Roman structures, columns, temples and churches that date back to the 1st century are a few U.N. World Heritage sites in the northern Syrian province of Idlib. They’re known as the Dead Cities, tracing the transition from ancient pagan Rome to Christian Byzantium, and until recently, they were deserted and frozen in time. Last month, as the U.S. National Public Radio (NPR) reported, these once quiet ancient sites have now become homes for Syrians who seek refuge and a safe place from the unrest in Syria.

Recent survey by Syrian and international aid workers says there are millions of displaced Syrians inside the country. In Idlib, villages are now completely empty. These refugees have in many cases fled from one village or city to another and then to another, basically running away from the war. In most cases, these are families with small children and/or pregnant women. Many of these families now live in ancient cities among the graves and artifacts.

As international experts have been monitoring the destruction to Syria’s vast archaeological and historical heritage even before the uprising began in 2011, it is especially difficult to watch the destruction to the Dead Cities. Experts believe that not only are people now using these ghost towns as a place to live, but also as a way to make a living. Every day, remains of a site are dug up and pieces and relics are taken and sold in the international market after being transported out of Syria. It is believed that there are well-established networks for selling such artifacts in the region, and internationally. In a recent auction a Syrian Bronze Age artifact that was thought to be looted sold for $400,000.

Even though Unesco has declined to comment on reports (published in the Egyptian press as well as the Art Newspaper) that it plans to set up a regional center for world heritage in Cairo, the news has been widely reported.  A few months ago Unesco’s director general Irina Bokova discussed establishing such a center in the Egyptian capital with Mohamed Ibrahim, the minister of state for antiquities, during a recent meeting. This was reported at that time by the press and WCHV too.

Specialists at the planned venue would assist in protecting archaeological sites in Africa included on the World Heritage list. African archaeologists would also receive training in conserving and studying artifacts and monuments. 

Earlier this month, it was reported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan that the magnificent and beautiful Mount Fuji will most likely be recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  The agency received a notice that Mt. Fuji was recommended by the advisory panel, known as the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) for World Heritage status, a body affiliated with UNESCO.  However, the panel also said that it had rejected a request to add a group of cultural assets in the ancient city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, to the World Heritage List, citing scarce resources directly linked to the medieval Shogunate’s rule as reported by Japan Times in early May 2013.

The formal approval is expected in June at a meeting in Cambodia.  Mt. Fuji would be Japan’s 13th cultural World Heritage site. The 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) volcanic peak is ringed by lakes, national parks, temples and shrines. It rises from the Pacific coast and is seen as a sacred part of Japan’s cultural landscape.  In its request for registration, the Cultural Affairs Agency said Mount Fuji covers roughly 70,000 hectares in Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, including five major lakes and the Shiraito Falls.  It is widely believed that Mount Fuji is a national symbol of Japan and blends religious and artistic traditions.

Registration on the World Heritage list greatly boosts tourism.

Earlier this month, (May, 2013) the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reported that the French company, Total Oil has made an assurance that it won’t explore for oil within the boundaries of Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). At the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Paris, chairman and CEO Christophe de Margerie responded to questions posed by WWF-France by confirming that Total is making a “commitment to respect the current limits” of the park, Africa’s oldest World Heritage Site.

Virunga National Park is recognized by UNESCO and the DRC government as a place of outstanding natural value. WWF stated that environmental experts and WWF are pleased that Total has given this clear and comprehensive assurance that they won’t conduct any oil exploration inside Virunga National Park.

Earlier this month (May 2013), Sofia News Agency, Novinite reported that the central part of Bulgaria’s Danube city of Ruse and the Cherven medieval fortress will be proposed for inscription into the indicative list of sites to be included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The proposal was sent to Bulgaria’s Culture Minister Vladimir Penev.  Pavel Dochev, who is an architect  is also one of the initiators of the proposal. He declared that preliminary studies have shown that the proposal was in line with requirements and the official criteria.

Bulgaria has a total of 9 sites on the list, one of which, the Ivanovski rock monastery, is located 12 km south of Ruse. The last Bulgarian site to be included on UNESCO World Heritage List, the Thracian tomb of Sveshtari, was inscribed in 1985.

An ancient wooden log-boat, which could be possibly thousands of years old, has been discovered partly embedded in the banks of the River Boyne in Drogheda, Ireland.

An initial examination by archeologists, suggests that, the boat could be unique because, unlike other dug-outs or log boats found, it has a pair of oval shaped blisters on the upper edge. Similar boats have been found in the past in Northern Ireland and Britain but not in Ireland. Archeologists suggest that they could have been used for holding oars and this recent find could indicate that Drogheda could have other hidden treasures and more crafts could be found in the River Boyne. According to archeologists, River Boyne is such an important river and crafts have been operating on it since the Stone Age. Such vessels can get swept downstream towards the estuary so there might be a concentration of them in the Drogheda area. Such boats were in use from prehistoric times to transport people, goods and invading tribes.

The boat was found by members of the Boyne Fishermen’s Rescue and Recovery Service (BFRRS) as they were carrying out one of their regular operations to remove shopping trolleys from the Boyne as reported by Irish Times. It is believed that the recent heavy rainfall and the introduction of waste water treatment has led to a lot of sediment and silt being removed from the river bank and this could be possibly the reason why the boat has become visible for the first time in hundreds of years.

