EPIGRAPHIC MONUMENTS REQUIRE CONSTANT ATTENTION

  Another online seminar from the series”Material Culture of the Zerafshan Valley” was held in cooperation  with the Asien-Afrika-Institut of the Universität Hamburg (Germany) and Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Center (Uzbekistan). At the seminar, Associate Professor of the Department of Archeology of the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek Bobir Aminov gave a lecture on the topic “Epigraphic monuments on the territory of Uzbekistan: problems of historical research and museification”.

The scientist noted that in recent times,  our goverment  pay attention  to the preservation of various monuments and historical objects related to cultural heritage, their storage in closed buildings and museums and wide opportunity is being created for archaeological research, search for collection and studying archival materials.

At the same time, B. Aminov paid much attention to the problems and challenges in studying of epigraphic monuments.

In particular, he noted that in the process of restoration of the inscriptions of buildings found in the  result of archaeological excavations, there is  some changes in words and sentences. For example, the texts of mosaic inscriptions on the walls of the Chashmai Ayub mosque in Bukhara and the Blue Dome mosque in Shakhrisabz were distorted.

The historical inscription on the facade of the Buyonkulikhon mausoleum in the Sayfiddin Bokharzi complex in Bukhara has not been restored due to the impact of climate. Restoration work can be carried out with the participation of experienced restorers by using old photographs.

The researcher paid special attention to tombstone inscriptions, which occupy an important place in epigraphy. Since tombstones are more durable than architectural structures, they are better preserved and have a much higher historical value.

 It would be good if attention was paid to the preservation of monuments. They contain valuable information about historical figures whose names are not always found in the sources, their epithets,dates of birth and death”, the scientist said. In a word, various historical complexes, cemeteries, architectural structures and tombstones on the territory of Uzbekistan reveal unknown aspects of our past as a historical source and provide important materials for such branches of history as epigraphy, source studies, onomastics, chronology, Islamic studies.

The seminar continued with  question and answer process.