESCO-“CULTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION HANDBOOK” Activity of FOCUH reached approximately 20,000 people in Turkey.  FOCUH plans to continue outreach activities in 2017.

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Ceramic Ethnoarchaeology and Experimental Archaeology in Bardakçı (Van/TURKEY): Production of Urartian Red Glossy Pottery

by Atilla Batmaz (atilla.batmaz@ege.edu.tr)

 The Urartian Kingdom reigned from the 9th to the 6th centuries BC, and the capital city was located in Van, Turkey. Van is full of innumerable works and monuments of this kingdom. One of the most important surviving legacies of the Urartian Kingdom, which reigned over Eastern Anatolia, Armenia, and northwest Iran for more than two centuries, is Urartian Red Polished Pottery, also called red glossy ware, which has unique characteristics. Apart from the red colour that gives this pottery its name, the pottery achieved its final appearance with an intensive burnish polishing process.

It is thought that this process was arduous, and required a high level of technical skill. This pottery is also called the “Biainili”, and it is from this name that the city of Van is derived. This pottery is diagnostic for the Urartian culture owing to its thick, bright red slip. It is seen at almost all Urartian fortresses. The fact that it was found in small quantities at the fortresses, is arduous to make, and is highly aesthetically pleasing, lead us to believe that this ware may have been used by the ruling elite; leading some to call it “Palace Ware”. The highest quality examples of this type of pottery were produced in the Basin of Lake Van – the centre of the kingdom – and a marked drop in quality is observed the further one goes from the centre.


Two Urartian forms produced experimentally: A korutezen and a one handled trefoil jug (© Atilla Batmaz)

Although this pottery is very well-known to researchers of Urartian heritage, there is no study focussing on its technology and production chain. Therefore, since 2011 a team composed of the author, a specialist on Urartian Kingdom, ceramic engineers, ceramic specialists and local workshop owners have been carrying out a project on ethnological, ethnoarchaeological and experimental archaeology in the Bardakçı Village in Van, which is famous for traditional pottery making. The project has two main aims: one is to unlock the secrets of how Urartian potters produced the Urartian red glossy ware. Second is to document the fine details of the traditional pottery making methods of Bardakçı Village. This includes what type of clay should be used for specific forms, preparing the clay for treatment, and details of pottery making terminology in Bardakçı Village.

Starting at the beginning of the project, the team’s knowledge of technology and production methods of red polished pottery was limited. We therefore decided that an experimental archaeological study would be the best method to answer questions. The team came to the conclusion that the local clay beds found in the region were likely to have been used in the Urartian period, and we therefore used the clay from these sources in our experiments. Since the nature of the clay is thought to be the same as that used by ancient Urartians, it is rather easy to answer questions such as how this particular clay should be treated, how to shape it and to determine the best firing temperature.

Osman Eşme and his children are collecting pots for placing into the kiln (© Atilla Batmaz)

One important factor of the team’s research is the ethnoarchaeological aspect involved. While studying the production methods of Urartian pottery, the team members document the ethnographical backgrounds of Bardakçı workshops and integrate this knowledge with archaeological data from Urartian sites. The traditional handcraft production of pottery still ongoing in Van City is of great value for research on Urartian pottery. The last known potter producing Bardakçı pottery is Osman Eşme. Mr. Eşme provides the team with information on traditional techniques, knowledge of which will help the team rediscover ancient methods. In Bardakçı Village, pottery is shaped via a kick-wheel with a disc spun on a long spindle. The pottery is placed in the upper area of an arched, rounded and sectioned kiln. It has three arches, an open top, heating from below and pottery fired in a heap above. These characteristics may cast a light on the ancient production sequence. Once completed, we will hopefully have a broad understanding of Urartian ceramic technology and production methods of red glossy ware.

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UNESCO's World Heritage Committee Publishes Istanbul Declaration

The 40th session of the World Heritage Committee was held from 10 to 20 July 2016 at the Istanbul Congress Centre. The committee made a declaration for the increasing threats to cultural heritage all over the world in 11 July 2016.

