The Institute of Archaeology, University College London, has had a long involvement in Merv, stretching back to when the former Soviet Central Asian Republic of Turkmenistan gained independence in 1991 (Herrmann 1999). In 1999 the Ancient Merv Archaeological Park became a World Heritage Site, and since 2001 the Ancient Merv Project at UCL has developed approaches to the conservation and management of this internationally important landscape, in collaboration with the Ancient Merv State Park and the National Department for the Protection, Study and Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments, both within the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan (Williams 2002; 2003; 2004; 2007; Williams and Kurbansakhatov 2002).
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Last updated: Mon Sept 29 2008