Global Heritage Fund

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Militants Attack UNESCO Holy Site in Timbuktu

May 17, 2012

According to multiple reports out of Timbuktu, militants from the Ansar Dine Islamist group have attacked and burned the tomb of Sidi Mahmoud Ben Amar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s the first major destruction of a shrine in Mali, and a clear warning to the rest of the country’s cultural heritage sites.

ACROSS THE WIRE

Looting a Growing Problem in Post-Mubarak Egypt

May 16, 2012

With its first post-Mubarak presidential election just days away, Egypt’s political turmoil has been the focus of global headlines for well over a year. Since the popular uprising in January 2011, instability and a lack of security have plagued the country’s heritage sites, not only in terms of tourism, but looting as well.

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GHF Sponsors First Annual Indus Heritage Day

May 10, 2012

Three California-based organizations — the India Community Center, Pakistani American Culture Center, and 1947 Partition Archive — teamed up on April 29th in Milpitas to host the first annual Indus Heritage Day, designed to celebrate shared South Asian histories. This year’s festivities focused on the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, a highly advanced but little known culture that was at its height more than 4,000 years ago.

GHF IN THE NEWS

GHF Featured by CNN, AFP, Condé Nast Traveler

May 08, 2012

One goal of last Thursday’s The Forum on Global Heritage in a Developing World: Focus on Asia, hosted in partnership with the Asia Society in New York, was to “increase public awareness of a global crisis.” So far, the results have been promising, with several major media outlets helping to spread GHF’s message.

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GHF, Asia Society Host “The Forum on Global Heritage in a Developing World: Focus on Asia”

May 04, 2012

GHF had a day to remember at the Asia Society in New York on May 3rd, hosting The Forum on Global Heritage in a Developing World: Focus on Asia, a discussion of development challenges facing Asia’s most important and endangered heritage sites. The event featured a diverse program of speakers and panelists, and was well-attended by leading experts in conservation, development, venture philanthropy, technology, travel, academia and media.

Across the Wire

In Memoriam: Herb Stovel, Conservationist

May 02, 2012

Professor Herb Stovel, a Canadian conservationist who spent four decades leading efforts to protect cultural heritage sites around the world, passed away last month after a long battle with cancer. Stovel was one of the world’s most renowned experts in heritage conservation, and GHF would like to recognize his many contributions to the field.

GHF IN THE NEWS

Presidents of Colombia and Chile Visit Ciudad Perdida

May 01, 2012

In Bogota last month for the Sixth Summit of the Americas, the Presidents of Chile and Colombia took a day trip to the ancient site of Ciudad Perdida, where they were greeted by GHF’s very own Dr. Santiago Giraldo.

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GHF, Peruvian Ministry of Culture Organize Major Conservation Training Workshop

April 25, 2012

From April 27 to May 1, young Peruvian professionals will gather at Pachacamac, an archaeological site south of Lima, for the 3rd International Workshop on Conservation of Structures. The event, organized by Peru’s Ministry of Culture with support from GHF, will help train aspiring conservationists and develop the practical skills of those who safeguard the country’s many historic cultural sites.

Across the Wire

Timbuktu’s Treasures Threatened by Conflict

April 13, 2012

Few of Earth’s ancient cities have the mystique to match Timbuktu. During its golden age in medieval times, Timbuktu was a thriving desert trading capital, as well as an intellectual and spiritual center, from which Islam spread throughout Africa. Since then, the city has fallen into serious decline, suffering from poverty and desertification. Now it faces another threat: war and conflict.

Across the Wire

Turkey Increases Pressure on International Museums to Return Antiquities

April 11, 2012

The grand opening of what Turkey plans to be the “biggest museum in the world” may be more than a decade away (the republic celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023), but the country’s government appears eager to recover what it says are illegally excavated antiquities from institutions around the world.

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