The ruling points to major implications for protection of all cultural heritage during peacetime.
UNESCO
Posted inNews
1,500-year-old Archway Partially Collapses in Iraq, Prompting Urgent Calls for Help
The director of the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage said the Taq Kasra is in “dangerous and critical” condition and needs immediate support to prevent further collapse.
Posted inNews
Ukraine Wants to Designate Chernobyl a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The site of the worst nuclear disaster in history has become a tourist attraction, in part due to the 2019 TV mini-series “Chernobyl.”
Posted inArt
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.
Posted inNews
After 85 Years as a Museum, the Hagia Sophia Will Become a Mosque
Art historians and conservationists worry Turkish authorities might remove the centuries-old Byzantine mosaics that adorn it.
Posted inNews
13% of Museums Worldwide May Close Permanently Due to COVID-19, Studies Say
Released jointly, two studies by UNESCO and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) also say that nearly 90% of the world’s 95,000 museums have temporarily closed during the pandemic.
Posted inNews
Virtually Tour World Heritage Sites
April 18 marks World Heritage Day. Visit UNESCO World Heritage sites like the Taj Mahal Stonehenge through Google Earth.
Posted inOpinion
This Year’s UNESCO Session Was an Insult to World Heritage
Djulfa, a sacred site for Armenian Christians, is disqualified from consideration because the host of this year’s UNESCO World Heritage Committee session, the government of Azerbaijan, has erased its existence and destroyed tens of thousands of Armenian cultural monuments.
Posted inArt
A Regime Conceals Its Erasure of Indigenous Armenian Culture
A groundbreaking forensic report tracks Azerbaijan’s recent destruction of 89 medieval churches, 5,840 intricate cross-stones, and 22,000 tombstones.
Posted inArt
Who Controls Cultural Heritage?
Countries and cities often boast of having a UNESCO World Heritage tag. But how successful has UNESCO been in the domain of heritage and culture?
Posted inIn Brief
US Announces Withdrawal from UNESCO, Accusing UN Agency of “Anti-Israel” Bias [UPDATED]
The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the 195-nation strong agency is raising questions about the commitment of the United States to global organizations.
Posted inNews
Eritrean Modernism, a Brazilian Slave Port, and More Join UNESCO World Heritage Site List
This year’s session of the World Heritage Committee has resulted in 21 new sites, from the controversial Old City of Hebron in the West Bank, to a men-only island in Japan.