Unesco

Syrian museums seek Russian expertise to restore destroyed Palmyra sculptures

Ancient city occupied by Islamic State was retaken by Syrian army with Russian support in 2017

Unesconews

Mumbai’s Victorian Gothic and Art Deco business district declared a Unesco World Heritage Site

British-era buildings in historic Fort area nominated by “several citizens’ groups”

World Monuments Fund gives $1m for post-quake restoration of Mexican archaeological site

Monte Albán, the ancient capital of the Zapotec people, was damaged by earthquakes in 2017

Scotland Yard joins global crackdown on looted pharaonic antiquities

The initiative, which involves governments and the art world, will set up a public database of objects

In pictures: Bayreuth's Margravial Opera House reopens to the public

The Unesco World Heritage Site had been closed for restoration since 2012

Unesconews

Unesco: the view from Israelis and Palestinians

How disparate approaches to international law play out at the organisation

Cambodiaarchive

Cambodia to host culture and tourism conference

Preservation, cultural routes, urban regeneration through tourism are all set to be discussed

Cambodiaarchive

Light is finally being shed on the issue of restitution of looted art

The restitution of Cambodian statues by major museums and auction houses is an encouraging sign

Newsarchive

Unesco warns of fraud as unsanctioned authentication documents circulate

The warning states that certificates of authentication allowing imports of African cultural heritage are being forged

Newsarchive

Syrian war’s devastating toll on antiquities

Unesco places major national heritage sites on danger list as ground combat, air strikes and looting reduce ancient settlements to rubble

Cambodiaarchive

Demilitarised zone established to protect shelled temple on border between Cambodia and Thailand

Thai army cedes ground but future of Cambodian World Heritage site remains unresolved

Draft Unesco Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage would extend controls 200 miles out from the coast

If the draft is approved by two-thirds of member countries at the General Conference next month it will be sent out for ratification. US and Russian support unlikely.

Another casualty of the culture wars

Damage to the Egyptian Museum is just the latest example of the politicisation of archaeology.

Unescoarchive

Will the success of the Acropolis Museum change the Elgin Marbles debate?

Unesco intergovernmental committee is now seeking “a mutually satisfactory resolution to the issue”

Iraqarchive

Ex-head of Iraq's board of antiquities estimates 10 years of restoration for Babylon

The integrity of the historic site did not factor into US strategy, proven by the construction of an adjacent military base

Iraqarchive

International backing secured for the recuperation of Babylon after disturbances by US military bases

The World Monuments Fund will educate Iraqi experts tasked with keeping the ruins in good condition

Unescoarchive

Samarra shrine must be rebuilt: Unesco says reconstruction will help unite warring factions

The site is considered one of the holiest in Iraq, containing the remains of two of the Prophet's descendants

Unescoarchive

Samarra mosque at risk from new police barracks

There are fears that the new station will be a target for insurgents; Unesco powerless to protect the World Heritage site

Unescoarchive

“Catalogue of the National Museum of Afghanistan”: recording and illustrating key objects in the Kabul Museum

Unesco has published a record of the 1,600 objects acquired by the institution between 1931 and 1985

Unescoarchive

Getty revises its guidelines for acquiring antiquities—again

Artefacts must have left their countries of origin by 1970, the year of the Unesco Convention, or have proper export documentation to be considered for purchase

Unesco to step in to examine so-called “pyramids”

Academics claim that the dig is “pseudo-archaeology”

Kosovoarchive

Unesco reconstruction plan for Kosovo

Lack of trust between Serbs and Muslims continues to hinder restoration efforts

Unescoarchive

Switzerland to implement 1970 UNESCO Convention legislation on 1st June

Switzerland’s is known for its pivotal presence in the underground network that moves illicitly excavated artefacts from country to country

Art marketarchive

China requests US impose embargo on Chinese art

China holds the US responsible for pillaging, however US cannot solve China's problems

Newsarchive

Landslide warning at Macchu Picchu

Geologists have found the land on the steep slope at the back of the fortress is sliding down at a rate of a centimetre a month

Cambodiaarchive

Looters search areas of archaeological importance in Cambodia after bomb disposal experts have de-mined them

Illicit excavations occur as de-mined areas often show no signs of the riches below the surface so authorities do not deploy heritage security teams