International Conference: "Astronomical Heritage of the Middle East 2"

The International Conference Astronomical Heritage of the Middle East 2 (AHME-2) will take place on 6-10 October 2025 in the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO), Armenia. This will be the 2^nd such meeting; we had a very successful meeting AHME in 2017 with participation of astronomers and many other specialists. This way we make these meetings regular for BAO and Armenia, as Armenia is one of the cradles of Astronomical Heritage, as well as BAO hosts a UNESCO “Memory of the World” Documentary Heritage (Markarian Survey). We combine astronomers and many other specialists of related fields. The Conference is devoted to the role of Astronomy in Culture and other fields of human activity and development of these fields due to the knowledge obtained from the Universe. In modern era, Astronomy is probably the field of science, which plays a leading role in the formation and development of inter- and multi- disciplinary sciences. For a long time, the Astrophysics has reached high level of development, recently new science disciplines have been created, such as Astrochemistry, Astrobiology, Planetary Science or Planetology (“Astrogeology”), Astroinformatics, Astrolinguistics. Archaeoastronomy plays an important role in culture and in the heritage of nations, chronologies and calendars created on the basis of astronomical knowledge, etc. Cultural Astronomy also plays an important role in the development of scientific (Astro) tourism and scientific journalism. The meeting is aimed at the development of problems of astronomy-related interdisciplinary sciences in the countries of European and Asian regions and preparation of a basis for further possible collaborations by means of presentations of available modern knowledge in various areas of culture by experts from different professions and by joint discussions.

The history of Astronomy in Armenia goes back to very old ages. Since ancient times Armenians accumulated astronomical knowledge and have left this heritage in the forms of rock art, ancient observatories, calendars and chronology, records of astronomical events, medieval sky maps, astronomical terms in the language, etc. Nowadays Armenia is one of the developed countries in astronomical sense as well, though by its economic level Armenia is among the developing countries, and it is located in a region (Middle East) where efforts are needed to develop and promote Cultural Astronomy. The famous Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) founded in 1946 by the outstanding scientist Viktor Ambartsumian made a significant contribution in the fields of research of non-stable phenomena and evolutionary processes in the Universe.

Our meeting will contribute to the following:

Review and discuss Astronomical Heritage of the Middle East to summarize available data
Review and discuss individual items of Astronomical Heritage
Learn about related major current and upcoming projects and studies
Learn and discuss how Astronomical Heritage can change our understanding of the history
Discuss access, data mining, analysis, visualization, etc. related to Astronomical Heritage
Discuss the future of studies by joint efforts of Astronomers, Historians, Archaeologists, and other experts
Discuss and homogenize the presentation of available information in webpages, etc.

During the Conference, an Astronomical Festival (AstroFest-2025) will be organized on 8 October, where dozens of scientists, students and others will visit BAO and meet scientists, writers and poets, composers and artists. All participants will be invited to participate.

Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) is one of the main observational centers of the former Soviet Union and at present is an important observatory with modern facilities in the region. It was founded in 1946 by the outstanding Armenian scientist V. A. Ambartsumian (1908-1996) and is well known for its large spectroscopic surveys (FBS and SBS). BAO hosts a number of medium-size optical telescopes, the most important being the 2.6m classical telescope and 1m Schmidt telescope. BAO holds the Digitized First Byurakan Survey (DFBS, or the Digitized Markarian survey created in 2002-2007), containing low-dispersion spectra of ~20,000,000 objects and BAO Plate Archive, kind of astronomical heritage that surprisingly are basis for modern technologies as well, namely the Armenian Virtual Observatory (ArVO), a member of the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA). BAO and Armenia host the IAU South West and Central Asian Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (SWCA ROAD) and support the development of astronomy in Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and other regional countries.

Armenian astronomy is also famous for a number of important astronomical meetings, organized by and mostly held in BAO: 7 IAU Symposia and Colloquia; IAU Symposia: #29 in 1966 (Non-Stable Phenomena in Galaxies), #121 in 1986 (Observational Evidence of Activity in Galaxies), #137 in 1989 (Flare Stars in Star Clusters, Associations and Solar Vicinity), #194 in 1998 (Activity in Galaxies and Related Phenomena), #304 in 2013 (Multiwavelength AGN Surveys and Studies) and #365 in 2023 (Dynamics of Solar and Stellar Convection Zones and Atmospheres), IAU Colloquium #184 in 2001 (AGN Surveys), as well as the European Annual Meeting JENAM was organized by BAO in Yerevan in 2007. The first international meeting on Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CETI) was organized in Byurakan in 1971. We have organized a UNESCO Conference “Astronomical Heritage of the Middle East” in 2017 and the 2^nd such meeting will be held on 6-10 October 2025. BAO-ESO Summer School was organized in 1987. The Byurakan International Summer Schools (BISS) are being organized since 2006, and 9 successful schools have been held in 2006, 2008, 2010 (combined with the 32th IAU ISYA), 2012, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024. IAU SWCA Regional Astronomical Summer Schools (RASS) are being organized since 2019, and 3 such schools have been held in 2019, 2021 and 2023 (the 1^st Inter-Regional Astronomical Summer School, 1IRASS). The 4^th one will be held just before the ASBD-3, on 8-12 Sep 2025. Many other meetings and schools have been organized as well, including some of them related to Astronomical Heritage, History of Astronomy, Archaeoastronomy, Cultural Astronomy, Astronomical Education and Public Outreach.

Renowned scientists; astronomers, historians, archaeologists, culturalists, linguists and others working in the area of Astronomical Heritage will be invited to the meeting. We plan to have some 100-120 participants, including many young researchers and students.