Throughout millennia, since occurrence of ancient sites on the territory of Turkmenistan (thousand years B.C.), the tribes and people, replacing each other, grazed cattle and were engaged in agriculture and trade, created the states and the cultural centers. The land of Turkmenistan stores memory of those times. Numerous archeological excavations that were carried out in the territory of Turkmenistan, have given a large quantity of subjects of material culture and art of those years. Many of them became world sensation in studying of the history of development civilization. Considerable quantity of the works of art found here, have occupied the honorary places in the history of world culture.
The art heritage of the country has huge respect and love in Turkmenistan. Numerous monuments of art and culture are protected by the state. They are being restored, described and made in collections.
It was extensive settlement of farmers, of 14 hectares hectares located on the area in which lived nearby 2000 persons.
During excavation in the big house, the sanctuary with the fragments of a wall list executed in “graphitto” style were discovered.
Recreated by restorers of a museum, the list shows high developments of art and culture of people of that time, their art perceptions of the world. It tells all about considerable development of crafts in people living in this settlement. All of the items, ritual figurines and vessels, wall lists and numerous ornaments open to us a life of our far ancestors, their outlook, religious beliefs and culture.
The subjects found in Ylgynly-depe show a life of people in the central Asian region during an Eneolith epoch. Numerous figurines show high art of the small plasticity prospering in a foothill strip of southern Turkmenistan of that time.
More than 30 years the professor V.I.Sarianidi conducted archeological excavations in territory of Turkmenistan. Analyzing the found subjects of a life and culture, the professor V.I.Sarianidi has put forward a hypothesis that the country Margush is the fifth centre of an ancient civilization of mankind.
The images of fantastic beings were made by the ancient master by cutting out slices of alabaster. The drawing contour has been underlined with a black paint. The red paint covers a neck and a stomach of the fantastic beings. By means of these expressive colors – white, black and red, the unknown artist could masterfully represent them before a jump, during a fight. It is necessary to notice that this mosaic is a product from the Margush country is created almost one thousand years before decorative panels of the well-known gate of Ishtar in Babylon.
Numerous artifacts from a collection of ancient art show the technical and art perfection that the masters of Margush have reached in manufacturing of various subjects of household and cult appointment. These are fragments of ancient caskets with mosaic incrustation, cosmetic bottles, beads, bronze pins with zoomorphic plots, thin filigree works. The unique silver vessel with the image of a Bactrian camel from an elite burial ground amazes the spectator with the reliability of a plasticity in the image of animals.
Zoomorphic motives prevail as well in the numerous metal seals executed with amazing technical and art perfection.
One of the brightest pages of ancient art is the art culture Parthia – the great empire of antique time which has existed from III century B.C. to III century A.D. The Parthian empire was the terrible competitor of Ancient Rome throughout centuries.
During the excavations at the capital of Parthia, in the temple and palace complexes, archeologists find out numerous monuments of ancient art, including well-known Parthian ritones by Nisa. The art of Parthia can be called a synthesis of culture of the West and the East. The ancient masters of the fine arts, having taken advantage of art traditions of antique Greece and Rome, creatively having enriched with their traditional style of local culture, have managed to create invaluable masterpieces. The basis of its plot is made by a battle scene, representing horsemen in the heat of a fight. The image presents a realistic portrayal of people and horses, composite construction promotes convincing transfer of dynamics of movements. This Parthian masterpiece was restored in the State scientific research institute of restoration of the ministry of culture of Russia for three years.
There are a carved relief, made with a use of a geometrical or vegetative ornament and the subsequent painting by red and green colors.
A high relief and the image of a full-scale proud eagle amazes with its plasticity. It was found during the excavation on so-called «Red building» by the expedition of the Turin university under the direction of archeologist Karl Lipolis. The sculptural composition was moulded from clay and painted. The lost parts of a sculpture were painted by restorers of the museum.
Turkmen-Polish expedition under the direction of the professor of the Warsaw University Barbara Kaim conducted excavation of the settlement Meleheyran located in the Sarahs oasis. One of the findings of the expedition are plaster metopes of the III-VII centuries BC. It is a unique art of carving of given time for the territory of Central Asia.
During the Sassanid epoch these panels, made of plaster metope, decorated the interior of Zoroastrian Temple of fire. The banquettes with the images of Sassanid prince, amaze with fancifulness of forms, individuality of a
composition of each subject.
The researchers of this period notice that Kunya-Urgench masters created their own architectural school, which has affected development of all Islamic architecture on an extent century.
The unique mosque has been constructed in 1456 by Mohammed, at a tomb of his father Seyit Jamal ad-Din in Anau region. This building with the magnificent mosaic portal amazed everyone who saw it for almost 500 years. Unfortunately, during the earthquake of 1948, the mosque has been destroyed. However, drawings and photos of the travelers, visiting these places in XIX – first half of XX-centuries, and also numerous ceramics, provide guidance on skill of medieval architects and craftsmen. The vegetative ornaments, with the motives of a blossoming apple-tree on all plane of the portal, serve the general background on which dominates perfectly executed two stylized dragons, with their heads turned towards each other. This plot very rare for art of Islamic culture. According to many scientists, sources of the given plot come from local pre-Islamic culture and are connected with an ancient cult of fertility. The museum collection of subjects of ancient art actively replenishes during the last period. Turkmen archeologists together with scientists of Russia, Italy, Poland conduct excavation on well-known archaeological monuments on all territory of Turkmenistan, opening new settlements, cities, civilizations. The precious works of art allow us to see the greatness of ancient culture, from which came the Turkmen people. Today, the people of Turkmenistan are proud of the rich history and culture.
The valuables of ancient culture of Turkmenistan live and continue their development in modern arts and crafts, in painting, sculpture and architecture.
