Fired brick conservation in the Kyrgyz Silk Roads: The case of Burana's Mausoleum 4

The paper outlines the materials and methods employed for the conservation of the Mausoleum 4, an excavated fired brick structure dating from the eleventh century. The ruin is located in Burana (upper Chuy valley, Kyrgyzstan), an archaeological site that played a relevant role in the development of the northern stretch of the central Asian Silk Roads. The paper discusses the experimental laboratory analyses carried out to test both historic and repair materials. It also discusses the information provided by the direct study of wall structures. A description is also given of how local experts were trained in conservation activities such as: damage assessment, analytic investigation of materials, craftsmanship, traditional skills, and intervention recording. The conservation of Burana?s heritage was part of a wider UNESCO/Japan Trust Fund project named 'Preservation of Silk Roads Sites in the Upper Chuy Valley in Kyrgyzstan: Navikat (Krasnaya Rechka), Suyab (Ak Beshim) and Balasagyn (Burana)'. The recommendations and practical methods explained here could be of use for those conservators working in similar projects in the Middle East or Asia.