News
Yemeni War Leads to Massive Destruction of Cultural Heritage
It's not just Yemen's future that's at risk in the country's current civil war, but also its past.
UNESCO
News
The World Waits Anxiously as ISIS Seizes Ancient City of Palmyra
The ancient Roman city of Palmyra in Syria has been seized by ISIS fighters, fueling fears that its ancient artifacts and buildings could meet the same fate suffered by antiquities in Mosul, Nimrud, and Hatra.
News
Syria Has Reputedly Hidden Away 99% of Its Cultural Heritage Artifacts
It's rare to hear any positive news associated with cultural heritage and Syria these days, but there is a ray of hope.
News
UN Security Council Takes Aim at ISIS Antiquities Trafficking
Last week the United Nations Security Council adopted a new resolution to curb the trade of looted antiquities from Iraq and Syria. UN Security Council Resolution 2199 prohibits the trade of artifacts illegally removed from Syria since 2011 and Iraq since 1990.
News
Estonian Saunas and Mongolian Knuckle-Bone Shooting Merit Preservation, UNESCO Says
The smoke sauna tradition of Võromaa, Estonia, the cultivation and culture of the argan tree in Morocco, and Askiya dueling debate of Uzbekistan are all now officially recognized as unique parts of the world's heritage. The traditions are among those UNESCO added to its Intangible Cultural Heritage
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UNESCO Announces New Cultural Center for Bamiyan Valley
It's rare that architects have the opportunity to design a building for a UNESCO World Heritage site — much more so for one recently devastated by cultural destruction.
News
UNESCO Issues Caution on Iraq World Heritage Sites
The United Nations issued a warning yesterday on possible danger to Iraqi cultural heritage sites as the insurgent army of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) continued its southward sweep of the country towards Baghdad.
News
Dire Prediction for Heritage Sites in a Future of Rising Waters
If the projections of climate change prove to be true and sea levels rise, there will be harrowing implications for much of human life on the shores. A new study released last week emphasizes the severity of this impact on culture: a whole fifth of the 720 listed UNESCO World Heritage Sites could be
News
United States Loses UNESCO Voting Rights
Last Friday, the United States had its voting rights with UNESCO revoked after not having paid dues to the organization for two years, an action that leaves a void of funding for the organization, as well as potentially impairing America's influence in the arena of global cultural politics and herit
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Emergency Red List of Syrian Cultural Objects at Risk Released
At an event last week at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) officially released The Emergency Red List of Syrian Cultural Objects at Risk, which outlines the categories of cultural goods most vulnerable to illicit trade during the Syrian war.
Interview
So THIS is Primitive and Tribal art
I received an email from Nasser and Co in response to the article “WTF is Primitive vs. Tribal Art” where I had sited that the gallery had used both the terms “primitive" and “tribal” on their façade and website respectively, to describe the artwork they exhibit and sell. Assured that both terms did
News
Admitted to UNESCO Palestinians Reveal World Heritage Wish List
On Monday, Palestinians were finally admitted to the cultural body of the United Nations, UNESCO, as a full member. The move, which ignited the ire of the United States and Israel, allows the Palestinian government to apply for historic monuments and locations to be classified as World Heritage Site