On October 3, the Institute of History and Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan hosted a meeting between academic mentors and second-year preparatory students majoring in Archaeology at the Turkmen State Institute of Culture.

The event was held within the framework of the national principle of mentorship and apprenticeship. Its goal was to pass on practical knowledge and provide moral and professional guidance to future specialists.

The meeting, led by lecturer Maya Emirova, featured a series of practical and historical presentations.

• Sketching Skills: Researcher Kakadurdy Durdyev gave students a detailed demonstration of the method of sketching archaeological finds. He emphasized that archaeologists must be able not only to discover artifacts but also to accurately depict them for dating and analysis. Particular attention was drawn to his new work — a drawing of a ceramic jug from Parz-depe featuring images of mountain springs.

• Secrets of Parz-depe: Researcher Shohrat Annataganov dedicated his presentation to studying the Parz-depe site. He highlighted the unique mystery of this location — the mixture of cultural layers, where artifacts from the Eneolithic period are found within the Bronze Age layer, making it difficult to determine its exact chronology.

• The Great Silk Road: PhD in History Allaguly Berdiyev spoke about the positive influence of the Great Silk Road on the economic and cultural life of the Turkmen people. He cited as an example the discovery of a sardoba (water reservoir) and a connected underground pipeline in Shahrislam.

The meeting took the form of an interactive exchange of questions and answers, allowing future archaeologists to discuss topics of interest with their mentors.

Students noted that holding such events regularly represents a “wonderful model school” for a deeper study of history and for promoting the contribution of Turkmen monuments to world culture. Thus, the path of mentorship plays an important role in shaping a new generation of knowledgeable and dedicated professionals.

ORIENT