Heritage Alliance of the New Silk Road
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HANSR events
provide opportunities for networking among scholars, students and professionals with a common interest in preserving the unique Silk Road Region heritage.
We hope to see you
virtually or in person at our Round Tables and events, either here in Kazakhstan or hosted by other member universities.

Venue: Nazarbayev University, Block C3, Room 3015

Dates: October 22-24, 2026


Program and Visitor Information

Thursday, 22 October
All panels and talks will take place in Block C3, Room 3015
9:00 - Registration
Welcome Remarks
9:20 - Daniel Scarborough
Associate Professor of History and Director of the MA Program in Eurasian Studies, Nazarbayev University.
Akan Ongaruly
Candidate of Historical Sciences, Director General of the Margulan Institute of Archaeology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Almaty, Kazakhstan).
Soumyen Bandyopadhyay
Associate Dean for Research, Director of the Heritage Institute and Sir James Stirling Chair in Architecture University of Liverpool (United Kingdom).
10:00 - Coffee Break
(Block C3, first floor vestibule)
Panel 1. Modelling and Machine Learning in Archaeology Moderator: Dr. Katherine Erdman, Lecturer in Anthropology, Nazarbayev University
10:20 - Dmitriy Voyakin
Heritage Consultant at UCL, Institute of Archaeology, CAAL Project, Kazakhstan, Denis Sorokin, Director, Research and Design Branch of the Republican State Enterprise “Kazrestoration”, Nargiz Aituganova, Research Fellow, “Rutrum” LLP, Kazakhstan. From Geophysical Data to AI-Driven Interpretation: Rethinking Archaeological Prospection in Central Asia
10:40 - Kalibek Assylbekov
Head of the Department of Geomatics and Digital Archaeology, Margulan Institute of Archaeology, Astana (Kazakhstan) Geospatial Technologies in the Study of Archaeological Landscapes of Kazakhstan: Integrating Remote Sensing, UAVs, and GIS
11:00 - Andrey Pushkarev
Researcher at The State Historical, Cultural, and Natural Reserve Museum “Tanbaly”(Kazakhstan), Kirill Bazhin, Director, GEODEVICE, Almaty (Kazakhstan) In Search of Hidden Archaeology: Magnetic Survey at Archaeological Sites in Kazakhstan
11:20 - Nikita Konstantinov
Research Associate Professor of Archaeology, Ethnology and Museology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty (Kazakhstan) Modeling of local hydrological and cryogenic processes in the Pazyryk Frozen Tombs (Altai Mountains)
11:40 Q&A Discussion on Panel 1.
12:00-13:00 Lunch Break
Panel 2: Non-Destructive Archaeology and Digital Conversation Moderator: Reed Coil, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Nazarbayev University
13:00 - Michael Frachetti
Professor of Archaeology, Washington University in St. Louis; Co Director of the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures (USA) Cities at the source: highland urbanism and new insights on medieval trade networks in Central Asia
13:20 - Marco Nebbia
Senior Research Fellow, UCL Institute of Archaeology, London (United Kingdom), Gai Jorayev, Senior Research Fellow, UCL Institute of Archaeology, London (United Kingdom) and Macao University of Tourism (Macao), Rui Pang, UCL Institute of Archaeology, London (United Kingdom), Dimitry Voyakin, Heritage Consultant at UCL, Institute of Archaeology, CAAL Project (Kazakhstan), Mahmoud Abdelrazek, Principal Research Data Steward, UCL ARC Research Data Group (United Kingdom), Bryan Alvey, Heritage Database Manager, Cultural Heritage Information Consultants (United Kingdom), Tim Williams, Emeritus Professor of Silk Roads Archaeology, UCL Institute of Archaeology (United Kingdom) Computational approaches to a sustainable heritage management in Central Asia
13:40 - Olga Zaitceva
Assistant Professor, Department of History of Kazakhstan and Socio Political Disciplines; Head of Altyn Altai Museum, D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University, Oskemen (Kazakhstan) Rethinking Kokentau Rock Art: From Motif Relations to Landscape Interpretation
14:00 - Q&A / Discussion on Panel 2, part 1
14:20 - Coffee Break
(Block C3, first floor vestibule)
14:50 - Rebecca Roberts
Project Manager & Remote Sensing Digital Data Coordinator South Asia, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), Cameron Petrie, Professor of South Asian and Iranian Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) Digital approaches to Mapping Archaeological Heritage in South Asia
15:10 - Fiona Kidd
Associate Professor of History and Art and Art History New York University Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Elizabeth Baker Brite Associate Professor, Purdue University (USA)
