The International Seminar on “Silk Road Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Protection, Future Connection and Sharing” was held in Xi’an, China from December 2 to 5, 2024.
The scientific event was organized by the Shaanxi Provincial Education Department, the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and Northwest University.
The second Plenary Meeting of the Academic Committee of the “Cooperative Center for Archaeological Research of the Silk Road” was held as part of the event. Gulmira Mukhtarova, Director of the “Esik” State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, participated in the meeting as Director of the “Esik” Branch of the Center.
The seminar featured presentations by scientists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Israel, and Russia. G. Mukhtarova made a presentation on the topic “The cultural complex of early nomads in the Sarytogay Valley in Kazakhstan” (based on the results of scientific research at the “Esik” museum-reserve).
Gulmira Mukhtarova held a meeting with Zhao Zhong, Director of the Joint Archaeological Research Center of the Silk Road, and Wang Jianxing, a leading researcher at the center. The parties discussed the plan and goals of the Esik branch of the Joint Archaeological Research Center of the Silk Road.
A meeting was held with the team of the Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology, with whom the museum-reserve has been conducting joint archaeological research since 2016. At the meeting, the prospects of joint projects were discussed, excavation sites conducted by the Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology were visited, materials from the fund where objects found during excavations are stored were reviewed, and opinions were exchanged. Gulmira Mukhtarova also visited the Chin Han Palace of the Shaanxi History Museum, gave an interview to a local TV channel and shared her impressions of the museum.
Gulmira Mukhtarova, at the special invitation of the Xi’an TV channel management, got acquainted with the preparation for the release of a documentary about the joint work of the Rakhat monument, the Esik Museum-Reserve and the Shaanxi Archaeological Institute, filmed in 2024-2025 in Kazakhstan. She got acquainted with the exhibition at Northwestern University dedicated to archaeological excavations along the Silk Road.
During the three-day business trip, a comprehensive meeting was held with colleagues who have worked closely together for several years, and prospects for advancing joint projects and the results of scientific work were discussed. The visit was fruitful, and preliminary agreements were reached on a number of works to be carried out jointly in the museum sphere in the future.
