Kuwait - The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) has a drawn up a master plan in an effort to protect archaeological sites in Sabiya in light of the developmental activities taking place in that area. This was disclosed by Shihab Al-Shihab, the Director of Antiquities and Museum at the NCCAL. In an interview with the Arab Times on Monday, Al-Shihab went on to explain that a joint Kuwaiti-Polish archaeological team will re-excavate the burial mounds in Sabiyah, next year, but refused to be drawn into the details. The Polish team in question recently concluded its month-long mission at the said site. Terming the recently concluded joint archaeological expedition in Sabiyah as fruitful, Al-Shihab observed that archaeologists made important finds in the form of human skeletal remains, beads, among others.
"Kuwaiti archaeologists along with their Polish and GCC counterparts were instrumental in mapping and surveying the site in the first leg of the excavation. Their efforts paid off rich dividends and we are quite impressed with the new finds as every single find helps us to connect with our past." It may be recalled that Kuwaiti archaeologists along with their GCC counterparts discovered numerous burial mounds in Sabiyah a few years ago. However, only a handful of the mounds contained skeletal remains and the site since then is being regularly excavated under the supervision of Sultan Duwaish, Superintendent at the Antiquities and Museum Department. The burial mounds in Sabiyah are similar in structure to those found in some other GCC countries, including Bahrain and Qatar. A senior archaeologist, Al-Shihab, has taken part in excavations in numerous countries and travels frequently to deliver lectures organized by the universities around the world.
To a question whether any of the archaeological sites are affected with the ongoing developmental work in Sabiyah, Al-Shihab opined that all archaeological sites in the area have been fenced off. "Incidentally, this is the case with all the archaeological sites in the country. To us, every single archaeological site is important, and we have fenced off a majority of them. Besides, our staff monitor the archaeological sites on a regular basis to prevent them from being vandalized. Al-Shihad observed that the French archaeological team recently wrapped up its month-long mission at the Hellenistic fort on Failaka Island and that the team in question was essentially involved in the restoration and conservation of the said fort. "We attach a lot of importance to equipment pertaining to excavation and constantly upgrade it. This enables our archaeological to keep pace with the modern times and this, in turn, facilitates their foreign missions.
Observing that excavation this season is hectic, he said that NCCAL was committed more than ever to protect every archaeological site in the country and thereby showcase its rich heritage to the world.
Lauding the support of the government to excavation projects, he said the ministry of finance has been a huge support system and provided its full cooperation to NCCAL whenever sought by the latter. "we have signed a number of cooperation pacts in archaeology and this was possible because of the unstinted supported of the finance ministry, and we hope it will continue to be the fulcrum for us." He went on to say that a team of Danish archaeologists will visit Kuwait sometime next year but kept the details under the wraps. Noting that a team of Greek archaeologists is conducting excavation work at the Hellenistic fort, he said that the team is tasked with the conservation and restoration of the fort. On a final note, Al-Shihab said the Slovenian archaeologists will team up with Kuwaiti counterparts to re-excavate the Al-Khidr site located on Failaka. Last year, the team made important finds including seals, shards of pottery, coins etc. Both Kuwait and Slovenia have inked a long-term agreement in the field of archaeology and Kuwaiti archaeologists took part in an excavation at an ancient ruin in Slovenia last year.
Francis A. Clifford Cardozo
© Arab Times 2007
