Heritage

Miami Advice: Gabriel Kilongo on Hampton House, the segregation-era refuge for Black celebrities

The gallerist celebrates the cultural hub whose visitors included Aretha Franklin, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King Jr.

Forgotten Botticelli painting recovered by Italian police

Last checked by the authorities in over 50 years ago, the painting had been kept in a private home since the 1980s and is in extremely poor condition

China closing or repurposing mosques in northern Muslim regions, Human Rights Watch finds

Move is part of a "systematic effort to curb the practice of Islam" in the country, says the organisation's acting director

Heritagefeature

Mexico’s $28bn Maya Train puts 25,000 historic sites at risk

Many organisations, including Unesco, fear the project will negatively affect the region’s cultural heritage, natural environment and residents when it opens in December

Venice’s €5 entry fee won’t work, expert says

Economist and tourism expert Jan van der Borg says the new daily charge will not solve the crisis of the overrun city, and outlines what should be done instead

The ancient villages and historic monuments destroyed in western Afghanistan earthquakes

Last month's deadly quakes affected key historic monuments in Herat and beyond

Raac and ruin: museums search for unsafe concrete—but can they afford repairs?

Institutions are scrambling to identify whether their buildings contain the potentially dangerous material

Leaked report suggests Canada may abandon prime minister's crumbling home

The historic property in Ottawa needs more than $27m worth of repairs, but creating a brand new residence could cost more

Unesco adds junta prison in Argentina to World Heritage list

As the ESMA Museum and Site of Memory in Buenos Aires gains international recognition, the history it seeks to safeguard is under attack by Argentina’s extremist frontrunner in the upcoming presidential election

Unesco’s addition of West Bank archaeological site to World Heritage list fans Israel-Palestine tensions

The ancient site of Tell es-Sultan in Jericho is one of many archaeological sites in the region whose status has been mired in political and territorial disputes

Unesco adds sites in Kyiv and Lviv to list of world heritage in danger

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv’s Saint Sophia Cathedral, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the historic centre of Lviv join Odesa on Unesco’s endangered list

1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair launches Moroccan earthquake relief project

Appeal brings artists and institutions together to raise funds to support survivors and long-term reconstruction

Day-trippers to Venice to be charged €5 admission fee in bid to save lagoon city

Residents, students and visitors in Airbnb properties will be exempt from the scheme, which will be implemented next spring

'Italy is an alcoholic in denial over Venice'

By 2100 the water-level will ring rise one metre, and yet it aims to block UNESCO in-danger listing

Ancient Yazidi heritage still under threat after Isis genocide

Around 200,000 Yazidis remain displaced following attacks, and efforts to restore shrines and other buildings have stalled due to ongoing security concerns and a lack of funding

Two German tourists arrested for allegedly defacing Vasari Corridor in Florence

The characters DKS1860—referring to the football team 1860 Munich—were spray-painted on seven outdoor columns under the famous Italian landmark

What impact has two years of Taliban rule had on the arts in Afghanistan?

Future of arts and women’s rights remain uncertain despite government backing of cultural heritage projects

'These journeys should be remembered': Victorian stone benches for migrant workers are given listed status

Travellers' Rest stones were installed between Liverpool and Manchester for travel-weary Irish labourers

Metal detectorists make first discovery of Iron Age gold coins in Wales

The haul has now been officially classed as treasure and may be acquired by an Anglesey museum

Artists set sail for Marshall Islands on climate crisis expedition

Lisa Reihana is among the artists embarking on the odyssey, which will be followed by a film, book and exhibition

What took you so long? Unesco will ask for Venice to be added to the Endangered Heritage Sites list

The organisation has repeatedly bowed to pressure from the Italian government not to do so

Ukraine's historic sites under threat from dam burst

A new report confirms flooding adjacent to the house museum of the self-trained Ukrainian artist Polina Rayko in Oleshky

Yet again, a US court dismisses Nazi-era Guelph Treasure art lawsuit

The descendants of the €200m collection's Jewish former owners had appealed a 2022 regional court ruling

Iraqnews

Outrage over demolition of 300-year-old minaret in Iraq

Cultural heritage officials are calling for greater protections of historic structures as the Siraji minaret in Basra is torn down for road expansion

Siena's spectacular cathedral floor has been temporarily uncovered

Visitors to the Italian city have a rare chance to glimpse the inlaid marble floor, begun in the 14th century

Unesconews

The United States officially rejoins Unesco

Following a five-year absence, one of the founding members of the UN's cultural agency is readmitted as the organisation's 194th member state

British wartime control tower to become holiday home after £3.1m restoration

Conservation charity Landmark Trust plans to transform derelict building into unique four-bedroom house, due to open in 2025

Unesco members vote overwhelmingly—but not unanimously—to readmit the United States

The US will have to repay $619m in dues that accrued after it ceased paying in 2011 but before its formal departure in 2019

Ancient Mesoamerican artefact with ties to ritual ball game returned to Mexico

An auction house in Austria intended to sell the artefact before officials stepped in, according to the Mexican government