As the Turkish government announced that the Hagia Sophia will be converted back into a mosque, one of the primary responses worldwide has been to assert that the edifice constitutes “universal” heritage, that it belongs to all of us.
cultural heritage
Posted inNews
Trump’s Border Wall Construction Is Threatening Ceremonial and Sacred Sites
Construction of the 30-foot steel fence threatens the cultural heritage of the Tohono O’odham people, including burial grounds and a biosphere reserve.
Posted inArt
Documenting Damaged Cultural Heritage and Human Suffering in Yemen’s Civil War
Yemeni human rights organization Mwatana has issued a report based on years of research, titled, “The Degradation of History: Violations Committed by the Warring Parties against Yemen’s Cultural Property.”
Posted inIn Brief
Iron Age Temple in Syria Devastated by Turkish Air Raids
The ancient temple complex of Ain Dara was partially destroyed by the Turkish military as they continue to attack Kurdish forces in the Afrin region of Syria.
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England Gives “Pride of Place” to Historic LGBTQ Sites
Historic England’s Pride of Place project aims to recognize overlooked sites of LGBTQ history and protect them as part of the country’s heritage.
Posted inIn Brief
A Leader of Attacks on Timbuktu Shrines Convicted of War Crime
In a historic decision today, the International Criminal Court convicted an individual who destroyed cultural heritage of committing a war crime.
Posted inArt
In Acts of Resistance, Artists and Scholars Digitally Reconstruct the Past
In the past year alone, members of ISIS have marred cultural treasures in Iraq and Syria, taking sledgehammers and drills to statues at the Mosul Museum and delivering numerous blows to the ancient site of Palmyra, including its 1,800-year-old Arch of Triumph.
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From a 12,000-Year-Old Turkish City to a Finnish Airport, Europe’s Most At-Risk Heritage Sites
Western media stories about cultural heritage destruction have recently focused on places like Syria, Iraq, and Libya.
Posted inArt
Sending Out an SOS to Save Our Concrete Brutalist Monsters
The monolithic concrete that forms some of our most creative 20th-century architectural heritage is in danger of disappearing.
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In Wake of Terrorist Attacks, France Looks to Fight ISIS with Cultural Preservation
This week, France announced two plans to fight back against ISIS’s cultural destruction. French culture minister Fleur Pellerin unveiled a $6 million fund that will help France’s cultural institutions recover from the recent attack.
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Study Finds ISIS Militants Aren’t the Only Ones Looting Syrian Archaeological Sites
ISIS’s systematic looting in Syria has captured the world’s attention, but a new study shows they’re not the only ones selling off the country’s cultural heritage.
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A Petition to Stop “Irresponsible” Restoration of Chartres Cathedral
A new petition against the cathedral’s restoration claims work done over the past six years has irreversibly damaged the 800-year-old building and erased centuries of the history that makes it so special.