Mohammad Farjami, HamzehHamzeh , Ali Asghar Mahmoudi-Nasab, Volume 2, Issue 2 (Special Issue 1.1 2019)
Abstract
Archaeological excavations at historical sites are conducted to enhance our understanding of the past, shedding light on the lives of ancient communities across various regions and periods. South Khorasan, and eastern Iran in general, have been relatively understudied in terms of archaeology, making them among the lesser-known regions of Iran. Recent surveys and excavations in this area have provided highly valuable data for the archaeological community. This study focuses on the conservation of movable and immovable cultural artifacts during archaeological excavations at the historical site of Kahnek, located in Sarbisheh, South Khorasan Province. Four seasons of archaeological excavations were conducted at this site from 2013 to 2016, revealing evidence and cultural materials dating back to the early Islamic centuries through the Safavid period. The site contains two types of artifacts: movable objects, which must be handled separately from architectural remains, and architectural features and associated decorations, which must remain in situ and undergo conservation at the site. Activities such as structural reinforcement, preservation of in-situ remains, and site cleaning have been carried out. These measures aim to implement preventive conservation and mitigate any activities that could damage the site or diminish its historical and cultural significance. This research introduces the historical site and its cultural findings, offering recommendations for preventive conservation during excavations. The research methodology includes library studies, field and regional surveys, analysis of excavation data, and proposals for the temporary conservation of movable and immovable cultural artifacts.
The coffeehouse painting of the Ashura Tribulation, belonging to the Hosseinieh Kabbabi Endowment, is particularly popular among the people
of Birjand as one of the manifestations of Ashura culture. This work was commissioned based on an existing inscription by Agha Mirza Mashallah
Tehrani, who was one of the pioneers of coffeehouse painting in Iran, and was created by one of his students, Mohammad Hossein, in 1338
(A.H.), probably in Yazd. This article presents the authors' conservation and restoration experiences on the coffeehouse painting of the Ashura
Tribulation, which dates back to the late Qajar period and is exhibited in one of the old Hosseiniehs of Birjand in the first decade of Muharram.
The first step in the conservation and restoration of this work was the accurate identification of the damages, the most important of which in
this particular work is related to the damages caused by wear and tear and repeated installation of the work. After identifying the damage to
the work, appropriate conservation and restoration measures were taken, the first step being its cleaning, which was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, dust was removed. A vacuum cleaner with a soft brush and a thin mesh was used to remove dust to prevent damage to the work during sweeping. In the second stage, stains were cleaned. Inappropriate restorations were then removed, and after repairing the tears and defects, the work was strengthened to make it more stable. Conservation operations for the work included protection during display and the construction of a storage container and packaging of the work. By carrying out conservation and restoration measures, the coffeehouse painting of the Ashura tragedy of the Husseiniyeh Kabbabi was protected from further damage and its visual quality was significantly increased. This painting is kept in a designed container and will be exhibited in the first decade of Muharram at the Husseiniyeh Kabbabi location.
