Natural Science in Archaeology

Transcription

1 Natural Science in Archaeology Series Editors Bernd Herrmann Günther A. Wagner For further volumes:

2

3 Claudio Margottini Editor After the Destruction of Giant Buddha Statues in Bamiyan (Afghanistan) in 2001 A UNESCO s Emergency Activity for the Recovering and Rehabilitation of Cliff and Niches

4 Editor Claudio Margottini Department of Geological Survey of Italy ISPRA Italian Institute for Protection and Environmental Research Rome Italy First published by Edition Viterbo Italy February 2009 Union Printing S.p.A ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / Springer Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London Library of Congress Control Number: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, speci fi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on micro fi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied speci fi cally for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a speci fi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Cover figure : crimson Fotolia.com Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (

5 To Ines, Simone and Matteo

6

7 Foreword Afghanistan s history can be traced back to when the land was called Ariana. The native culture of Afghanistan was built on and influenced by Persian and Hellenistic cultures, and later from Indian culture. A mixture of indigenous and foreign cultures through the centuries created something unique, which deserves to be called the crossroads of civilisation. Bamiyan means the place of shining light. There is great beauty in the variegated colours of its rugged lines in its folded hills. The central valley of Bamiyan is located at 2,500 meters, and is watered by two rivers flowing down from sources in the Kuh-e Baba: the Kakrak River to the east and the Foladi River to the west. The principle archaeological sites are located in the long east-west central valley of Bamiyan and in the Kakrak and Foladi river valleys. The nucleus of Bamiyan s cultural legacy was formed by the two colossal Buddha images carved at the eastern and western ends of a high cliffs, which face the central valley. Some thousand caves are also cut into the cliff face and decorated with a rich variety of murals. The Buddhist art of Bamiyan, which enjoyed a renaissance in Central Afghanistan after the collapse of the earlier Gandharan culture, spread to and influenced various countries along the Silk Road. Despite strong international demands for the protection of Bamiyan, the Taliban regime blew up the two giant Buddhas in March The world was stunned and shocked by this news. Immediately after the collapse of the Taliban regime in December 2001, UNESCO responded quickly to the challenge of rehabilitating Afghanistan s endangered cultural heritage which, in some instances, had suffered irreversible damage and loss. Since 2002, an international project, funded by the UNESCO Japan Funds-in Trust for Preservation of the World Cultural Heritage and coordinated by UNESCO, has been operating in Bamiyan. Finally, in 2003, the site of Bamiyan is inscribed in the World Heritage List of UNESCO, as Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan. Moreover, a Cultural landscape represents the combined works of nature and of man, which express a long and intimate relationship between people and their natural environment. Bamiyan is certainly a flagship of this UNESCO World heritage List category. To prevent the cliffs from collapsing where the Buddhas once stood and the crumbling of the niches because of the explosion in 2001, an international vii

8 viii Foreword effort, at the border of a real adventure in science and restoration, was made by scientists from different part of world. The present book is impressively reporting the successful work conducted to stabilize cliff and niches, otherwise at very high risk of collapse. The importance of the endeavour is clearly described as well as the cooperative efforts of all partners concerned, including the people living here. Under the essential economic support of the Government of Japan, this project was an example of a UNESCO initiative, in which high technologies and knowledge were applied in a remote part of the world, with a strong Afghan support and essential local cooperation. Also, the many disciplines involved and reported in this book, it clearly demonstrates the importance of a close collaboration among experts coming from different science sectors and magnifying the catalyst effect of these precious heritage of outstanding universal value. Our endeavour, in close cooperation with the Afghans and international communities, is continuing today to preserve the precious site for future generations. Francesco Bandarin UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Paris, France

9 Acknowledgments The editor wishes to express his gratitude to all the people who made possible this relevant project and all the authors contributing to this book. I hope this experience will remain in their memory as a milestone in friendship, in cooperating for the renaissance of a marvelous Country, and in serving a very important issue: maintaining the traces of human beings on planet Earth, despite the many natural and human attacks they have to sustain. A particular acknowledgment goes to those people who encouraged the development of this activity, also providing data and materials; a special thanks to Mr. Paul Bucherer-Dietschi, Director of the Swiss Afghan Museum in exile and the Bibliotheca Afghanica Foundation, Zurich (Switzerland) for providing many of the historical pictures used this book; and Mr. Kazuya Yamauchi, National Research Institute for Cultural Property (NRICP), head of the Regional Environmental Section, Tokyo (Japan). Logistics in Afghanistan were quite difficult and the UNESCO local people provided excellent support in the last 12 years: to mention Brendan Cassar, Francois Langlois, Andy Miller, Masanori Nagaoka, Sara Noshadi, Emal Rasuli, Reza Shafiri and Jim Williams is more than a simple acknowledgement; they were really the engine of a complex system of relations and care for our safety. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris demonstrated, once more, their high professionalism, organizing 12 years of very difficult tasks in a perfect manner: a special thanks is due to Roland Lin, Feng Jing, Junhi Han, Giovanni Boccardi, Christian Manhart, Sabrina Zannier, Francis Childe, Sarah Franke, and Junko Okahashi for their care in coordination, preparation, and support of the field missions. Essential support was offered by the many colleagues and representatives of the Afghan Government who provided a great collaboration in all phases of this project. Thanks to the people of Bamiyan, to the Major, the Governor of Bamiyan Province, experts and of fi cials from the Afghan Ministry of Culture and Information (MoCI), representatives of Afghan Government. Last but not least my friend Mr. Abdul Ahad Abbassy, Director, Department of Historical Monuments, MoCI. The editor would like to thank the many ICOMOS colleagues who contributed to this important result with many discussions and brain storming. The editor is extremely grateful to Prof. M. Pellegrini for continued suggestions and stimulation; unfortunately, he passed away in Many thanks to Prof. P. Canuti for reviewing the manuscript and for helpful advice. ix

