Two days ago, the first stage of the project aimed at preserving the Buddha’s head from the sculpture dated the V century, found in ancient Merv in the 60s of the last century, was completed.

The project is executed jointly with the State Museum of the State Cultural Center of Turkmenistan and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

In January, a delegation of the J. Paul Getty Museum, consisting of Ms. Suzanne Gensike, Head of the Department for the Preservation of Antiquities of the J. Paula Getty, Mr. Fabio Colombo, conservator in private practice, Mr. Giuseppe Salami, Professor at the University of Padova and specialist in 3D computer visualization, arrived in Turkmenistan on a week-long visit.

The first stage included a preliminary examination, photo documentation and photogrammetry of the Buddha’s head. 12 clay fragments of the head were recorded, 10 small samples of face were taken for further research. These steps will allow to understand the preservation condition and use 3D elements and images for reconstruction of the artefact.

Experts of the J. Paul Getty Museum, together with the specialists of the State Museum, believe that these efforts can provide unique information about the less studied Buddhist heritage of Turkmenistan.

During their stay in the country, the Getty Museum delegation held presentations and shared their experience with their Turkmen colleagues. The first event was a discussion with museum specialists of Turkmenistan about the Getty Museum, its history and possibilities. The second event with the participation of students of the Faculty of Cultural Heritage of the Turkmen State Institute of Culture was dedicated to equipment for 3D scanning and printing.

This year, J. Paul Getty Museum and the State Museum of the State Cultural Center of Turkmenistan will conduct one more stage of work, which includes training local students who will be able to provide support in current work on the preservation of the Buddha’s head.

Let’s remind that State Museum of the State Cultural Center of Turkmenistan received a grant on conduction of the restoration of an ancient monumental statue of Buddha from the “Ambassadors Fund for the preservation of cultural heritage” at the Embassy of the United States of America in Ashgabat.

To date, the” Ambassadors' Fund for the preservation of cultural heritage” has supported 30 projects in Turkmenistan.