Project: 3D Digital Silk Road

The National Agency for Academic Exchange (www.nawa.gov.pl) financed the Lublin University of Technology project under the program “International Academic Partnerships”: “3D Digital Silk Road” – digitization of the Silk Road monuments in Uzbekistan (https://cs.pollub.pl/projects/3d-digital-silk-road-digitization-historic-silk-trail-in-Uzbekistan/).

The project was implemented in the period from 01/10/2019 to 30/09/2022. The project’s budget was just over PLN 1 million. The project manager was Dr. Elżbieta Miłosz from the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The aim of the project was to conduct scientific and research work in the field of digitization of cultural monuments of the Silk Road in Uzbekistan during scientific expeditions by specialists from the Lab3D laboratory of the Department of Computer Science in cooperation with partners from Uzbekistan, and to disseminate research results through international scientific conferences, scientific seminars, practical training, monographs and the silkroad3d.com website.

The partners in the project were four universities in Uzbekistan:

• National University of Uzbekistan (NUU) (coordinator: Dilbar Mukhamedova)
• Samarkand State University (SamSU) (coordinator: Rahim Kayumov)
• Chirchik State Pedagogical Institute (CSPI) (coordinator: Bakhodir Eshchanov)
• Urgench State University (USU) (coordinator: Utkir Abdullaev).

As part of the individual tasks of the project, the following were carried out:

