Today, the national museum «Ak bugdaý» hosted the international scientific meeting under the title «Turkmenistan - the centre of ancient civilisations», timed to the 95th birthday anniversary of outstanding scientists, archaeologists, winners of the International award named after Magtymguly Vadim Masson and Victor Sarianidi.

Turkmen and Russian researchers attended the forum organised by the National Department of Turkmenistan for the Protection, Study and Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments. Their colleagues from Italy and the Czech Republic also joined them online.

As known, the Turkmen state has estimated properly the contribution of Russian archaeologists to the study of the history of our fatherland. Academicians Vadim Masson and Victor Sarianidi in different years were awarded the International award named after Magtymguly and other state awards. Their works were published in the country in mass editions and their discoveries were included into school textbooks of ancient history.

Besides it, unique personalities of academicians Vadim Masson and Victor Sarianidi are mentioned in works of National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

The beginning of work of the scientific meeting was preceded by the exposition, which reflected the colour and many-sided nature of original primordial traditions of Turkmen people as well as a video clip devoted to study of the cultural heritage of Turkmenistan.

Participants of the event noted that two joint Turkmen-Russian archaeological expeditions created by the National Department of Turkmenistan for the Protection, Study and Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments to partnership with two institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences now work: N.N. Miklukho-Maklai Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology (Moscow) and the St.-Petersburg Institute of History of Material Culture.

In the foreword of the book «Anau - culture from depths of millennia», the head of the state points out that world famous archaeologists and historians, conducting scientific researches and archaeological excavations in our country, have found out a number of important finds and have made a sensational discovery of universal importance. The worthy contribution to this large-scale work was brought by Raphael Pumpelly as well as by Vadim Masson, Victor Sarianidi and other outstanding scientists who were one of the first to inform the world of the unique culture of Anau.

Separate papers  at the forum were devoted to Gonur-depe - capital of the ancient country of Margush named in the Greek and Roman annals of Margiana, - to the settlement of the largest populated area in Central Asia in the Bronze epoch (late III - middle of II millennium BC) and to important discoveries for world community.

As was marked, in 1972 legendary archaeologist Victor Sarianidi together with Turkmen colleagues discovered Gonur-depe and started there excavation.

In the Era of Revival of the new epoch of the powerful state in the country, the great attention is given to development social sciences and humanities, fundamental study of cultural heritage, reconstruction of historical monuments, their popularisation all over the world.

It is necessary to note that Turkmenistan has obtained a wide experience lately in organization of large-scale exhibitions of museum values abroad. In the given context, importance of presentation of artefacts of ancient Margiana which takes a unique place in the history of the East was underlined.

The common cultural value of ancient manuscripts, cities-monuments, Bronze Age settlements of Ulug-depe in the foothills of the Kopet Dagh as well as the life of Turkmen cities located along railways in the beginning of the XX century was highlighted.

Participants of the forum concentrated attention on disclosure of unknown secrets of Paryz-depe, study of its cultural layers, search and systematization of artefacts that will help to throw light on its history, to tell of life of this site of ancient settlement and people lived there. 

As was marked, the site of ancient settlement of Paryzdepe - classical organizational structure, characteristic for historical settlements of the East, for many centuries underwent no special changes. In the work of the National Leader of the Turkmen people «Turkmen culture», it is said that the lay-out of ancient cities of Turkmenistan throughout millennia served as an example of development of building culture of Central Asia.

Within the forum visitors familiarised themselves with open air monuments: ancient fortress of Anau and mosque of Seyit Jemaletdin - the well-known architectural complex with unique ornamental tiles as well as exchanged opinions on their study on a scientific basis.

Underlining the significance of the present meeting, its participants expressed their gratitude to President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the National Leader of the Turkmen people for their many-sided activity aimed at development of interaction in study and preservation of world historical and cultural values, an integral part of which are monuments and invaluable archaeological finds unearthed in the Turkmen land.