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A legal resource for cultural property, archaeology, and art law enthusiasts.
Browsing All Posts filed under »Sites in Danger«
Plans to ‘Invest’ in Ancient Sites Angers Palestinians
Israel is forging ahead with plans to invest in a number of its national heritage sites, including nine sites along the West Bank. The plans, including that of adding a handicapped accessible entrance to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, have elicited a an angry response from Palestinians. When Israeli officials initially announced that they would […]
Mali Conflict Puts Timbuktu in Danger
January 28, 2013
In light of the escalating violence in Mali, UNESCO has recently began to urge armed forces to protect Timbuktu’s historic and religious landmarks. As recently reported, the ongoing conflict has posed a grave and imminent threat to Timbuktu’s cultural heritage. According to residents of Timbuktu, the Islamic fighters have already committed severe damage the city’s […]
Metal Thieves Use Google Earth to Identify Heritage Sites to Plunder
March 26, 2012
According to Mike Harlow, a legal director at English Heritage, internet mapping services like Google Earth and his own organization are making it easier for thieves to target heritage sites. Harlow explained onBBC Radio 4’s Today programme, “There are particular threats at the moment because of the valuable materials that there are on old buildings. […]
Istanbul’s Cultural Property in Danger of Destruction
June 28, 2010
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review reports that UNESCO might not just remove Istanbul from the World Heritage List, but may also it straight to the List of World Heritage in Danger. “UNESCO officials were shocked when they saw that so many buildings under protection were either damaged or gone,” architect Korhan Gümüş, the […]
Cultural Property Law on April 1, 2010: Folk Dance, Chilean Heritage, and Those Diligent Canadians
April 1, 2010
And today in cultural property law news… The Lawyer’s Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation (LCCHP) has launched their new website. There’s a new web 2.0 design, and they took off the outdated internship database. As you might have guessed, the major earthquake in Chile has taken a toll on historical sites. A traditional folk dance […]
New Mexico Village Fights Demolition of Historic Church
March 2, 2010
It’s not often that I have the opportunity to bring you news from my neck of the woods, but the time has come. Just up the road from town is a little town called Questa, and the local residents are fighting to preserve one of the oldest buildings in town, a 175-year-old church, now slated […]
UPDATE on “Haiti Struggles to Save Cultural Property”
February 24, 2010
On February 11, 2010, I gave a rundown on CPAL as to the current status of culturally significant property in Haiti. Among other issues, the presidential palace was listed as one of the properties about which UNESCO was particularly concerned. I wanted to update with a photo of the palace, since it speaks for itself […]
Haiti Struggles to Save Cultural Property and Historic Buildings
February 11, 2010
Beyond the shocking loss of lives and destruction of homes, the recent earthquake in Haiti has also endangered many culturally significant and historic buildings. A summary of those articles pertinent to the subject follows. After sending experts to assess the damage to Haiti’s cultural property, UNESCO urged a ban on trading in Haitian artifacts, “so […]
Chinese Leper’s Hospital Seeks UNESCO World Heritage Status
March 9, 2009
The Losheng Sanatorium was constructed in the 1930s during the Japanese colonial period. It has since served as a sanatorium for patients suffering from leprosy. The Sanitorium will be seeking UNESCO World Heritage Status, even though advocates have admitted it is not “a masterpiece of creative genius” nor a “testimony to a cultural tradition.” The […]
Heritage in Iraq: Good news and bad news.
December 19, 2008
The Art Newspaper has published an article, “Unesco inspection finds no evidence of recent looting in Northern Iraq.” Do you want the good news or the bad news first? I always go with the good news. Good news: “The [UNESCO inspectors] visited four key sites—Nimrud, Ninevah, Ashur and Hatra—and found no evidence of recent looting… […]
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Cultural Property & Archaeology Law 
January 31, 2013
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