15:30 - Knutov Alexander Vyacheslavovich
Chief Specialist of the Department of Archaeological, Historical and Cultural Research, Karaganda (Kazakhstan), Vadim Alekseevich Kim, Head of Department of Archaeological, Historical and Cultural Research, Karaganda (Kazakhstan), Melnik Sergey Viktorovich, student at National Research University of North Ossetia-Alania; technician of the Department of Archaeological, Historical and Cultural Research, Karaganda (Kazakhstan). Application of photogrammetry and active optical scanning technology (based on Apple LiDAR) to build 3D models of archaeological material
15:50 - Q&A / Discussion on Panel 2, part 2
16:30 - Keynote address
Gil Stein, Director of the Chicago Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation, and John and Jeanne Rowe Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology, University of Chicago (USA). Moderator: Russell Zanca, Professor of Anthropology, Nazarbayev University
17:15-17:45 - Q&A / Discussion
Friday, 23 October
All panels and talks will take place in Block C3, Room 3015
9:00 - Philippe Delangue
Culture Programme Specialist and Head of the Culture Unit at UNESCO, Almaty (Kazakhstan) UNESCO, heritage site research and conservation, the digital era: case studies from Angkor, Bamiyan, Benin City and Kazakh Buddhist Heritage
Panel 3: Contemporary Challenges in Central Asia Archaeology Moderator Paula Dupuy, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Nazarbayev University
9:20 - Zhumatayev Rinat Serikovich
Head of the Department of Archaeology, Ethnology and Museology, PhD, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty (Kazakhstan) Rethinking Saka Archaeology through Interdisciplinary Approaches: From Traditional Models to Digital and Scientific Integration
9:40 - Evgeny Vodyasov
Leading Research Fellow of the Center for Archaeological Science and Technology, D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University, Oskemen (Kazakhstan) “Ever Farther, Ever Higher”: Tin Mining, Mobility, and the expansion into east Kazakhstan during the Bronze Age
10:00 - Ilya Merts
Senior Researcher, Toraighyrov University, Pavlodar (Kazakhstan) Dyakonov N.P (Kazakhstan), Kozyreva E.V (Kazakhstan) Actual problems of protection of cultural heritage of Kazakhstan (on the example of the Late Bronze Age settlement Semiyarka)
10:20 - Q&A / Discussion on Panel 3, part 1
10:40 - Coffee Break
(Block C3, first floor vestibule)
11:10 - David Lordkipanidze
General Director of the Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi (Georgia) Prehistoric Archeology as a Nexus between Science and Sustainability (cases from Georgia)
11:30 - Darkhan Baitileu
Leading Researcher, Cand. Sc. Margulan Institute of Archaeology, Astana (Kazakhstan), Zhanargul Kaliyeva, Senior Researcher, Margulan Institute of Archaeology, Astana (Kazakhstan) Problems and Prospects of Interdisciplinary Research on the Exploitation of Natural Resources in Kazakhstan during the Paleometal Epoch
11:50 - Kabdol Auezov
Zhezkazgan University named after O. A. Baikonurov (Kazakhstan) Ancient settlements of metallurgists - as a model of proto-city (Reconstruction based on the materials of settlements Sorkuduk, Milykuduk, Aynakol, Taldysai)
12:10 Q&A / Discussion on Panel 3, part 2
12:30 - Lunch Break
Panel 4: Preserving Local Voices in Heritage Moderator: Abay Namen, Postdoctoral Scholar of Anthropology, Nazarbayev University
14:00 - Yerlan Sharefovich Amirov
Head of the Monitoring and Security Archeology Group at the Margulan Institute of Archaeology, Almaty (Kazakhstan) Illegal excavations and economic development: the dualism of modern threats to Kazakhstan's historical and cultural heritage and ways to overcome them
14:20 - Krim Altynbekov
PhD, Director, Scientific Restoration Laboratory "Island of Crimea" Almaty (Kazakhstan), Elena Alynbekova, Associate Director, Scientific Restoration Laboratory "Island of Crimea" Almaty (Kazakhstan) The information potential of archaeological artifacts in the case of their removal from the excavation in blocks
14:40 - Snejana Atanova
Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Nazarbayev University, Astana (Kazakhstan) Contact Zones Revisited: The Cultural Heritage of Central Asia and European Museums
15:00 - Peter Hommel
Senior Lecturer in Archaeomaterials, University of Liverpool (United Kingdom), Bayarsaikhan Jamsranjav, Head of Department at the Institute of Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Julia Clark, Director of NOMAD Science (Mongolia) Heritage, Outreach, Regional Stewardship and Empowerment in Mongolia
15:20 - Q&A / Discussion on Panel 4, part 1
15:40 - Coffee Break