• A kick-off meeting was organized (3-5.02.2020), during which the tasks of the project and the rules of cooperation with four coordinators from four Uzbek universities-project partners were discussed.
• 5 scientific and research expeditions were carried out:
  1. a) I virtual (May 2021, the period of the Covid-19 pandemic), artist Baturov’s ceramic items and Uzbek hats by the hands of Samarkand State University employees were scanned under the remote management of specialists from the Lublin University of Technology using internet technologies https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2012&lang=pl
  2. b) II to Tashkent, Chirchik and Samarkand (16-28/08/2021) – nearly 60 museum artifacts and three large architectural objects were scanned, two scientific seminars were conducted at two partner universities, 130 GB of data were obtained https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2094&lang=pl
  3. c) III to Urgench and Khiva (10-23.10.2021) – several dozen small museum objects in Urgench and Khiva were scanned and several large objects in the inner city of Khiva – Iczan Kala, a scientific seminar was conducted at Urgench State University https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2242&lang=pl
  4. d) IV to Samarkand (5-18.05.2022) – 6 large architectural complexes of Samarkand and Shahrisabz and over 20 small museum objects were scanned https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3011&lang=en
  5. e) V to Bukhara (June 5-12, 2022) – 5 large architectural objects and several dozen small artifacts from the museum of the Bukhara Fortress were scanned https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3103&lang=pl .
• Within this task:
  1. a) Data from the first virtual expedition was processed, which resulted in the creation of two mini-exhibitions of 3D models: 12 works by artist-ceramist H. Baturov and 12 Uzbek hats https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2638&lang=pl
  2. b) Data from the 2nd expedition was processed, obtaining: 24 3D models of museum objects, 5 3D panoramas of large objects and 5 VR panoramas for 3D glasses https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2707&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2717&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2730&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2732&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2734&lang=pl
  3. c) Data from the 3rd expedition was processed, obtaining: 20 3D models of museum objects, 8 3D panoramas of large objects and 7 VR panoramas for 3D glasses: https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2894&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2915&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3166&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3173&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3176&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3179&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3182&lang=pl
  4. d) Data from the 4th expedition was processed, obtaining: 26 3D models of museum objects, 15 3D panoramas of large objects and 11 VR panoramas for 3D glasses: https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3389&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3235&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3233&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3231&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3229&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3225&lang=pl
  5. e) Data from the 5th expedition was processed, obtaining: 22 3D models of museum objects, 12 3D panoramas of large objects and 10 VR panoramas for 3D glasses: https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3378&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3262&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3260&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3258&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3256&lang=pl , https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3254&lang=pl
• The 1st international conference was organized at the Lublin University of Technology (13-15.12.2021) “IT in Cultural Heritage of the Silk Road” (IT-CHSR’2021) https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2420&lang=pl, in which was attended by over 50 people, employees of the Lublin University of Technology, partner universities and museum employees from Uzbekistan, 37 papers were delivered, two post-conference monographs were prepared:
  1. a) “Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan : From Petroglyphs to the Present Days” (27.05.2022) http://bc.pollub.pl/dlibra/publication/14029/edition/13686
  2. b) “Computer technologies in sharing the cultural heritage and education of the Silk Road from Uzbekistans” (11.07.2022) http://bc.pollub.pl/dlibra/publication/14100/edition/13757
• Two multimedia exhibitions were organized in the hall of the Library of the Lublin University of Technology:
  1. a) 1st multimedia exhibition: “Uzbekiscanning: LUT’s Scientific Expeditions 2021”, presenting two scientific expeditions from 2021 in Uzbekistan (December 2 -31, 2021). 50 large-format photos, posters, a multimedia presentation were prepared and an album about the exhibition was published https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2449&lang=pl
  2. b) 2nd multimedia exhibition: “Uzbekiscanning: LUT’s Scientific Expeditions 2022”, presenting the last two scientific expeditions in Uzbekistan (August 25-September 8, 2022). 53 large-format photos, posters, a multimedia presentation were prepared and an album about the exhibition was published. There were also prepared small format photos for the exhibition in Uzbekistan as part of the 2nd international conference: https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3397&lang=pl
• Three training courses for Uzbekistan Partners were organized at the Lublin University of Technology:
  1. a) Training No. 1: “3D scanning of small objects” attended by 12 partners from 4 Uzbek universities (15-19.11.2021) https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=2391&lang=pl
  2. b) Training No. 2: “3D scanning of large objects”, which was attended by 12 partners from 4 Uzbek universities (23-27.05.2022) https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3058&lang=pl
  3. c) Training No. 3 for Partners from Uzbekistan “Methods of ensuring the sustainability of the results of the 3D Digital Silk Road project after its completion”, which was attended by 4 coordinators from 4 Uzbek universities (19-24.09.2022) https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3679&lang=pl