10 x Acknowledgments The more practical aspects of this paper were elaborated with Dr. Eng. V. Manassero and Dr. Eng. B. Vingiani, with the collaboration of Mr. D. Fallini from Rodio (now TREVI S.p.A.). Their support was extremely important in de fi ning the operational part of the proposed project. A special thank is also due to my friend Dr. Eng. O. Pandol fi, President of Fondazione Marenostrum and manager of Carrera marble caves, who gave his support in new techniques for consolidating a highly unstable cliff. Many colleagues gave their help and support in the development of laboratory investigations. It is a pleasure to thank Prof. Piero Manetti (University of Florence) for support in mineralogical and petrographical investigations, Prof. Tatiana Rotonda (University of Rome1) for petro-geophysical investigations, Dr. Cinzia Crovato and Dr. Giovanna Armiento (ENEA) for x-ray diffractometers, and Dr. Marcello Gioly Guidi and Mr. Fabrizio Pierdominici (ENEA) for use of the scanning electronic microscope. A special thought to Prof. Ribacchi, who passed away in 2011, for his valuable comments. A special gratitude goes to ISPRA the Italian Insitute for Environmental Protection and Research Survey of Italy and its President Prof. Bernardo De Bernardinis and the Director of the Department Geological Survey of Italy Dr. Cladio Campobasso. A warm thank also to Dr. Renata Montesanti, and Dr. Cristina Pacciani who strongly encouraged the publication of this book. Finally, last but not least my friend Eng. Daniele Spizzichino (ISPRA), who shared with us most of the brainstorming and interpretation of fi eld data and laboratory tests. This initiative has been implemented as a Coordinated Project of ICL (International Consortium on Landslides) within the framework of the International Programme on Landslides. The present project has been possible thanks to the generosity of the people and Government of Japan. This book is dedicated to the memory of Nicholas Ambraseys, who died 29 Dec 2012 leaving the world a five-decade-long legacy of studies of historical earthquakes, landslides and engineering. His expertise and his guidance was, for some of us, a fundamental step in our life and in our scientific career.

11 Contents 1 Introduction The Foundation of the Colossal Buddha Statues Kosaku Maeda 3 The History of the Buddhas in Bamiyan Guido Martini and Salvatore Paolini 4 UNESCO s Activities for the Safeguarding of Bamiyan Christian Manhart and Roland Lin 5 General Environmental Condition of the Bamiyan Valley Giuseppe Delmonaco and Claudio Margottini 6 The Tectonic Setting of Bamiyan and Seismicity in and Near Afghanistan for the Past Twelve Centuries Nicholas Ambraseys and Roger Bilham 7 Properties of Local Materials Claudio Margottini 8 Possible Evolution of Niches and Trends Claudio Margottini 9 Past Experience in Conservation and Exploitation Andrea Bruno and Claudio Margottini 10 Long-Term Conservation Strategy for Repair, Enhancement, Research, and Risk Preparedness for the Preservation of the Site Claudio Margottini 11 Emergency Intervention Vittorio Colombini, Carlo Crippa, Claudio Margottini, and Gedeone Tonoli 12 The Back Wall of the Niches: Preliminary Considerations Claudio Margottini xi

12 xii Contents 13 Safeguarding the Clay Plaster Remains of the Eastern Buddha Statues and the Rear Side of the Niche Bert Praxenthaler Conclusions Claudio Margottini Index

13 Contributors Nicholas Ambraseys Department of Civil Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, UK Roger Bilham Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA Andrea Bruno Studio Bruno, Torino, Italy Vittorio Colombini Studio Colombini, Rome, Italy Carlo Crippa Trevi Division Rodio, Casalmaiocco (Lodi), Italy Giuseppe Delmonaco Department of Geological Survey of Italy, ISPRA Italian Institute for Protection and Environmental Research, Rome, Italy Roland Lin World Heritage Centre, UNESCO, Paris, France Kosaku Maeda Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation, National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan Christian Manhart Section of Museums and Cultural Objects, UNESCO, Paris, France Claudio Margottini Department of Geological Survey of Italy, ISPRA Italian Institute for Protection and Environmental Research, Rome, Italy Guido Martini Department of UTPRA-PREV, ENEA Italian Agency for New Technology Energy and Environment, Frascati (Rome), Italy Salvatore Paolini ENEA Italian Agency for New Technology Energy and Environment, Frascati (Rome), Italy Bert Praxenthaler Epfenhausen, Penzing, Germany Gedeone Tonoli Trevi Division Rodio, Casalmaiocco (Lodi), Italy xiii