Art
At Last, Colombia Demands the Return of Its San Agustín Statues
After decades of inaction, the Colombian government is demanding the repatriation of the ancient sculptures, currently held at a Berlin museum.
Cultural Heritage
News
Deadly Earthquake Damages Cultural Sites in Turkey and Syria
The 7.8-magnitude quake has killed at least 2,600 people and destroyed a 2nd-century castle, among other landmarks.
News
American Woman Tried to Smuggle 166 Maya Objects From Guatemala
Stephanie Allison Jolluck was apprehended by authorities days after a close call with airport security, who found two 1,000-year-old artifacts in her luggage.
News
As the World Burns, Museum Leaders “Deeply Shaken” by Climate Protests
MoMA’s Glenn Lowry, the Brooklyn Museum’s Anne Pasternak, and 90 others signed a statement condemning recent actions targeting protected artworks.
News
Vandals Who Graffitied Petroglyphs in Nevada Sent to Prison
The White River Narrows rock art is considered sacred by Native American peoples in the region.
News
Extreme Floods in Pakistan Devastate Cultural Heritage Sites
Walls over 4,500-year-old collapsed, tombs were lost, and a Buddhist temple was damaged in the flood-stricken Sindh province.
News
Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage Is Crumbling as Russian Forces Bomb Historical Sites
UNESCO has confirmed 53 partially or completely demolished sites so far, while the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation counts over 150, including monuments.
News
Ukraine Asks to Keep Measures to Protect Cultural Heritage Under Wraps
Publishing data about efforts to protect threatened cultural properties might expose them as targets for Russian troops and looters, the country’s deputy minister of culture warned.
Art
Who Really Owns Hagia Sophia?
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.
News
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.
Art
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."
In 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.