On 19-25th 2015 students of Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, Khazar University and Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction participated at the II International YOCOCU School for students and young professionals on Conservation, Restoration and Management of Archaeological Sites co-arranged by MIRAS Social Organization in Support of Studying of Cultural Heritage and International YOCOCU (Youth in Conservation of Cultural Heritage) Association at Medieval Agsu Town Archaeological Tourism Complex.
At the trainings in the Medieval Agsu Town the teachers were Prof. Dr. Gafar Jabiyev (chief of Agsu Archaeological Expedition), Dr. Silvestro Antonio Ruffolo (Restoration Laboratory of Calabria University, Italy), Dr. Uğur Genç (Central Restoration and Conservation Laboratory, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Turkey), Dr. Fariz Khalilli (Chairman of MIRAS Social Organization in Support of Studying of Cultural Heritage) and Ughur Giyasi (restorer-architect of MIRAS Social Organization). Exchange of views and practice were held on the topics of restoration and conservation principles, restoration laboratory, stone materials, chemical analyses and archaeometry, nano-technological methods in mud brick conservation during the course. The students of Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts on faculties of art critic, tourism, hotel, museum studies, archives and monuments defense, art, design, cultural studies, as well as history and geography faculty of Khazar University and architecture faculty of University of Architecture and Construction draw upon their collective expertise to arrive at more effective conservation solutions via theoretical and practical ways.
The course is focused on students and young professionals engaged in conservation and management of archaeological sites based on the multidisciplinary solutions and collaboration. In content and structure, the course has been developed to address the following topics and skills as they pertain to interdisciplinary approaches to the conservation and valorisation of Agsu site.
The Participants were granted the certificates.
The students had an excursion to Medieval Shikhmezid Monument and early medieval Mehravan town which the Expedition studied in 2013-2015, as well as AzGranata Juice and Wine Plant. The practical work was applied on ironwares and mud brick constructions. The students documented the revealed iron things revealed upon archaeological explorations in Medieval Agsu Town, cleansed them and made conservation in the lesson of Ugur Genc. They made conservation of both new and historical mud brick constructions with the help of nanomaterials in Silvestro Ruffolo’s lesson. The samples will be again examined next year.
III YOCOCU Agsu School is decided to be held in October 2016.