This all began when in 2015 a farmer in Eastern Kazakhstan found a large stone with an engraved cross and strange writing surrounding the cross. Digital analysis revealed the writing to be Syriac and the stone to be a gravestone of a Nestorian Christian priest. Subsequent developments led to the discovery of multiple Christian gravestones.

In 2017 the Kazakhstan Archeological Institute of the Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences created the Department for Nestorian Studies. In the Russian academy, Syriac Christianity – also known as the Church of the East in some circles – is termed Nestorian Christianity, hence the name of this department.

This new department was created to investigate the Nestorian aspect of this history, and is a positive step to facilitate the investigation of the role Nestorian Christianity played in the territories of what is to today Kazakhstan and other Central Asian nations. As Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev succinctly stated: “We need to look into the past in order to understand the present and foresee the future.”

This vision is expressed as well in the new program Course Ahead: Spiritual Renewal. In discussions on economic development, particularly as it relates to the One Belt One Road project, Kazakhstan understands the significant role religions of the Silk Road played in trade and commerce.

In February of this year, Dr. Mark Dickens made an outstanding groundbreaking presentation at the Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences. His presentation can be viewed here. We also have several pending partnerships developing and welcome your involvement in any capacity. Our primary goal is the facilitate a welcoming atmosphere for synergy, excavations, research, and dialogue in Syriac / Nestorian Christianity in Central Asia.

We hope you will able to come and are indeed very excited to host this conference. We will do all we can to make your stay most enjoyable. This conference will be unique in that it will feature artifacts and finds as well as a tour to Ili Balik where there have been significant Nestorian finds. We also welcome any participants who may wish to stay longer for further investigations.

For further information and event registration details, visit our event page.