(on your own)
Panel 5: Young Scholars in Archaeology and Heritage Moderator: Arlan Sadykov, PhD student in Eurasian Studies, Nazarbayev University
16:00 - Maftuna Khamidzhanova
Doctoral student at the Institute of Anthropology Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Samarkand Uzbekistan Application of GIS Analysis and Predictive Modeling for Archaeological Exploration in the Zaaminsu Basin
16:20 - Danial Tebayev
BSc, Ethnology and National History of Karaganda National Research University (Kazakhstan) Application of Mobile Photogrammetry in Archaeological Excavations: The potential of reality scan as accessible tools for the conservation of archaeological material
16:30 - Keynote address
Gil Stein, Director of the Chicago Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation, and John and Jeanne Rowe Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology, University of Chicago (USA). Moderator: Russell Zanca, Professor of Anthropology, Nazarbayev University
16:40 - Marina Bedelbayeva
Candidate of historical sciences, Head of Archaeology and Ethnography Museum, Saryarka Archaeological Institute, Buketov Karaganda National Research University (Kazakhstan), Anna Kalizhanova, MA, Senior lecturer of the Translation Theory and Practice Department, Buketov Karaganda National Research University (Kazakhstan) Popularizing archaeological research in Central Kazakhstan using digital technologies
17:00 - Q&A / Discussion on Panel 5
17:20 - Closing remarks Paula Dupuy
19:00 - Conference dinner at Saksaul, Dostyq St 5, Astana 020000
Saturday, 24 October
All panels and talks will take place in Block C3, Room 3015
9:00 - Alison Betts
Edwin Cuthbert Hall Chair in Middle Eastern Archaeology, University of Sydney (Australia)
Workshop: Engaging with New Heritage Directions and Interests in the Himalaya Region Moderator Paula Dupuy, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Nazarbayev University
9:20 - Gwendolyn Hyslop
Associate Professor, University of Sydney (Australia) Unravelling Bhutan’s History with Bitter Buckwheat
9:40 - Mumtaz Yatoo
Assistant Professor, University of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir (India) Archaeological Landscapes, Mobility and Exchange, Heritage Loss and the Future of Kashmir’s Past
10:00 - Mohammad Ajmal Shah
Assistant Professor, University of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir (India) Kushan Buddhist site of Zehanpora in Kashmir Himalayas: Recent Excavations and Future Prospects
10:20 - Aokumla Walling
Assistant Professor, Nagaland University, Nagaland (India) Where Hills Meet the Valley: The Highland–Lowland Interaction in Northeast India
10:40 - David Tetso
Assistant Professor, Kohima Science College, Nagaland (India) Mid Holocene fauna from prehistoric cave sites of Nagaland, North East India
11:00 - Coffee break
11:20 - Kuenga Lhendup
Executive Director, Wangduechholing Palace Museum and Cultural Centre, Bumthang (Bhutan) From Royal Palace to Living Museum
11:40 - Tshering Nidup
Architect, Heritage Sites and Archaeology Division, Ministry of Culture, Thimphu, (Bhutan) Archaeology of Memory: Oral Traditions as Evidence for Understanding Bhutan's Past
12:00 Jeewan Biswa
Engineer, Heritage Sites and Archaeology Division, Ministry of Culture, Thimphu, (Bhutan) Leveraging on Digital Tools for Heritage Conservation in Bhutan
12:20 - Gempo Wangdi
Curator, Wangduechholing Palace Museum and Cultural Centre, Bumthang, (Bhutan) Curatorial Development of Wangduechhoeling Palace Museum and Cultural Centre
12:40 - Kuenzang Thakchu Dorji
Research Officer, Wangduechholing Palace Museum and Cultural Centre, Bumthang (Bhutan) What the Palace Remembers: Sources and Silences at Wangduechhoeling
13:00 - Lunch Break
14:00 - Roundtable Discussion for all speakers
17:00 - End of Workshop
References
Hawken, Foxhall, Birch, Endfield, (2018) Heritage Alliance of the New Silk Road (HANSIR): A New Partnership for Knowledge Exchange. Unpublished explanatory note
Harinder S. Kohli, Johannes F. Linn, and Leo M. Zucker, (2019) China's Belt and Road Initiative: Potential Transformation of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, Sage
Contact us:
For More Information about the Heritage Alliance for the New Silk Road or about the upcoming workshop,
email: hansr@nu.edu.kz

The Heritage Alliance of the New Silk Road is an independent consortium of scholars interested in studying, protecting, and sustainably managing the cultural resources of the broader Silk Road region. HANSR was formed from discussions and collaborations facilitated by the University Alliance for the Silk Road (UASR) and the groups work closely together.