Joint expedition to resume Sinai excavation
KUWAIT CITY: Archaeological finds are irreplaceable and greatly contribute to our knowledge by providing information, which is difficult to attain from other sources, stated a well-known Japanese archaeologist, Professor Mutsuo Kawatoko of Research Institute for Islamic Archaeology and Culture. Speaking to the Arab Times on Tuesday, Mutsuo added: "Therefore, it is paramount that we protect all our archaeological sites at all costs to ensure that they are passed down to future generations." Mutsuo is in Kuwait at the invitation of National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) as Kuwait is expected to sign a cooperation pact with Japan in the field of archaeology, which will allow archaeologists of both countries to jointly excavate the Al-Kathma site as well as the burial mounds at Sabbiya. Mutsuo parried queries pertaining to the widely expected agreement.
Modalities
"The modalities of the agreement are still being discussed, so it will not be appropriate for me to comment on this matter at this point of time," he added. However, sources at NCCAL said the agreement is expected to be signed next week as a senior official at NCCAL is presently out of the country. Mutsuo has taken part in excavations in numerous countries and has been a role model to many young Japanese archaeologists. Mutsuo obtained PhD in Archaeology from Waseda University. Giving a word of advice to young archaeologists, he said: "In order to be a good archaeologist, one must have oceans of patience and one should be willing to go the extra mile. In short, archaeology is all about hardwork, nothing less." Asked whether relics discovered during joint expeditions are shared among countries, Mutsuo was quick to clarify that all finds are handed over to the country they belong to, and that visiting archaeologists are permitted to publish reports about the finds. According to reliable sources at NCCAL, Kuwait is planning to sign archaeological pacts with at least two other countries. Kuwait, a few months ago, signed an agreement with the Greek archaeological department even as Kuwaiti archaeologists along with Greek counterparts are going to start excavation work at Al-Khidr site in early November.
"Kuwait occupies important place in this region because it had important trade routes and this in turn facilitated commerce among the neighboring countries. I will make an attempt to learn more about these trade routes if everything goes according to the plan," he added. Mutsuo has the distinction of working at some of the important archaeological sites in Japan including the Toro site even as Mutsuo together with his Japanese counterparts made important discoveries at the said site, namely in the form of a settlement, farming tools, etc. He praised the efforts of the Kuwait archaeological team during a joint excavation with Japanese counterparts at an archaeological site in Sinai, Egypt in 2006. "We worked as a well-knit unit and made several finds including coins, Chinese ceramics, etc." The Kuwaiti-Japanese joint expedition will resume excavation in Sinai next week and will continue until the next two months. The Kuwaiti archaeological team will be led by senior archaeologist Sultan Duwaish while the Japanese side will be headed by Mutsuo. Some of the Kuwaiti archaeological sites will add to our knowledge of past times, he added.
Prompted
A proficient speaker of Arabic, Mutsuo studied Arabic in Egypt. Asked what prompted him to take up study of Islamic culture, he said: "Islamic culture is very rich and diverse and Islam always assimilates other cultures and this gives it greater depth." The archaeologist observed that the Japanese government is actively backing archaeological projects by way of providing grants and other assistance. He said a lot of Japanese are passionate about archaeology and that there are two big archaeological associations in his country. Taking the point further, he said that one of the associations has 6,000 members while the other has 5,000 members. Japan also has archaeological pacts with Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, among other countries.
By Francis A. Clifford Cardozo
© Arab Times 2007
