Central Asian Archaeological Landscapes

Creating an online open-access database of heritage sites in Central Asia: combining satellite imagery, archival records, ground survey.

From megacities to religious sites, from nomadic camps to burial mounds, from mountain forts to complex water management systems, there is an astounding range of archaeological heritage across Central Asia. While many of these sites are already protected by state legislation, a very significant number are not. A vast range of heritage is rapidly disappearing through recent urban expansion, changing agricultural practices, rural depopulation, and the effects of climate change.

Our multinational and multidisciplinary teams are digitising existing archives and records; consolidating information held by regional institutions and research centres into a single multilingual catalogue. Using satellite imagery, we are identifying existing and new sites, examining changes over time as well as creating an interactive map using the ARCHES data management platform (developed by the Getty Conservation Institute and World Monuments Fund). These integrated desk-based resources are then used to prioritise field visits which confirm new sites and the state of preservation, improve documentation through high resolution photographs and condition reporting, assess threats, and contribute to decision-making by local heritage professionals.

The project is creating a shared space for archaeologists, architects, conservation professionals, as well as the wider public interested in the fascinating and varied archaeological heritage of Central Asia.

Project Details


Location: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Central Asia, Asia Organiser(s): University College London (UCL) Project partner(s): International Institute for Central Asian Studies (Samarkand, UZ); Northwest University Xi'an (PRC) Funder(s): Arcadia Funding received: $3,857,448 Commencement Date: 01/2018 Project Status: Active
Project owner? Update this project



Related Projects

Archive Collage

Understanding Mandate Palestine through the publications and archive of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem

This project digitised 33000 pages of rare books (1619-1950) and archives (1919-1950) from the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem, preserving endangered materials on M…

Explore project
EAP1402 Pub003

19th-century documents from the Peruvian asylum el Manicomio del Cercado

The Victor Larco Herrera Hospital in the centre of Lima, Peru, was closed in 1917. Its archives, dating back to 1859, consist of medical documentation as well as administrativ…

Explore project
EAP1306 Silk Museum

The Caucasian Silk Circle: Digitising Photo Collection of the State Silk Museum in Georgia

The State Silk Museum of Georgia holds the only documentary evidence of the practice of sericulture in the 19th century. Taken during expeditions of the Caucasian Sericulture …

Explore project