• A scientific monograph was prepared and published: “3D Information Technology in the Protection and Popularization of a Cultural Heritage of a Silk Road” http://bc.pollub.pl/dlibra/publication/14114
• All work related to the project implementation on the silkroad3d.com website was documented in 4 languages: English, Polish, Russian and Uzbek, and appropriate translations were made into Russian and Uzbek. The portal features 3D models and panoramas as well as VR panoramas for 3D glasses from five expeditions. The news on the portal also includes links to Uzbek articles and websites describing the above-mentioned project activities https://silkroad3d.com
• The 2nd international conference in Uzbekistan “3D Digital Silk Road Project” (3DSR’2022), summarizing the results of the project, was prepared and conducted. The conference was held in 3 cities of Uzbekistan: in Tashkent (at the National University of Uzbekistan), in Chirchik (at Chirchik State Pedagogical University) and in Samarkand (at Samarkand State University and Registan Ensamble). As part of the conference, attended by over 50 participants, 31 papers were prepared and delivered. The conference program and theses of all presentations were published on the website https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3410&lang=pl. During the conference, the multimedia exhibition “Uzbekiscanning: LUT’s Scientific Expeditions 2022” (small format photos) was presented, presenting the course of scientific and practical expeditions carried out in 2022 as part of the NAWA “3D Digital Silk Road” project: https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=3410&lang=pl
• In April 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the web-training “3D scanning of small artifacts using low-cost scanners” was carried out remotely by the Lublin University of Technology for employees of partner universities from Uzbekistan, preparing Samarkand State University employees to scan small artifacts https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=1998&lang=pl
• During the Covid-19 pandemic (8-9.01.2021) the web-conference “The Silk Road – cultural heritage of Asia and Europe” was organized, attended by over 40 employees of universities and museums in Uzbekistan and Poland. https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=1747&lang=pl. Two post-conference monographs were published:
  1. a) “Tangible Cultural Heritage of the Silk Road from the Area of Modern Uzbekistan” http://bc.pollub.pl/dlibra/publication/13931/edition/13595/content?ref=desc
  2. b) “Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Silk Road from the Area of Modern Uzbekistan” http://bc.pollub.pl/dlibra/publication/13939/edition/13600/content?ref=desc
• As part of the task no. 12:
  1. a) Five scientific articles were published in indexed journals:
     1. i) Comparative Analysis of Digital Models of Objects of Cultural Heritage Obtained by the “3D SLS” and “SfM” Methods / Marcin Barszcz, Jerzy Montusiewicz, Magdalena Paśnikowska-Łukaszuk and Anna Sałamacha // Applied Sciences.- 2021, vol. 11, nr 12, s. 1-20 https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125321
     2. ii) Methodology of 3D Scanning of Intangible Cultural Heritage—The Example of Lazgi Dance / Maria Skublewska-Paszkowska, Paweł Powroźnik, Jakub Smołka, Marek Miłosz, Edyta Łukasik, Dilbar Mukhamedova and Elżbieta Miłosz // Applied Sciences.- 2021, vol. 11, nr 23, s. 1-17 https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311568
     3. iii) Structured-light 3D scanning of exhibited historical clothing—a first-ever methodical trial and its results / Jerzy Montusiewicz, Marek Miłosz, Jacek Kęsik and Kamil Żyła // Heritage Science.- 2021, vol. 9, nr 1, s. 1-20 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-021-00544-x
     4. iv) Preliminary Application of the Algorithm Highlighting Petroglyph Patterns / Piotr Wójcicki, Sylwester Korga, Marek Miłosz // Applied Sciences.- 2022, vol. 12, nr 3, s. 1-14 https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031660
     5. v) Virtual scientific expedition for 3D scanning of museum artifacts in the COVID-19 period – The methodology and case study / Marek Miłosz, Jerzy Montusiewicz, Jacek Kęsik, Kamil Żyła, Elżbieta Miłosz, Rahim Kayumov, Nodir Anvarov // Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage.- 2022, vol. 26, s. 1-10 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2022.e00230
  2. b) 4 papers and presentations were prepared at the INTED 2021 virtual conference (8-9.03.2021) https://silkroad3d.com/?page_id=1886&lang=pl
     1. i) 3D MODELLING OF SILK ROAD ARTEFACTS AS A TOPIC FOR REMOTE PROFESSIONAL STUDENT VOCATIONAL INTERNSHIPS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (Marcin Barszcz, Jerzy Montusiewicz, Tomasz Nowicki, Rahim Kayumow)
     2. ii) DISTANCE TEACHING OF 3D MODEL POST-PROCESSING ON THE EXAMPLE OF ARTEFACTS FROM THE SILK ROAD AREA (Krzysztof Dziedzic, Sylwester Korga, Stanisław Skulimowski)
     3. iii) EXTENDING COMPUTER GRAPHICS CURRICULUM BY CULTURAL HERITAGE-RELATED ASPECTS – SILK ROAD ARTIFACTS CASE STUDY (Jacek Kęsik, Kamil Żyła)
     4. iv) FORCED VIRTUALIZATION OF INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS – METHODS, TOOLS, PROBLEMS (Elzbieta Milosz, Małgorzata Charytanowicz)
  3. c) Two papers were presented at the ICL2022 conference, which took place in Vienna, Austria (29-30.09.2022):
     1. i) Creating Mobile VR Visualisations of 3D Objects from Area of the Silk Road/ Montusiewicz J., Skulimowski S., Barszcz M., Kayumov R..
     2. ii) Practical Aspects of Using 3D technology to Disseminate Cultural Heritage Among Visually Impaired People / Montusiewicz J., Barszcz M., Korga S.
  4. d) Three papers were given at the international conference “Modern problems of applied mathematics and information technology”, which took place at Bukhara State University in Bukhara, Uzbekistan (7.06.2022):
     1. i) Modern problems of 3D scanning of cultural heritage objects – “3D Digital Silk Road” project // Elżbieta Milosz, Jerzy Montusiewicz, Marek Milosz, Rahim Kayumov
     2. ii) Digital documentation of monuments – modern information technologies and methodologies // Tomasz Szymczyk, Jacek Kęsik, Jerzy Montusiewicz, Khonkul Samarov,Utkir Abdullayev
     3. iii) Virtual museum for education and popularization of cultural heritage // Stanisław Skulimowski, Marek Milosz, Dilbar Mukhamedova, Samariddin Mustafokulov

Indicators-results obtained during the project are as follows:

Expeditions and conference stamps: