Turkmen historians and archeologist have concluded that one of the ancient arts – carving appeared in the territory of the country much earlier than previously thought: at least in the 3rd-4th centuries.

This conclusion was made during the examination of two clay slabs with plaster carvings. They were found during the excavations of the Zoroastrian temple of fire in the site of the ancient settlement of Mele-Heyran in the east of the Serahs oasis by the Turkmen-Polish archeological expedition led by Professor of the University of Warsaw Barbara Kim.


In spite of their venerable age the slabs are well preserved and decorated with floristic ornaments with the relief images of lotus flowers and clover leaves

The unique pieces of ancient art were presented to the Museum of Fine Arts in Ashgabat. Currently, local specialists are engaged in conservation, restoration of broken fragments and thorough research of artefacts.