A project to restore two ancient reservoirs has been completed in Turkmenistan
U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan Matthew Stephen Klimow took part in the closing ceremony of a joint project with Turkmenistan to restore two underground reservoirs (sardob) located in the historical site of Shehrislam.
The project made it possible to complete certain works to restore sardob and protect them from damage in the future. Specialists removed the accumulated sand, restored and strengthened the portals of reservoirs and walls, as well as a staircase leading to reservoirs, a dome and arched ceilings over the sardobs.
In his speech, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan spoke about the importance of conducting such excavations and the tourist potential that this historical monument will attract.
During the visit, the diplomat got acquainted with the activities at the historical site and inspected the underground reservoirs.
It should be noted that a grant of $195,600 from the Ambassadors' Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) was granted to the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan and the Institute of History and Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan in August 2020.
To date, AFCP has supported 30 projects in Turkmenistan worth about two million US dollars.
Shehrislam was an ancient city that existed from the IX century to the beginning of the XV, in the Karakum desert 20 kilometers north of the city of Baharden. It was a regional center and an important stop on the Great Silk Road.
Sardoby in Shakhrislam was fed through a tunnel system unique to Central Asia, called kariz. The tunnels carried water over a distance of more than 20 km from the springs located in the Kopetdag Mountains.
The reservoirs in Shehrislam are the only example of a rectangular sardoba in Central Asia.
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