Damage to Syria’s heritage – 14 January 2017

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Work has begun in Aleppo removing the rubble and debris from around two of Aleppo’s most famous landmarks, the citadel and the Umayyad Mosque. Teams are now in place to begin assessing the damage so work can be prioritised in at-risk areas.
The Aga Khan Foundation, which was involved in the restoration of Aleppo’s citadel in 2008, is also participating in emergency discussions in Damascus and representatives of UNESCO are due to visit Syria next week to agree on emergency measures. Read more here.

The On 13 January, the DGAM attended the colloquium “Initiatives to strengthen international capacities for the protection of cultural property and the prevention of illicit trafficking in cultural goods”.

The colloquim brought together high-level representatives including

• Government experts
• Policy-makers
• Academic experts
• Representatives of international organizations
• Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT)
• Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC)
• European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC)
• Steering Committee for Culture, Heritage and Landscape (CDCPP)
• Committee of Experts on Terrorism (CODEXTER)
• Committee on Offences relating to Cultural Property (PC-ICB)

to discuss building synergies, co-ordinating international co-operation and improving the international framework for the protection of cultural property. And prevention of illicit excavation trafficking in cultural goods .

Read more on the DGAMs webpage here.

The most famous hotel in Aleppo is now a centre for refugees. See more (in Arabic), here.

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In response to scholarly concerns of heritage destruction and looting throughout Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, the Association for Research into Crimes against Art will be offering its Minerva Scholarships again in 2017 for a select number of candidates from these conflict countries for its ninth annual postgraduate certificate program in the study of art crime and cultural heritage protection. Postgraduate candidates with a background or current position within either museums, cultural heritage institutions or universities from these countries are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Minerva scholarship is set aside to equip scholars with the knowledge and tools needed to build the capacity of their home institutions and to advance education about the effects of art related crimes for future generations. Scholarships are limited and awarded through an open, merit-based competition.

Awardees of the Minerva are granted a full tuition waiver to ARCA’s summer-long, intensive professional development postgraduate program in Amelia, Italy for the Summer of 2017.

For more details about this scholarship for the multidisciplinary program as well and to request a prospectus and Minerva scholarship application materials please see the two links attached here and here.

Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme
The new Call for Applications for studies starting from the Academic Year 2017-2018 is now available.

It covers tuition fee exemption; a monthly stipend; accommodation; medical insurance for degree programmes, masters programmes and doctoral programmes, as well as language preparatory courses and other specialist courses.
Read more here.

Details of the work by the Bosra al Sham project, which involves local organisations, civilians and FSA soldiers: it is aimed at restoring town’s historic landmarks. Read more here.

The Prince Claus Fund has awarded financial support to the ‘Focus Raqqa project’, initiated by Dr. Olivier Nieuwenhuyse and the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM). This project aims at digitally reconstructing the inventory of the looted Museum in Raqqa, Syria, with the (analogue) information that is scattered among a number of research institutes in Europe. The project will begin in spring 2017.

For more information, see here.

EAMENA’s Neil Brodie and Lebanese NGO Biladi are to offer a training course on international law and law enforcement as regards the theft and illegal trade of cultural objects. The primary aim of the course is to improve understanding among Lebanese and Syrian culture heritage professionals about the evidential and procedural requirements of European and North American law enforcement when dealing with cases of trafficked cultural objects. The secondary aim is to improve national and international communication and cooperation in this area.

The intended outcome is to improve rates of detection, recovery and return of stolen and illegally exported cultural objects, thereby deterring further theft and illegal excavation. Syrian participants will be drawn from the DGAM in Syria and from universities in Europe. The course will extend over two one-week sessions in Beirut, from 20-25 January and 17-22 February. Presentations and interactive sessions will be provided by visiting international experts in cultural heritage law and law enforcement.

See more information here.

Shirin reports on work with UNOSAT, updates on the construction of a Syrian Historic Environment Record, and their attempts to assist Syrian colleagues and students with placements, in addition to their future planned work.

See further details here.

The British Council has awarded money from the Cultural Protection Fund to try and help Syria:

“Archaeologists from Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, Occupied Palestinian Territories and Tunisia will be trained in the use of the EAMENA database, with the overall aim of enabling heritage professionals to better identify and assess threats to cultural heritage which has not yet been recorded.”

Read more on their website here.

David Grantham has released a new report arguing why heritage destruction, and looting in particular should be a military concern, and offering solutions:

• prioritize the protection of cultural heritage to guard against sectarian violence and to develop trust with a local community.
• predictive analysis, wherein experts in the field identify precise areas of concern
• military must develop operational capabilities to respond to actionable intelligence that indicates a given site is or may become under threat from looters. A response could include ground forces, airstrikes or varied types of military intervention, and a doctrinal standard is needed.
• A long-term strategy should also involve the training and education of military personnel on the importance of cultural heritage and the impact of looting.

Read the full report here 

• Ruin or rebuild – a detailed look at the problems in restoration by Robert Bevan in the Art Newspaper.
• Counterpunch reports on American efforts to protect heritage under the Obama administration.
• Art Media Agency on the Trafficking of Cultural Goods.
• Dr Nigel Pollard is interviewed about the damage to Syria’s heritage for the BBC here.
• Concerns rise that the struggle to pay fighters may lead to increased Da’esh looting, according to Newsy.
• Armies are looting ancient sites in the Middle East, warn academics in the National, here.