Organizacijski vidiki jugoslovanske udeležbe v Unescovi akciji reševanja spomenikov stare Nubije med letoma 1960 in 1964

Smolič, Žiga (author), Ciglenečki, Jan (author)

V drugi polovici petdesetih let prejšnjega stoletja je takratna egiptovska oblast pod Gamalom Abdelom Naserjem v sodelovanju s Sovjetsko zvezo začela priprave na gradnjo enega najbolj grandioznih infrastrukturnih objektov – Asuanskega visokega jezu. Projekt, ki je predstavljal nujen korak v procesu nadaljnjega ekonomskega razvoja Egipta, je poleg tega obetal tudi širok spekter neljubih posledic. Z zaporo Nila je na južni strani zidu začelo nastajati takrat največje umetno jezero na svetu. Hitro rastoča voda »Naserjevega jezera« je poleg številnih nubijskih naselij ogrozila tudi bogata arheološka najdišča na tem območju. Izvršni odbor Unesca je decembra 1959 kot odgovor na apel vlad Egipta (Združene arabske republike) in Sudana sprejel odločitev, da izvede mednarodno usklajeno akcijo za zaščito spomenikov stare Nubije. Pobuda Unesca k organizaciji največje mednarodne reševalne akcije spomenikov je sprožila pospešen organizacijski postopek za izvedbo kompleksne reševalne misije, ki jo je diktirala hitro naraščajoča gladina Nila, saj naj bi voda prva najdišča poplavila že v treh letih od začetka gradnje. Unescovi kampanji, pri kateri je v manjšem ali večjem obsegu sodelovalo 50 držav, se je kmalu pridružila tudi Jugoslavija. Poleg tehnično-strokovne pomoči v Unescovem dokumentacijskem centru v Kairu je bil njen doprinos na terenu opazen predvsem na področju snemanja, konzerviranja in restavriranja krščanskih poslikav med letoma 1963 in 1964 na objektih v Wadi es-Sebui (Egipt), Abu Hodi (Egipt), Abdullah Nirgiju (Egipt) in Sheikh Abd el-Ghadirju (Sudan). Jugoslovanska udeležba v Unescovi reševalni akciji časovno sovpada z vrhuncem jugoslovanskoegiptovskih odnosov, ki se med drugim manifestirajo v sodelovanju na nivoju globalne politike in sklicu prve konference gibanja neuvrščenih v Beogradu leta 1961. Čeprav jugoslovanska udeležba v Unescovi akciji reševanja spomenikov stare Nubije ni bila zanemarljiva, e glede na izrazito tesne prijateljske odnose z Egiptom kljub temu presenetljivo, da se Jugoslavija v kampanjo ni vključila bolj intenzivno. Pričujoči prispevek temelji na raziskavi arhivskega gradiva, povezanega z jugoslovansko odpravo v Nubijo med letoma 1963 in 1964, pri čemer se osredotoča zlasti na organizacijske vidike tega projekta.

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: arheološka najdišča, stara Nubija, UNESCO, reševanje spomenikov, kulturna dediščina, Jugoslavija
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 15.05.2024
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 41-70
• Numbering: 7, [št.] 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-185684
• UDC: 902(620)"1960/1964"
• ISSN on article: 2630-3426
• COBISS.SI-ID: 217716995

Copyright

Licenca CC BY je navedena na spletni strani revije.

• Publication date in RUL: 18.08.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Retrospektive : znanstvena revija za zgodovinopisje in sorodna področja
• Publisher: Združenje za promocijo kulturne dediščine, raziskav in novih tehnologij- Retrospektive
• ISSN: 2630-3426
• COBISS.SI-ID: 297275392

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Title: Organisational aspects of Yugoslav participation in the UNESCO campaign to save the monuments of ancient Nubia between 1960 and 1964

Abstract

In the latter part of the 1950s, the Egyptian government, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, in collaboration with the Soviet Union, initiated preparations for the construction of one of the most daring infrastructure projects of its time, the Aswan High Dam. This project, vital for Egypt’s ongoing economic development, also carried a spectrum of adverse e(ects. The impoundment of the Nile led to the creation of Nasser’s Lake, then the largest artificial reservoir, on the southern side of the dam. The swelling waters posed a threat not only to numerous Nubian settlements but also to the invaluable archaeological sites of ancient Nubia. UNESCO’s alertness to this impending cultural loss led to the decision, in December 1959, to launch an internationally coordinated e(ort to safeguard these historic treasures. This UNESCO-led initiative propelled a rapid organizational response to counteract the rising Nile waters, slated to inundate numerous archaeological sites within three years of the dam’s construction. Yugoslavia swiftly joined this global endeavor, among the first to pledge support. Its involvement, alongside that of 49 other nations, spanned various roles, including technical assistance and professional contributions at the UNESCO Documentation Center in Cairo. Notably, Yugoslavia played an important role in recording, conserving, and restoring Christian paintings between 1963 and 1964 at the sites of Wadi es-Sebui (Egypt), Abu Hodah (Egypt), Abdullah Nirgi (Egypt), and Sheikh Abd el-Ghadir (Sudan). Yugoslavia’s participation in the UNESCO rescue campaign coincided with the zenith of Yugoslav-Egyptian relations, marked by collaboration in global politics and the hosting of the inaugural Non-Aligned Movement conference in Belgrade in 1961. Despite its active involvement in the UNESCO initiative, Yugoslavia’s focus solely on rescuing the Coptic wall-paintings in the campaign seems somewhat unexpected, particularly considering its close and amicable ties with Egypt. The following analysis draws upon archival materials related to the Yugoslav expedition to Nubia from 1963 to 1964, with a specific focus on the organizational aspects of this significant undertaking.