Louvre hosts Karakum lecture on 12 November 2026
Published on 10/18/2026 at 04:03 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
The Louvre (Musée du Louvre) hosts On the Roads of Medieval Karakum (Turkmenistan) in Paris on 12 November 2026, a lecture about medieval desert trading networks and archaeological research. The event is scheduled for the Michel Laclotte Auditorium and is listed in the museum's Les Midis de l'Archéologie programme.
On the Roads of Medieval Karakum reaches the Louvre on 12 November
The lecture begins at 12.30pm on 12 November 2026. The museum lists Paul Wordsworth of University College London and Martina Rugiadi of The Metropolitan Museum of Art as speakers, with confirmation still pending. The official event page gives French and English as the languages.
Its subject is the relationship between the Silk Road and settlements in the Karakum, a desert region of Central Asia. Merv, Bukhara and Samarkand are described as major stops on the network, while the lecture asks how smaller towns and outposts fitted into those connections. event details for 12 November place the programme in the Louvre's Michel Laclotte Auditorium.
Louvre lecture links Paris collections with Karakum archaeology
The research discussed at the event centres on excavations at Dandanakan, also written as Das Rabat, in the Karakum region. The project examines the links between towns and trade routes through archaeological surveys and excavations.
Wordsworth is identified by the museum as the coordinator of the Towns of the Karakum research project. His work at the remains of medieval Dandanakan studies the settlement's infrastructure and its Friday mosque, described on the event page as the oldest known congregational mosque at the site.
That focus gives the Paris lecture a direct connection with the Louvre's archaeological programme. Rather than presenting the desert as a route between better-known cities only, the event considers the smaller places and structures that made long-distance movement possible. The French-language listing also identifies the programme as a conference organised within the museum's archaeology series. French programme listing records the same date, venue and research focus.
Visiting Louvre: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The lecture takes place on 12 November 2026 in the Michel Laclotte Auditorium at the Louvre.
- Admission to the lecture is free, but bookings are required. The event page lists the programme in French and English.
- The museum's main entrance is the Pyramid. Visitors with admission tickets can also use the Carrousel entrance, while the Passage Richelieu is another access point identified by the Louvre.
- The Louvre combines permanent collections and temporary exhibitions in a palace setting. The museum warns that renovation work can mean some exhibition rooms are closed during the week.
For a visit built around the lecture, the fixed date and the auditorium location matter more than a general museum itinerary. The event is a scheduled cultural programme inside the Louvre, while the surrounding galleries remain subject to the museum's room-access notices.
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Frequently asked questions about Louvre
When does On the Roads of Medieval Karakum take place at Louvre?
The lecture takes place on 12 November 2026 at 12.30pm in the Michel Laclotte Auditorium.
What is On the Roads of Medieval Karakum about?
It examines medieval trading networks in the Karakum and archaeological work at Dandanakan, including the settlement's infrastructure and Friday mosque.
Where is Louvre and how do you get there?
The Louvre is in Paris. Its main entrance is the Pyramid, with the Carrousel and Passage Richelieu also identified as access points by the museum.