The 40th session of the World Heritage Committee. Copyright: ©UNESCO Author: Eric Esquivel

The declaration reads as follows:

We, members of the World Heritage Committee, gathered in Istanbul today on 11 July 2016 on the occasion of its 40th session, declare the following:

Fully aware of the paramount importance of cultural and natural heritage for people’s values, identities and memory, as well as for sustainable social and economic development;

Fully determined to harness cultural heritage as a force for dialogue and mutual understanding, to foster a sense of common history and the intellectual and moral solidarity of humanity, as the lasting foundation for peace, in the Spirit of UNESCO Constitution;

Bearing in mind the task entrusted to UNESCO by its Constitution, to ensure conservation and protection of the world’s inheritance of books, works of art and monuments of history and science;

Mindful of UNESCO’s acquis on the protection of cultural and natural heritage; Recalling the relevant United Nations Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions, especially UNSC 2199 (2015) and 2253 (2015);

Welcoming the references to culture in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that recognize and reinforce the important role of culture and cultural diversity in peaceful and inclusive societies and sustainable development;

Reaffirming the commitment made by the 2015 Bonn Declaration on World Heritage in order to strengthen the international protection of cultural and natural heritage;

Welcoming the 2016 Ngorongoro Declaration on Safeguarding African World Heritage as a Driver of Sustainable Development; Expressing serious concern about the destruction of and particularly the growing number of deliberate attacks against cultural heritage worldwide;

Emphasizing that cultural diversity is essential and contributes to the richness of the common cultural heritage of mankind, and therefore must be respected, celebrated and protected;

Deeply distressed by the increase of illegal excavations, as well as looting and illicit trafficking of artefacts which poses serious threat to World Heritage;

Recognizing also the negative impact of factors such as climate change, environmental hazards and increasing social and economic pressure on heritage properties;

Reiterating our commitment to the Global Coalition for #Unite4Heritage campaign launched by the Director‐General;

Fully cognizant that the 1972 World Heritage Convention is the most effective international instrument for the protection of the world’s cultural and natural heritage that are increasingly threatened with destruction not only by the traditional causes of decay;

Also recognizing the increasing constraints impeding the proper implementation of the Convention, such as the lack of financial and human resources which threatens the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund;

***

Invite all States Parties to consider innovative and effective solutions in a determined way to better address the evolving needs in heritage preservation;

Strongly encourage all States Parties to contribute financially both by budgetary and extra‐budgetary means to secure without further delay full and sound implementation of the Convention;

Remind all States Parties of their obligation to safeguard cultural and natural heritage of Outstanding Universal Value at national and international levels and to take all appropriate legislative measures in that direction where necessary;

Call upon States Parties to integrate the protection of cultural and natural heritage in their policy making processes and security strategies;

Call for a relevant and significant international assistance mechanism providing a more coherent expertise and resources sharing approach, as intensified international cooperation lies in the heart of the Convention;

Call on States Parties to exercise proactive policy supported by decisive initiatives towards protection and restoration of cultural and natural heritage sites, especially those included on the List of World Heritage in Danger;

Invite States Parties to reflect on how to better increase synergies between UNESCO’s Culture Conventions; as well as continue on‐going collaboration to enhance synergies between biodiversity conventions;

Unanimously commit ourselves to promote and implement the objectives of this Declaration.

Source: http://whc.unesco.org/  

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Protohistoric Excavations in Bayraklı-Tepekule Mound (Old Smyrna)

by Aylin Erdem (aylin.erdem@ege.edu.tr)

Bayraklı-Tepekule Mound (Old Smyrna) is located in the centre of Bayraklı district in the İzmir province, western Turkey. It covers an area of approximately 100 hectares and is surrounded by the modern settlement. Excavations, carried out since 1948, provide the earliest date for this settlement, which goes back to the 3rd millennium BC. However, very little data have been unearthed related to the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC, since the focal point of the old period excavations was to excavate the Hellenic period. The reason behind this is that remains of a large Hellenic city were still evident on the mound.

The excavated area of Bronze Age remains at Old Smyrna (© Aylin Erdem)

Excavation of the protohistoric periods of the settlement have been initiated by the present author under the new excavations period since 2014, directed by Prof. Dr. Cumhur Tanrıver from Ege University-İzmir. The protohistoric excavations conducted in Trench H during 2015 and 2016 enable us to understand more about the 2nd millennium BC. The first results of the excavations demonstrate that the cultural deposits of Trench H present material dating to the Late and Middle Bronze Ages. The earliest level of this area, for now, dates to the end of the Middle Bronze Age. The typical ceramic traditions of the 2nd millennium BC, such as Grey Wares, Silver and Gold Wash Wares, Red Slipped Wares and other common ware groups were uncovered from these layers. Apart from the ceramic finds, architectural features such as pithoi, ovens and hearths in these rooms suggest that this area was mostly used for domestic purposes. Our aim in the following years is to expose earlier levels and to unravel the Early Bronze Age remains.

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