Ernst Herzfeld: Balkuwara, Zimmer 19, 1911-1913. Glasnegativ, 13 x 18 cm, Museum für Islamische Kunst, Inv. Nr. Pl. Sam 258

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Samarra Revisited

New Perspectives on the Excavation Photographs from the Palaces of the Caliph

Digitalisation was made possible by the German Digital Library as part of the NEUSTART CULTURE (CULTURE RESTART) programme sponsored by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM).

Ernst Herzfeld used two cameras that he brought from Germany, along with photographic materials: an Agfa camera for the glass plates and a Kodak camera for plastic films.Around 1.500 black/white negatives are preserved today, as well as a few large colour diapositives. After over a hundred years, some of the original glass plates, negative and diapositives are badly damaged. The glass plates are somewhat fragile (Pl. Sam 258, Pl. Sam 490). One decay process that occurs very frequently, and is easy to recognise, is known as 'silver mirror' and causes a metallic blue gloss, particuarly in corners and at borders (Pl. Sam 284).

Another typical aging process involves the emulsion peeling off. Emulsion is the light-sensitive layer on the glass support, i.e. the side that shows the picture. The adhesion between the emulsion and the glass support may dissolve as a result of moisture and/or temperature fluctuations. The layer may sometimes flake (Pl. Sam 415) and is vulnerable to scratches. Water can even cause the picture to become completely lost (Pl. Sam 473).

Today, the negatives and diapositives are stored in an archive at a special temperature and only moved with great care.Making the originals accessible via digitalisation now means that they do not need to be picked up and moved, which prevents these unique testimonies from being further destroyed.

Even the museum employees were not fully aware of the portfolio, due to the fragile preservation conditions of the originals and the limited accessibility in the photo archive.This led to the idea of asking current and former employees to take a closer look into the digital reproductions for the special exhibition "Samarra Revisited - A New Look Into Excavation Photographs from the Caliphs' Palaces". 24 participants chose five photographs from Samarra which touched on their areas of work.

DIGITALISING SAMARRA

This led to the idea of asking current and former employees to take a closer look into the digital reproductions. 24 participants chose five photographs from Samarra which touched on their areas of work. You can find each of their "favourite photos" with comments as a digital print in the exhibition. All the other digital reproductions chosen, and the reasons for their choice, are available in the media station.This selection shows the wide spectrum of possible uses for excavation photographs: they help archaeologists and provenance researchers to locate sites - RESEARCH. They show that excavation photographers also endeavoured in the past to enable a comparison of their photographs with the originals - COMPARE. As the photographed site situations become lost forever as a result of the excavation work, the significance of photography must not be underestimated!However, the photos also act as links to current social discourses - QUESTIONING. They delight and inspire - JOY. Finally, the photos shown here document a formidable site of Islamic archaeology with a charm and appeal that has not been lost today - LOCATE.

Over the past year, the Museum of Islamic Art has digitalised the glass and plastic negatives and diapositives from the two excavation campaigns by the museum in Samarra (today: Iraq) in 1911-13.In the Samarra Revisited exhibition, all of the 1500 or so preserved photographs have now been made accessible for the first time. Even the museum employees themselves were not fully aware of the portfolio.This led to the idea of asking current and former employees to take a closer look into the digital reproductions. 24 participants chose five photographs from Samarra which touched on their areas of work. You can find each of their "favourite photos" with comments as a digital print in the exhibition. All the other digital reproductions chosen, and the reasons for their choice, are available in the media station.This selection shows the wide spectrum of possible uses for excavation photographs: they help archaeologists and provenance researchers to locate sites - RESEARCH. They show that excavation photographers also endeavoured in the past to enable a comparison of their photographs with the originals - COMPARE. As the photographed site situations become lost forever as a result of the excavation work, the significance of photography must not be underestimated! However, the photos also act as links to current social discourses - QUESTIONING. They delight and inspire - JOY. Finally, the photos shown here document a formidable site of Islamic archaeology with a charm and appeal that has not been lost today - LOCATE.

The pictures are not documentary excavation photos, but they still show construction phases and layers if you look ver closely. Many labourers "dig" with hoes and clear away the rubble with trolleys, but paperwork for the findings and archaeologists cannot be seen. So the site has not been grouped by room or into separate layers. However, this was commonplace in 1911.Besides the Islamic city, painted ceramics, also known as Samarra ceramics, from the 6th Century AD have also been found.

From my perspective as an archaeologist and provenance researcher, it is important to be able to reconstruct the original discovery context of an object using photos. Naturally, in order to do this, I have to analyse the targets of the excavation and the questions it raises, and the excavation methods used at the time. For a system, I also need to know how the excavation documentation was arranged (e.g. by excavation complexes). The accompanying texts and reasons for the photos themselves also provide important information.

SAMARRA REVISITED - RESEARCH

SAMARRA REVISITED - JOY

SAMARRA REVISITED - COMPARE

When I was recording discovery sites with the help of the blueprint collection, I was annoyed when I opened the "Types" folder. Unlike the other folders, this one had pictures of people in it. The people seem to be part of the scenery itself, as they have the same backdrop and are posed identically. At the same time, the photos are given an anthropological character by the presentation. The people have been documented in the same way as other groups of found objects. But this is not fair to the people in the photos.

I am doing a voluntary social year here in the museum and have scanned blueprints of the Samarra photos. In many of the pictures, you can see people, animals and landscapes, like looking through a window that lets you see back into the past.I would love to talk to the people, what they think about the excavations, if they worked there of their own free will and if they were treated well. Where they come from, if they have families and listen to what they talk to each other about.

Samarra Revisited

IN 2021, THE MUSEUM FOR ISLAMIC ART DIGITALISED THE GLASS AND PLASTIC NEGATIVES AND DIAPOSITIVES FROM THE TWO EXCAVATION CAMPAIGNS BY THE MUSEUM IN SAMARRA (TODAY: IRAQ).

ALL OF THE 1.500 OR SO PRESERVED PHOTOGRAPHS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

A photo collection was opened up

DIGITALISING SAMARRA

EVEN THE MUSEUM EMPLOYEES THEMSELVES WERE NOT FULLY AWARE OF THE PORTFOLIO.

SAMARRA REVISITED - RESEARCH

SAMARRA REVISITED - JOY

SAMARRA REVISITED - COMPARE

SAMARRA REVISITED - QUESTIONING

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Samarra Revisited

IN 2021, THE MUSEUM FOR ISLAMIC ART DIGITALISED THE GLASS AND PLASTIC NEGATIVES AND DIAPOSITIVES FROM THE TWO EXCAVATION CAMPAIGNS BY THE MUSEUM IN SAMARRA (TODAY: IRAQ).

ALL OF THE 1.500 OR SO PRESERVED PHOTOGRAPHS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

A photo collection was opened up

DIGITALISING SAMARRA

EVEN THE MUSEUM EMPLOYEES THEMSELVES WERE NOT FULLY AWARE OF THE PORTFOLIO.

SAMARRA REVISITED - RESEARCH

SAMARRA REVISITED - JOY

SAMARRA REVISITED - COMPARE

SAMARRA REVISITED - QUESTIONING