Clean-up of the Tatar cemetery in Studzianka

Poland
2016, 2017
clean-up
cemetery, cleaning works, Studzianka, Tatar, Tatarzy

o projekcie

The Tatar cemetery in Studzianka is one of the six mizars preserved in Poland.

The monuments found on the site are excellent examples of Tatar sepulchral art and give true witness to the past of a multicultural Poland. The cemetery was established as a result of Tatars settling locally, after King Jan III Sobieski gave some land to the ethnic group in question. The grave markers found at the cemetery are in different condition, with the oldest inventoried memorials dating back to the 18thcentury, and the youngest – to the early 20thcentury. Most of them come in a standard form and are made of granite or sandstone. The faces of the gravestones can be seen to feature some inscriptions in the Arabic and Latin alphabets.

2017

In early September 2017, a group of volunteers had a chance to meet with the local community of Studzianka once again and clean up the cemetery and its surroundings together one more time. And again, the clean-up was accompanied by a series of workshops and classes which let the volunteers get to know the Tatar culture and tradition better.

The programme of the trip included:

  • cleaning up historic cemeteries – run by Prof. Janusz Smaza,
  • Arabian-Tatar epigraphy workshop – run by Andrzej Drozda,
  • bow and arrow shooting classes – run by Wiesław and Łukasz Węda,
  • tasting the Tatar and regional cuisine.

The project was carried out in collaboration with Stowarzyszenie Rozwoju Miejscowości Studzianka [Studzianka Development Association] and financed from the resources of the National Heritage Institute as part of the “Volunteering for Heritage” programme.

2016

In 2016, the volunteers engaged in the project cleared the site of wild-growing vegetation and inventoried the grave markers. Before that, they took part in a special workshop run by industry experts – Prof. Janusz Smaza and Andrzej Drozda, PhD.

The scope of works was arranged with representatives of the Provincial Heritage Monuments Protection Office in Lublin – Biała Podlaska Branch.

The project was implemented in collaboration with Stowarzyszenie Rozwoju Miejscowości Studzianka [Studzianka Development Association].It obtained financial support as part of the National Heritage Institute’s programme entitled “Volunteering for Heritage”.

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