FROM DUNHUANG TO LANZHOU. IMPRESSIONS OF A VOYAGE ALONG THE SILK ROUTE  

22 May

From Dunhuang to Lanzhou. Impressions of a voyage along the Silk Route

CONFERENCE

Speaker: José Delgado Rodrigues

18.30–19.30

Floor 4

Free Entry

To complement his role in an international symposium on the conservation of archaeological sites taking place in Mogao (Dunhuang), China, this author carried out a study visit that included various monuments along the route between Dunhuang and Lanzhou in the Gobi desert region, an itinerary that shadowed the historical Silk Route. His speech is illustrated with pictures of the leading sites visited with comment also on some of the more critical aspects related to their preservation. The speech is pitched at an open audience and hence accessible to non-specialists in these fields.

A geologist by training, José Delgado Rodrigues is researcher-coordinator at the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering. He has dedicated much of his career to heritage conservation related issues, an area on which he has published more than a hundred scientific articles. He has monitored many leading conservation projects such as on the Tower of Belém and Monastery of Jerónimos in Lisbon, the Church of Santa Cruz and the old Cathedral in Coimbra, not to mention the cathedrals of Évora and Oporto. He has also taught at various Portuguese and international universities, on courses run by ICCROM and other institutions as well as being a regular speaker at congresses worldwide.