Nearly sixty years ago, just before midnight on February 29th, 1960, the earth began to shake in Agadir. A massive earthquake, later recorded as one of the deadliest and most destructive earthquakes in the history of Morocco, brought devastation to the city. Amongst the buildings razed to the ground were many traditional houses made of rammed earth and the Agadir Kasbah, a fortress built within the walls of a 16th century fort.
Today, the city has recovered and developed into one of the most important port towns and tourist resorts in Morocco. Almost sixty years after the 1960 earthquake, this year’s Protecting the Past conference will be held in Agadir at the University of Ibn Zohr.
This year’s conference is organized by Global Heritage Fund in partnership with the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project and the ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Conservation Centre of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). From December 10th to 13th, the conference will bring together international stakeholders to share knowledge, confront pressing global heritage challenges, and explore new heritage protection opportunities.
The conference in Agadir is the fifth in the Protecting the Past series. Our 2019 theme — People, Communities, Heritage — will explore new approaches and projects that address a variety of international heritage challenges and conservation.
Participants of the 2017 Protecting the Past Conference in Tunis, Tunisia. Photo: EAMENA
Conference topics will include the role of the local community in recovery and resilience of cultural heritage, the importance of cultural heritage in society, and how heritage is perceived and interpreted by local communities.
Speakers will also discuss how local communities are benefiting from new technologies for documentation, interpretation, protection and conservation of their local heritage, and how these tools are responding to local needs.
Local community members restore ancient communal sites in the Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco. Photo: David Goeury / Global Heritage Fund
Also presenting at the conference will be the recipients of the 2019 From Training to Implementation: Awards Presented by Global Heritage Fund. The awards aim to fund community capacity building, training, and grassroots protection of endangered heritage in the MENA region. This year, they have already funded documentation of over 1,800 endangered heritage sites in Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, and Jordan. Award recipients Héla Mekki (Libya/Tunisia), Aqeel Almansrawe (Iraq), and Dana AlSalamin (Jordan) will present in Agadir.
Presenters and panelists at the 2018 Protecting the Past Conference in Sharjah, UAE. Photos: EAMENA
Protecting the Past attendance is free, but registration is required due to limited capacity. Online registration is open on the Protecting the Past website.
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The 2019 Protecting the Past: People, Communities, Heritage conference is jointly organized by Global Heritage Fund (GHF), the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project based at the Universities of Oxford, Leicester, and Durham, and the ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Conservation Centre, in partnership with the Wilaya and Region of Souss-Massa of Morocco, the University of Ibn Zohr, Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP), Centre Jacques-Berque (CJB), and Bonzai Agency.