The SARAT - Safeguarding Archaeological Assets of Turkey - Project and Its Achievements (20 min)

Presenters

Gül Pulhan, British Institute at Ankara

Abstract

Safeguarding Archaeological Assets of Turkey (SARAT) took place between 2017–2020 with the goals of increasing knowledge, capacity, and awareness for the protection of Turkey’s diverse, and at times threatened archaeological assets. The British Institute at Ankara (BIAA) designed and directed the project in partnership with Koç University Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (ANAMED) and the United Kingdom branch of International Council of Museums (ICOM UK). The project came to life with a large grant from the United Kingdom Cultural Protection Fund. Safeguarding Archaeological Assets of Turkey developed and implemented five interconnected programs with different educational, research, and community engagement emphases. An online certificate program on Safeguarding and Rescuing Archaeological Assets became a pioneer initiative in disaster risk management for cultural heritage and reached out to thousands of people and built professional capacity in the heritage community across Turkey and abroad. The targeted workshops and interviews with journalists, academics, heritage stakeholders at local levels, and with registered antiquities collectors highlighted the issues and concerns of these different segments of the heritage community while providing valuable networking and awareness of each other’s existence. Finally, the first public opinion poll in Turkey to investigate the perception of archaeology by people was initiated and carried out by SARAT. These programs were complemented with publications, customized videos and promotional social media campaigns. The project embraced a holistic approach both toward archaeological assets and toward the people who are interacting with archaeological assets, avoiding categories such as movable-immovable, or registered-unregistered, or archaeologist-art historian. Safeguarding Archaeological Assets of Turkey’s philosophy emphasized the scientific value of archaeological assets, the importance of context and the integrity of archaeological deposits. While the short- and medium-term impact of the project has been measured, the most remarkable outcome was the bringing together of the diverse and unrecognized human resources potential of Turkey in the field of cultural heritage.