Essay: Destruction of Ukrainian heritage – why losing historical icons can leave a long shadow
DEREK MATRAVERS, in an article first published on The Conversation, looks at the damage being done to Ukrainian heritage – and why action taken now to improve the international legal framework protecting such treaures could help prevent future losses…
Demolition of 300-year-old Iraq mosque minaret for road expansion enrages locals
Basra, IraqReuters The demolition on Friday of a 300-year-old minaret of a mosque in Iraq’s southern city of Basra to make way for road expansion has enraged locals, religious and cultural authorities who condemned it as a further erosion of Iraq’s cultural heritage. Built in 1727, the 11-metre Siraji minaret and its mosque were toppled […]
Sudan’s cultural heritage in peril as fighting rages
Cairo, EgyptReuters In Sudan’s capital, precious books in a major library have been burned and the national museum has been cut off for weeks by fighting. In Darfur, another museum is at risk from seasonal rains after projectiles punctured the roof. The conflict that has been raging between rival military factions in Sudan since mid-April […]
UNESCO grants Odesa’s historic centre World Heritage in Danger status
Paris, France Reuters The United Nations’ cultural agency, UNESCO, said on Wednesday that it had designated the historic centre of Odesa, a strategic port city on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, a World Heritage in Danger site. The status, awarded by a UNESCO panel meeting in Paris, is designed to help protect Odesa’s cultural heritage, which […]
Preserving the past: Online army deploys to save Ukraine’s art and heritage
UMBERTO BACCHI, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on efforts to preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage in the midst of war…
UN cultural agency moves to protect Ukraine’s heritage sites
Reuters The United Nations’ cultural agency UNESCO said on Tuesday it had bolstered protective measures to preserve Ukraine’s endangered cultural heritage in light of Russia’s invasion of its neighbour. “The first challenge is to mark cultural heritage sites and monuments and recall their special status as protected areas under international law,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay […]
Asian cities urged to guard cultural heritage as they modernise
Penang, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Many of Asia’s booming cities are failing to preserve their cultural heritage and risk losing the traditional knowledge that is crucial for promoting inclusiveness, sustainability and resilience, urban experts warned on Friday. This year, a majority of Asia-Pacific’s population for the first time became urban, with more than half the population […]
Countries urged to protect property in war to save culture, identity
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation More must be done to prevent the destruction of cultural property during conflicts, from museums to libraries, in order to preserve communities, artists and academics told a symposium called “Culture Under Attack” on Saturday. From the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra partly destroyed by Islamic State in 2015 to the Bamiyan Buddha […]
CULTURAL HERITAGE: “EVERYTHING IS STOLEN FROM US” – TUNISIANS FIGHT TO PRESERVE THEIR PAST
LAYLI FOROUDI, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from the north African nation…
HERITAGE: BEAUTY OR SAFETY? EUROPE SEEKS TO PROTECT HERITAGE FROM DISASTERS
ALEX WHITING, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on rising concerns over damage being done to Europe’s cultural heritage – and the efforts being undertaken to preserve it…