Abu Dhabi: An NYU student from Abu Dhabi had the rare opportunity to comb through the archeological remnants of ancient Bukhara in Uzbekistan, once a bustling centre on the fabled Silk Route.
Canadian Chaeri Lee, an undergraduate student of History at NYU Abu Dhabi, was part of the Uzbek American Archaeological Expedition to Bukhara last month.
Speaking to XPRESS, Lee said, “It was a unique experience to trace the remnants of an ancient world with my bare hands.”
“We were engaged in an extensive and intensive pedestrian survey where we systematically walked a given area looking for signs of life from a bygone era,” she said.
The main topic was to discover traces of how people came in contact on the fringes of the oasis that was Bukhara, and what they produced and exchanged.
“I found arrowheads, clusters of pottery shards, some decorated pieces – all dating back centuries,” said Lee. “What amazes me after these discoveries is that human nature has remained the same after so many centuries.
“I grew up watching movies like Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park that feature archeologists. But having got a first-hand experience in the field, I am amazed by the scholarly pursuit of archeologists to recreate the past,” said Lee who wants to include archaeology in her academic pursuits.
She will be recording her archaeological experiences in a college blog soon.
