Ambary devotes life to Islamic archeology<\/p>\n
By Rita A. Widiadana<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Unearthing stones, artifacts and the skeletal
\nremains of ancient humans in remote areas may sound like an
\nunappealing job to many people, but not to Hasan Muarif Ambary.<\/p>\n
Born sixty years ago in Kuningan, West Java, Ambary, a
\nprofessor of archeology, is one of the very few scholars who has
\ndevoted his entire working life to the development of archeology
\nin Indonesia. He is also the only senior expert in Islamic
\narcheology.<\/p>\n
\"I am interested in Islamic archeology because it is very
\nimportant to the life of the Indonesian people and the nation,
\nwhere Muslims make up the majority of the population,\" the soft-
\nspoken Ambary said.<\/p>\n
Ambary said that to special in Islamic archeology, a person
\n\"must learn and understand the Arabic language and ancient
\nMalayan and Javanese transcripts, which are indeed very
\ndifficult\".<\/p>\n
Ambary was lucky to be able to study Arabic, written and
\nspoken, since his childhood. \"My father was an ulema (Islamic
\nreligious leader) who was very strict with his children,\" he
\nremembered.<\/p>\n
Through his research and studies, Ambary found that Islam
\nentered Indonesia peacefully and was easily adapted to Indonesian
\nculture and society.<\/p>\n
He describes the process in his most-recent book, Menemukan
\nPeradaban, Jejak Arkeologi dan Historis Islam Indonesia (Finding
\na Civilization, Archeological Traces and Islamic History in
\nIndonesia).<\/p>\n
Ambary also reveals that most communities in Indonesia's
\nhistory adopted Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, and were
\nable to live in harmony.<\/p>\n
\"Archeological studies remain relevant to the current
\ncondition. We can draw important lessons from our past successes
\nand failures in handling current social, political, religious and
\ncultural matters,\" Ambary explained.<\/p>\n
His interest in archeology was aroused while he was still a
\nstudent in junior high school. \"I had a very kind and clever
\nteacher,\" he recalled.<\/p>\n
The teacher told fascinating stories about ancient
\ncivilizations in Egypt, China, India and, of course, Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"I had very wonderful experiences when I heard stories about
\nhow people worked hard to understand the meaning of animal
\npaintings in European caves and uncover the remains of the
\nancient Egyptian civilization,\" Ambary said.<\/p>\n
In l964, he studied archeology at the University of
\nIndonesia. Ambary received his doctoral degree in 1984 from the
\nEcole des Hautes Etudes en Science Sociale in Paris. He wrote his
\ndissertation on ancient Islamic tombs in Indonesia. He now heads
\nthe National Archeological Research Center.<\/p>\n
\"Not many people understand the significant role of
\narcheology in the development of a nation,\" Ambary said.<\/p>\n
\"Archeology is really not a popular science in Indonesia.
\nPeople always link it to the archaic world, and believe that it
\nhas no relation to the present or the future,\" Ambary commented.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, archeology is a holistic and integrative study of
\nmankind,\" he stated.<\/p>\n
Archeology is not merely the excavation and study of
\nartifacts. The science actually centers on the lives of the
\npeople who deposited all archeological remains.<\/p>\n
Ambary said that archeologists wanted to contribute to the
\nunderstanding of the human species by examining the lives of
\nancient people.<\/p>\n
An archeologist's main task is to discover, recover,
\nreconstruct and explain the physical evidence of a culture in a
\ncertain time and certain place, he explained.<\/p>\n
Archeology, anthropology, history, geology and other related
\nsciences complement each other. Historians learn about the past
\nthrough written records, while archeologists explore it through
\nvarious materials dating as far back as four million years.<\/p>\n
\"By attempting to unearth as many materials as possible, we
\nmay draw a preliminary picture of the social and cultural
\nsystems, technological achievements and other skills of the
\npeople who once lived in a certain area,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia boasts very rich and diverse archeological remains
\nthroughout the country. Yet, there is little interest in
\narcheology from the government, the private sector and the
\ngeneral population.<\/p>\n
\"We are now facing the danger of losing our vital
\narcheological heritage because of various natural or
\ndevelopmental reasons,\" he said.<\/p>\n
As an example, he cited the construction of a housing complex
\nin West Java's Rancamaya valley, which might have destroyed an
\nimportant archeological site believed to be the holy place of
\nthe kings of the Padjadjaran Hindu Kingdom, which held sway over
\nWest Java in the fifth century.<\/p>\n
Around the country, many other archeological sites are being
\nthreatened by various industrial, infrastructure and housing
\nprojects.<\/p>\n
\"It is high time for all parties to understand the importance
\nof preserving archeological remains as the clues and pathways to
\nour past,\" Ambary said.<\/p>\n
Despite the existence of the Law on Cultural and
\nArcheological Preservation, there are still many violations
\nwhich occur. The demolition of archeological sites and the theft
\nof artifacts are recurring events.<\/p>\n
\"So far, the punishments for violators have been very lenient.
\nThe enforcement of the law must be stricter in order to protect
\nour valuable legacy,\" Ambary said.<\/p>\n
In developed countries such as the United States, Japan,
\nFrance and Britain, any development project must involve at least
\none archeologist to prevent any destruction of possible
\narcheological remains.<\/p>\n
\"Being an archeologist is a respected and prestigious
\nprofession in those countries,\" Ambary said. They are hired by
\nlarge companies, such as mining and construction firms, to work
\non their development projects.<\/p>\n
They also have easy access to research and development funds
\nthrough universities and government agencies.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, the situation is very different. There are only
\nfour universities in Indonesia, including the University of
\nIndonesia in Jakarta and the Gadjah Mada University in
\nYogyakarta, which have archeology departments.<\/p>\n
Each of the four universities accepts between 20 and 30
\nstudents every year. This means that there will be somewhere
\nbetween 50 and 100 new archeology graduates each academic year.<\/p>\n
\"For a country as wide and rich as Indonesia, such a number is
\ninsufficient,\" Ambary stated.<\/p>\n
However, life for new archeology graduates is very difficult
\nbecause job opportunities are rare. Many of the graduates
\neventually enter other professions.<\/p>\n
\"It is a pity and a waste of good human resources because we
\nare now facing a lot of subjects and problems in the
\narcheological field ,\" he asserted.<\/p>\n
The National Archeological Research Center has 10 branches
\nacross several provinces, but the center can only absorb around
\nten new employees each year.<\/p>\n
\"We only have two archeologists working in our Irian Jaya
\nbranch. How can they work to their optimum ability in such a huge
\nprovince,\" Ambary asked, adding that all policies regarding the
\nhiring of new employees were made by the central government.<\/p>\n
Ambary hoped that during the three-day archeological meeting
\nin Yogyakarta starting on Monday, the members of the Indonesian
\nArcheologists Association would be able to find solutions to the
\nexisting problems facing Indonesia's archeologists. If they are
\nunable to come up with any solutions, the country's rich heritage
\ncould be lost forever.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ambary-devotes-life-to-islamic-archeology-1447893297",
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