Representatives of the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, USA) have arrived in Turkmenistan on another official visit to continue a project focused on the conservation and restoration of fragments of a 5th-century Buddha head statue discovered in Ancient Merv. This was reported by the news agency “Turkmenistan: Golden Age”.
 
The work has been ongoing for several years at the State Museum of the State Cultural Center of Turkmenistan. The project is being implemented within the framework of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) program and is significant for the study of Silk Road history and the preservation of cultural heritage.

The expert team includes Dr. Suzanne Gansicke, head of the Antiquities Conservation Department at the Getty Museum, restorer Fabio Colombo, and 3D visualization specialist Giuseppe Salemi. At the current stage, the specialists have applied 3D printing technology and created a full-scale model of the Buddha’s head to strengthen the artifact and clarify missing elements.

During the visit of U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, a delegation including Special Assistant Vanessa Vidal Castellanos, Special Advisor Joseph Gunnar Sidak, and U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan Elizabeth Rood visited the State Museum laboratory.

Professor Suzanne Gansicke presented the progress of the restoration work to participants and demonstrated the digital model and research results. The historical significance of the artifact was emphasized.

The sculpture fragment was discovered in Ancient Merv in 1960 and dates back to the 5th century. It is part of a stupa—a Buddhist religious structure located in the city, which in antiquity was an important hub of the Great Silk Road.

According to researchers, after the destruction of the stupa, Buddhist monks may have hidden the fragment to protect it from destruction.

Suzanne Gansicke expressed gratitude to the leadership of Turkmenistan and the United States for supporting the project, as well as to the U.S. State Department for its attention to the specialists’ work.

The visit of American restorers will last until June 20. The joint work of specialists from both countries is aimed at preserving the archaeological monument and developing cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Turkmenistan and the United States.