Author Archives: admin

A few days ago, I drove deep into the desert with some colleagues to explore remote caravanserais on the Silk Road in Turkmenistan…

Far away from my yurt abode, we explored the ruins of medieval koshks and caravanserais–gathering spots for traders and travelers not too far from the glorious city of medieval Merv…

Since there is no paved “road” to travel on, our ride was very bumpy, and finding the ruins was no easy task–a true adventure in every sense of the word…

When we reached our furthest point in the desert, we stopped to enjoy a picnic lunch on the Silk Road itself, and our driver poured many bottles of water on the radiator to cool it off…there’s no end to the treasures and adventure here in beautiful Turkmenistan…

I am currently in Turkmenistan excavating an Islamic bazaar on the Silk Road…

We have been using kite photography for the site to get aerial views…

Many more of these photos to come soon!

Yesterday, while excavating, I found an Islamic medieval turquoise glaze lamp–what an amazing surprise it was when my trowel stumbled upon it lodged into a wall, which was once sacked by the Mongols…

Looking forward to sharing more of the marvelous treasures the sands of this desert are hiding …

Welcome to my yurt…

For nearly a month, I’ve been living in Turkmenistan in a yurt built for the President of Turkmenistan…

The yurt was being used as a shed when I arrive–it was full of sand, tools and debris…but after a good cleaning, it was ready for me to move in to see if I could live in a yurt for a month while doing archaeology on the Silk Road…To decorate the walls, I bought some scarves in the bazaar, and just this week-end, I hosted and curated the a yurt poetry festival…I look forward to sharing more about that soon…

To my surprise, a small puppy showed up and has served, of course, as a loyal and adorable yurt companion…more to come on yurt life soon, since I don’t have internet access in the yurt!

To learn more about yurts and how to build your own yurt, please look up Becky Kemery’s book Yurts: Living in the Round, as well as the Yurt Foundation of William Coperthwaite’s, author of A Handmade Life, who has always provided me with plenty of inspiration for my dream of living in a yurt–which finally came true on the Silk Road.

I am currently living in a yurt in Turkmenistan and excavating on the Silk Road…

From preserving medieval Sufi shrines to digging up ancient bazaars, every day has truly been an adventure…

Looking forward to sharing the beauty and history of Turkmenistan with you soon…

This is just a shout out to the students at Columbia Law School who are reading my work this week–I’m happy to be in dialogue with you about how we can bring archaeology and law together to talk about the preservation of heritage.

“Are you a couple, or?” I said.

“Well, we started to date–but then we found out we were cousins, so now we are just friends,” he said, as we looked out over Gullfoss Waterfall in Iceland.

Driving around Iceland with two new Icelandic friends we had made, we were getting our first lesson in how Icelanders navigate the awkward dating situations which commonly arise in a country of 320,000.

But now–technology has made life much easier for Icelanders like our friends. Because a new app, available on Android phones under ‘ÍslendingaApp SES(Beta),’ has been developed to prevent Icelanders from dating their relatives–by showing Icelanders how they are related to one another. Just one more example of technology bringing people together–and keeping them apart!

Emily journeyed to Jerash with the World Archaeological Congress for a tour of the site with archaeologist Jacques Siegne, formerly of the Institut Francaise du Proche Orient, who has overseen excavations at Jerash since 1982.

With its paved and colonnaded streets, impressive hilltop temples, awesome theatre, well-preserved plazas & baths, and stunning towers and gates, Jerash is not to be missed.

Of course one of the most exciting things about seeing the site was exploring it with archaeologists from around the world, and with the archaeologist who has been responsible for excavating it for so many years.  Simply a dream come true!

 

Before touring the archaeological site of Jerash with archaeologist Jacques Siegne, formerly of the Insititut Francaise du Proche Orient, who has overseen excavations at Jerash since 1982, Emily explored the grounds of Aljun Castle– قلعة عجلون‎ — a medieval castle on Jabal Auf in Jordan built by the nephew of Saladin in the 12 century.

As the base for the forces of Saladin in his battles against the Crusaders, it is an important site for military history, architectural history, and landscape archaeology.  Ajlun Castle dominated the three main routes leading to the Jordan Valley, and served as an integral link in the defensive chain against the Crusaders, who, unsuccessfully spent decades trying to defeat the forces inside the castle and capture the nearby village.

 

Emily attended the World Archaeological Congress at the Dead Sea in Jordan from January 13th-19th, 2013.

In between giving papers and attending sessions, she found some time to take in the healing waters–and mud–of the Dead Sea!  What better way to end the day than soaking–and floating–at sunset in the sea…ahhhhh…

Winding through the rose-colored towering rocks of the siq towards the legendary entrance of Petra with its glorious treasury built into the sandstone cliffs builds an anticipation unlike any other…if you visit yourself, you might find yourself skipping down the siq with an unbridled excitement to finally behold the luminous facade of the Khazneh…

Notice the way the light cuts through the narrow openings in the rock…

And the ways in which the rocks change color from one part of the siq to the next…

The giant opening above occurs just before one enters the final approach to the famed Treasury…

Emily just attended the World Archaeological Congress at the Dead Sea in Jordan, where she presented a paper on the Taliban and cultural heritage in Afghanistan, and made new archaeological collaborations with colleagues in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia.  Stay tuned for updates on her new archaeological projects in these regions.  While in Jordan, the Congress enjoyed a lovely tour of Petra together.

The marvelous tour of Petra included the entire site–somehow the Congress managed to fit in this adventurous fun in between all the stellar sessions and thought provoking papers!

Emily had the wonderful opportunity to visit her colleagues from Brown in front of the “Great Temple” excavated by her former professor Dr. Martha Joukowsky.

The site, of course, feels never-ending, and from the tombs to the theatre, there is no shortage of features and monuments to take in–if you haven’t been to Petra–put it on the list and go!

 

 

I have really been touched and inspired by my volunteer work at St. Jude’s Children’s Cancer Center, and I’d like to use this post to salute the life-saving free treatment made available by St. Jude’s generosity, the extraordinary efforts of the doctors, nurses and staff to save so many children afflicted with pediatric cancer, and the strong and inspiring spirits of my new small friends!

 

On a cycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.

― Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance