SUCCESS STORIES

 

GHF Sponsors First Annual Indus Heritage Day

May 10, 2012

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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.

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

May 04, 2012

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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.

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GHF, Peruvian Ministry of Culture Organize Major Conservation Training Workshop

April 25, 2012

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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.

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GHF, Current World Archaeology Celebrate 40th Anniversary of World Heritage

April 09, 2012

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To celebrate the 40-year anniversary of UNESCO World Heritage, Current World Archaeology (CWA), a popular British world archaeology magazine, has launched a new webpage in partnership with GHF to raise awareness of important and endangered cultural heritage sites, what we can do to save them, and how they can improve the lives of future generations across the developing world.

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Italy Continues Support of My Son Sanctuary

April 03, 2012

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For nearly a decade, conservationists at My Son Sanctuary in Vietnam have enjoyed tremendous support from the government of Italy.  Now, thanks to a new grant of $250,000 over the next two years, “Safeguarding of My Son World Heritage” will enter a third phase of restoration and conservation.

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GHF Europe, The Duke of Gloucester Celebrate Conservation Success at Banteay Chhmar

March 22, 2012

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On February 28th, in the presence of HRH The Duke of Gloucester, GHF Europe (UK) hosted a reception to celebrate four years of conservation success at Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia.  More than 50 guests gathered in the newly restored Chapter Hall of London’s Museum of St. John to hear John Sanday FSA OBE, GHF’s Director for Asia & Pacific, describe progress and new technologies being used at the site.

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New Mirador Agreement Ensures Long-Term Conservation of Over 80,000 Acres of Forest

March 09, 2012

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Spread over nearly one million acres, the Maya Biosphere in Petén, Guatemala, is home to not only some of the world’s most important archaeological sites but also a diverse ecosystem with a vast array of flora and fauna.  Faced with a number of human-made threats in recent decades, the reserve’s tropical forests are finally getting the protection they need thanks to initiatives like the newly signed Carmelita Conservation Incentive Agreement.

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GHF Göbekli Tepe Receives Critical Support from Vehbi Koç Foundation and J.M. Kaplan Fund

February 24, 2012

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Göbekli Tepe, the world’s oldest known ceremonial center, will be conserved with the help of two new funding pledges:  a $400,000 in-country matching fund pledge from the Vehbi Koç Foundation and a $125,000 pledged donation from the J.M. Kaplan Fund.

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New Bridge at GHF Ciudad Perdida Improves Safety of Indigenous Community and Tourists

February 15, 2012

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Santiago Giraldo, Project Director of GHF Ciudad Perdida, logged on to Global Heritage Network (GHN) this week to make an exciting announcement:  A brand new suspension bridge has been built over the Buritaca River, greatly improving the safety of indigenous community members, guides and visitors.

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GHF Executive Director Attends Opening of Asia Society Hong Kong Center

February 10, 2012

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The brand new Asia Society Hong Kong Center opened with a bang this week, as more than 400 guests gathered to celebrate the completion of a project over a decade in the works.  Among the event’s attendees was Jeff Morgan, Executive Director of GHF, which will partner with Asia Society to host another event in May.

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Students in Siem Reap Seize Opportunities Afforded by Angkor

January 27, 2012

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Every day, thousands of tourists visit Angkor to stare in amazement at its awesome temples and sculptural decorations.  And every day, after the complex closes, many of the young people who staff the site head straight to university to seize opportunities the likes of which their parents could not have dreamed.

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India’s Chandraketugarh to Become Heritage Village

January 20, 2012

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Since its discovery by construction workers in West Bengal more than a century ago, the 2,500-year-old site of Chandraketugarh has been partially excavated, occasionally celebrated, but never adequately preserved.

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Global Heritage Network Sees Impressive Growth in First Year

December 28, 2011

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In March, GHF launched Global Heritage Network (GHN), the first early warning and threat monitoring system devoted exclusively to saving endangered cultural heritage sites in developing countries.  Since then, GHN has attracted hundreds of conservation experts around the world, collected and publicized key information about an expanding number of endangered cultural sites, and been profiled by major media outlets such as National Geographic and USA Today.

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GHF London Forum Now Online

December 16, 2011

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On October 20th, GHF hosted the Forum on Cultural Heritage in a Developing World at Spencer House in London, England.  The event, which was attended by a select group of powerful and influential decision-makers, is now available online with audio, photographs and speaker profiles.

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Oman to Open Archaeological Park and Museum at Qalhat

December 09, 2011

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For centuries, Qalhat was one of the most important ports on the Arabian coast, a key part of the Indian Ocean trade and the second city in the Kingdom of Ormus.

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Mirador Master Plan Completed; Will Be Unveiled at Guatemala’s National Palace of Culture

December 05, 2011

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After two years of collaboration with PACUNAM (Fundación Patrimonio Cultural y Natural Maya), FARES (Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies) and the Guatemalan government, GHF is pleased to announce the completion of the Archaeological Development Plan for the Mirador Cultural and Natural System.  It will be unveiled on December 8th at Guatemala’s National Palace of Culture in the presence of current and past government officials, diplomats, international agencies and foundations, archaeology experts, project managers, partners and friends.

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GHF, UEM Sign Agreement for Conservation of Marcahuamachuco

November 09, 2011

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On November 4th in Huamachuco, Peru, representatives from GHF and the Unidad Ejecutora Marcahuamachuco (UEM) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to officially commence GHF conservation of Marcahuamachuco, a pre-Inca city regarded by many archaeologists as “Machu Picchu of the North.”

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Dr. Dan Thompson Writes about GHF Mission to Ciudad Perdida

September 29, 2011

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Rediscovered by looters in the 1970s, Ciudad Perida (meaning “Lost City”) was built on a mountainside and today contains the ruins of an ancient city founded around 800 AD. Though it has been studied by the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH—GHF’s local partner), relatively little is understood about the vast site, which is comprised of circular platforms connected by steep stone staircases hundreds of meters above the valley.

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Marcahuamachuco Photo Exhibition Highlights Historic Conservation Project

September 22, 2011

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In the year of Machu Picchu’s 100th anniversary of rediscovery, another lesser-known — but no less important — archaeological site in Peru is getting some much-deserved publicity: Marcahuamachuco, GHF’s newest project site.

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GHF Çatalhöyük Director Continues Historic Study of 9,500-Year-Old Settlement

September 14, 2011

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On the Konya Plain in southern Anatolia lies one of the world’s most fascinating places: Çatalhöyük, the largest and best preserved Neolithic site found to date. So far, it has revealed the world’s earliest extensive mural art—remarkable narratives that show bulls and other animals being hunted by people wearing leopard skins, vultures taking the flesh from headless corpses—and many experts see it as crucial to understanding the origin of civilization in Turkey and the Middle East.

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GHF Team Member Q&A: Dan Thompson, PhD

September 14, 2011

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Dr. Dan Thompson is GHF’s Director of Global Projects and Global Heritage Network (GHN). He joined GHF full time in January 2008, having previously conducted fieldwork at GHF-supported projects in the Mirador Basin, Guatemala, and at Ani and Çatalhöyük, both in Turkey.

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GHF, Partners, Community Work Together to Ensure Wat Phu’s Vast Potential

September 07, 2011

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In southern Laos, tucked between the base of mount Phu Kao and the banks of the Mekong River, sits a stunning complex of 1,000-year-old monuments known as Wat Phu (temple-mountain). Dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, it is part of the Champasak cultural landscape, a remarkably well-preserved planned landscape designed to express the Hindu vision of the relationship between nature and humanity, using an axis from mountaintop to riverbank to lay out a geometric pattern of temples, shrines and waterworks spanning some 10 kilometers.

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GHF Preservation Fellow Documents Syria’s Endangered Cultural Heritage Sites

September 06, 2011

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With a history of civilization that dates back as far as virtually any place on earth, Syria is one of the world’s richest countries in terms of cultural heritage. Sadly, many of its most historic and celebrated sites are at risk due to both natural and man-made factors, leaving the future of Syria’s cultural heritage in a constant—and increasing—state of jeopardy.

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Banteay Chhmar Restoration Chief Featured in Phnom Penh Post

August 19, 2011

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For the past 15 years, Nhok Lo has been steadily gathering experience as a restoration worker at various projects around his native Cambodia. With no formal education in conservation, his skills and knowledge have grown with each new responsibility, and in 2008, he was hired by project director John Sanday to move from Siem Reap to join the GHF Banteay Chhmar team.

