Abstract
War is a common heritage of Middle East, the experience of war was changed to a dramatic propaganda in Iran while the southern neighbor of Iran experienced it in another way: oblivion. In such a context, both states attempt to change the facts of the war, one to a process of sanctification and one to the portraits of nothingness. We, as archaeologists, were accidentally encountered with a heritage of Persian Gulf War during a contemporary archaeology project. Our curiosity made us to take a look at Jabber house, a forgotten building, a domestic architecture destroyed by a racket during the war. What was recorded in our frames was actually an artistic work, out of its original context. Our subjectivity as archaeologists made us to think about the other objects fossilized in museums, they are out of their painful context and structure, they are only beautiful, the portraits in the background of nothingness, in a burnt gallery. Persian Gulf War is treated in Kuwait as a negative heritage, what is discussed in this article as the main theme…a negative heritage lost its original context and meaning: Sheikh Jabber house.
Résumé
La guerre est un héritage commun au Moyen-Orient, l’expérience de la guerre a pris la forme d’une propagande dramatique en Iran alors que le Koweït, voisin méridional de l’Iran, en a fait l’expérience d’une autre manière : l’oubli. Dans un tel contexte, les deux états se sont efforcés de modifier les faits de la guerre, l’un en faveur d’un processus de sanctification et l’autre pour en dresser le portrait dans un décor du néant. En notre qualité d’archéologues, nous avons par hasard découvert un héritage de la Guerre du Golfe persique durant un projet contemporain d’archéologie. Notre curiosité nous a poussés à examiner la demeure Jabber, une bâtisse oubliée, une architecture locale détruite par un raid pendant la guerre. Ce que nous avons capturé sur nos clichés était en fait une œuvre d’art, extraite de son contexte original. Notre subjectivité d’archéologues nous a conduit à penser aux autres objets fossilisés dans les musées, ils sont en dehors de leur contexte douloureux et de leur structure, ils ne sont que beaux, des portraits dans un décor du néant, dans une galerie incendiée. La Guerre du Golfe persique est traitée au Koweït comme un héritage négatif, quel est donc le thème principal discuté dans cet article ? un héritage négatif ayant perdu son contexte et sa signification d’origine : la Demeure du Sheikh Jabber.
Resumen
La guerra es un patrimonio común de Oriente Medio, la experiencia de la guerra fue convertida en una propaganda dramática en Irán, mientras que el vecino del sur de Irán, Kuwait, lo experimentó de otra forma: olvido. En un contexto así, ambos estados intentan cambiar los hechos de la guerra, uno hacia un proceso de santificación y el otro hacia los retratos al fondo de la nada. Nosotros, como arqueólogos, nos topamos accidentalmente con un patrimonio de la Guerra del Golfo Pérsico durante un proyecto de arqueología contemporáneo. Nuestra curiosidad nos hizo echar un vistazo a la casa Jabber, un edificio olvidado, una arquitectura doméstica destruida por unos disturbios durante la guerra. Lo que fue registrado en nuestros fotogramas era realmente un trabajo artístico, fuera de su contexto original. Nuestra subjetividad como arqueólogos nos hizo pensar en los otros objetos fosilizados en los museos, están fuera de su penoso contexto y estructura, son solamente bellos, los retratos al fondo de la nada, en una galería quemada. La Guerra del Golfo Pérsico es tratada en Kuwait como un patrimonio negativo, ¿qué se debate en este artículo como el tema principal? Un patrimonio negativo perdido su contexto y significado originales: la Casa del Jeque Jabber.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by Kuwait ‘the ministry of culture ’. We convey our gratitude to Dr. S. Mokhtari. We also thank Maryam Dezhamkhooy and O. Garazhian for their useful suggestions and instructive comments. Any errors in this paper remain our own.
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Papoli-Yazdi, L., Naeimi, M. Portraits in the Background of “Nothingness” Sheikh Jabber Burnt House, an Object of Persian Gulf War. Arch 8, 145–168 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-012-9191-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-012-9191-2