The recently completed project was valued at $103,000 USD and has resulted in the total and complete renovation of the center’s storage, display and research facilities.
TIRANA, July 28 – A U.S-funded $103,000 project has renovated the Center for Albanological Studies where more than 18,000 objects dating back from ancient times are stored and displayed. The reconstruction was made possible by the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), created in 2001 by the U.S. Department of State to support the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects, and forms of traditional cultural expression in more than 100 countries around the world.
In 2012, U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Program awarded a grant to the International Council of Museums to improve and revitalize the storage conditions of the archaeological collection of the Center for Albanological Studies (CAS) in Tirana. The collection is comprised of 18,000 objects, 16,000 of which were identified as vulnerable to damage, loss, and destruction due to poor storage conditions, outdated and hazardous electrical system, lack of environmental controls to regulate temperature and humidity, and a nonexistent security system.
The recently completed project was valued at $103,000 USD and has resulted in the total and complete renovation of CAS’s storage, display and research facilities. These renovations will protect priceless Albanian cultural and historical collections from damage and decay, and will help preserve these valuable items for future generations of students, scholars and researchers.
Albania has benefited from this program nearly every year that the fund has been in existence.
Past AFCP-funded projects include: Church of St. Nicholas (2001); Lezha Castle (2002); Albanian Iso-Polyphonic Music Encyclopedia (2006); Tirana Clock Tower (2007); Artifacts Collection at the Museum of Prehistory (2008); Roman Fortress in Grazhdan, Dib철(2008); Gjirokast철Castle Gallery (2009); Kamenica Tumulus(2010); Center for Albanological Studies -Storage for Archaeological Objects(2012).
In a major reform back in 2008, the Albanian Academy of Sciences was deprived of most of its research functions which were transferred to the universities and research centers. For the most important field of Albanian studies, a new Center for Albanalogical Studies was created in April 2008, encompassing the institutes of History, Linguistics and Literature, Folk Culture and Archaeology. The center is led by Ardian Marashi.
