Seminar was held at the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology (ICUA) in Zadar, Croatia
*
In May
2023, UNESCO (https://www.unesco.org/en
; https://www.facebook.com/unesco/
) organised a seminar on underwater archaeology for heritage specialists from
Central Asia and the Caucasus. The seminar was held at the International Centre
for Underwater Archaeology (ICUA) in Zadar, Croatia (https://www.icua.hr/en ; https://www.facebook.com/people/International-Centre-for-Underwater-Archaeology-in-Zadar/100057364693539/
).
The
training seminar covered theoretical and practical aspects of underwater
archaeology and lasted two weeks. The seminar participants studied the history,
methodology, legislation and ethics of underwater archaeology, and also had the
opportunity to practice underwater research and documentation.
The seminar
was organised within the framework of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection
of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and met the needs of the region.
The UNESCO
Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage is an
international document, which was adopted in 2001 and entered into force in
2009. Its goal is to protect and preserve the rich and diverse heritage hidden
under water surface. Underwater cultural heritage includes all traces of human
existence, having a cultural, historical or archaeological character, which are
under water in full or partially.
In 2019,
the first UNESCO Regional Consultation on this topic was held in Almaty,
Republic of Kazakhstan. It identified the need to build capacity in the
identification, assessment and management of the protection of underwater
cultural heritage in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Representatives
of Georgia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan participated in the seminar. The
participants highlighted the importance of the underwater cultural heritage in
their countries and regions and discussed the need to expand professional and
institutional knowledge in underwater archaeology in order to preserve their
heritage.
In
September 2023, ICUA plans to hold a second training course on the conservation
and restoration of underwater archaeological finds, which will be a
continuation of the first seminar and will be aimed at deepening the
participants' knowledge and skills. ICUA is the only UNESCO Category 2 centre
specialising in underwater archaeology. It was founded in 2009. Since then, the
centre has been actively promoting the 2001 Convention and facilitating the
capacity building in underwater archaeology.
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