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GHF Announces 2011 Preservation Fellows

July 22, 2011

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GHF is pleased to announce the 16 recipients of the 2011 Global Heritage Preservation Fellowships. Intended to support cultural heritage preservation and community development at sites throughout the developing world, the Global Heritage Preservation Fellowship Program provides support to young researchers to make a difference while gaining skills and experience in the field.

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GHF Set to Begin Preservation of Ancient Ur

July 06, 2011

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In May, at GHF’s Seminar on Global Heritage Conservation and Sustainable Development in New York, archaeologist Abdulamir Hamdani delivered a comprehensive report on one of Iraq’s most important heritage sites—the ancient city of Ur, home to the world’s largest and oldest ziggurat.

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GHF Hosts Opening of Historic Maya Exhibition at Quai Branly Museum in Paris

June 20, 2011

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From June 21 through October 2, “Maya: From Dawn to Dusk,” an historic exhibition dedicated to the Guatemalan Maya, will be on display at Quai Branly Museum in Paris, and GHF will be there to launch it.

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GHF’s Newest Project: Marcahuamachuco, Peru

June 17, 2011

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GHF has announced its newest conservation project at Marcahuamachuco, a site of Pre-Incan ruins often referred to by archaeologists as “Machu Picchu of the North” and the “Jewel of La Libertad.” GHF will work with the newly-formed Unidad Ejecutivo Marcahuamachuco (UEM), established for regional development of the site and its satellites, to prepare a program of planning, conservation and community development to enable long-term site sustainability.

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Germany to Return Hittite Sphinx to Turkey

May 17, 2011

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Germany has agreed to return a 3,500-year-old Hittite sphinx statue to its original location in Turkey, easing tension that had recently threatened several joint conservation projects between the two countries.

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Prince Albert of Monaco Visits Mirador to Support GHF, PACUNAM Preservation Efforts

April 20, 2011

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On March 9th, Prince Albert II of Monaco visited Mirador to witness the tremendous conservation progress made at the site, and to show his support for the Foundation of Cultural and Natural Maya Patrimony (PACUNAM).

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International Team Restoring Buddha’s Birthplace in Nepal

April 15, 2011

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An international conservation team has begun restoring three endangered monuments in southern Nepal at the supposed birthplace of the Buddha.

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Global Heritage Network helps conservationists protect developing world’s $100-billion lifeline

March 16, 2011

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Global Heritage Fund (GHF) has just launched Global Heritage Network (GHN), the first early warning and threat monitoring system devoted exclusively to saving endangered cultural heritage sites in developing countries.

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As Wat Phu Celebrates 10 Years of UNESCO Status, GHF Work Benefits Local Community

March 07, 2011

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Last month, Wat Phu, a ruined Khmer temple complex in one of southern Laos’ poorest regions, celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its inscription onto UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

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UN Resolution on Culture and Development Closely Aligned with GHF, Vanishing Findings

February 22, 2011

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Last December, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that specifically emphasizes culture as an important contributor to sustainable development and the achievement of national and international development objectives like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

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GHF Leads Historic Restoration Project at Hampi, Ancient Capital of the Vijayanagara Kingdom

January 24, 2011

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Situated along the banks of the Tungabhadra River, the site of Hampi, India, is one of the world’s most stunning archaeological ruins, with its collection of over 500 monuments spread across 26 square kilometers of spectacular natural scenery.

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Oman Proudly Protects its Cultural Heritage

December 20, 2010

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Oman is a country with a rich and diverse cultural heritage, with a history of human settlement that dates back some 5,000 years. Archaeologically, it has served host to countless fascinating Stone Age findings, as well as later discoveries that document its conversion to Islam.

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Russia, UNESCO to Aid in Restoration of Four Medieval Monuments in Kosovo

December 06, 2010

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In an arrangement with UNESCO, Russia has announced it will donate $2 million to the restoration of four Serbian Orthodox Christian churches and monasteries in Kosovo.

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More than 1000 Houses Restored in Historic Center of Cienfuegos, Cuba

December 03, 2010

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According to a report by the Cuban News Agency, nearly 1,400 houses in the historic center of Cienfuegos, Cuba have been restored thanks to a social project organized by the City Curator’s Office.

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