Despite its short course of only about 112 kilometres (70 mi), the Boyne has major historical and archaeological significance. The Battle of the Boyne, a major battle in Irish history, took place along the Boyne near Drogheda in 1690 during the Williamite war in Ireland. It passes near the ancient city of Trim, Trim Castle, the Hill of Tara (the ancient capital of the High King of Ireland), Navan, the Hill of Slane, Brú na Bóinne (an archaeological site), Mellifont Abbey, and the medieval city of Drogheda.

While the Golestan Palace awaits recognition and being listed by UNESCO on the World’s Cultural Heritage list, the area in the vicinity and close proximity to the palace is now under construction.  These few buildings that are being built in the close vicinity of the Golestan Palace are receiving building permits from the city of Tehran.  It is very difficult to understand the timing of these recent developments and the fact that it coincides with UNESCO’s reviews.

A few days ago one of the members of the Islamic parliament by the name of Bijan Nobavaeh told the reporters that many high ranking members of the parliament have connections and are influencing the construction projects.  He also told the reporters that UNESCO has warned the Iranian Government that if these new buildings are built in the very close vicinity of the Golestan Palace, the listing by UNESCO could be jeopardized.

Golestan Palace is the latest Cultural heritage site in Iran which is considered endangered, similar to a number of other sites. These deteriorations have resulted in these sites not being recognized and listed on the UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage sites list.

Golestān Palace pronounced “Kakheh Golestān” (The Rose Garden Palace) was built during the reign of Tahmasp I of the Safavid dynasty (1502–1736), and was later renovated by Karim Khan Zand (r. 1750-1779). When  Agha Mohamd Khan Qajar (1742–1797) chose Tehran as his capital, the Court and Golestan Palace became the official residence of the royal Qajar family. During the Pahlavi era (1925–1979), the last dynasty in Iran, before the Iranian revolution,  Golestan Palace was used for formal royal receptions and the Pahlavi dynasty built their own palace at Niavaran. A major part of the Golestan Palace is now a museum open to the public.

A recent study published in the April 26^th issue of Science magazine reports on the results of new discoveries from Ceibal, Guatemala and prompting archeologists to reconsider the origins of the Maya civilization, which flourished in Mesoamerica for centuries. A team of archeologists led by Dr. Takashi Inomata from University of Arizona, dated early ceremonial structures at the site and concluded that the Maya culture had multiple influences.  For example, they suggest that the formal plazas and pyramids at Ceibal, an ancient Maya site in Guatemala, probably arose from broad cultural exchanges that took place across southern Mesoamerica from about 1,000 to 700 BCE. These new findings from the excavations challenge two prevailing theories on how the ancient Maya civilization began, suggesting its origins are more complex than previously thought. Until now, two theories have dominated the debate concerning the origin of the Maya civilization: one suggesting that the Maya developed almost entirely on their own in what is now southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, and another suggesting that the older Olmec civilization was the Maya’s dominant cultural influence. The new findings, however, mean that neither of these theories can tell the full story of the Maya. Dr. Inomata and his team provide radiocarbon dating measurements taken from some of the ceremonial constructions at Ceibal that predate the growth of La Venta, a major center of the Olmec, by as much as 200 years.

As reported by several news agencies yesterday, one of Syria’s UNESCO world heritage sites was destroyed in fighting yesterday (April 24^th, 2013).  The minaret of the famed 11th century Umayyad Mosque collapsed Wednesday amid fighting between government troops and Syrian rebels in the ancient city of Aleppo while each side accused the other side for this destruction.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, in an official statement said: “This is like blowing up the Taj Mahal or destroying the Acropolis in Athens.

The mosque which had earlier been damaged during fighting in the ancient city in October 2012 has an impressive history that dates back at least to Hellenistic times, and is believed that it served as a temple to the Aramaic god of rain. Later, it became a Roman temple, then a church. And early in the 8th century, a mosque – one of the most important sites in the Muslim world today.

Modern Aleppo, Syria’s commercial capital has been badly affected by Syria’s civil war. As reported by National Public Radio and many other agencies, the city now suffers from shortages of water, flour and electricity and widespread destruction. Disease is rampant because of festering piles of garbage.  Syria is home to six sites on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list and most have been damaged as a result of continued fighting.

On April 26^th and 27^th, 2013, the Smithsonian’s Museums of Asian Art in Washington D.C., is holding a symposium focused on the legacy of Cyrus the great and the Cyrus Cylinder which is now on a exhibit tour in the U.S.

On Friday, April 26^th the symposium starts with a talk by John Curtis, British Museum.  Mr. Curtis was the Keeper of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum 1989–2011, and is currently Keeper of Special Middle East Projects. He is particularly interested in Iraq and Iran and has published widely on those subjects. His recent books include Forgotten Empire: the World of Ancient Persia (2005) and An Examination of Late Assyrian Metalwork (2013). He is a Fellow of the British Academy and a Corresponding Member of the Archaeological Institute of America.  Mr. Curtis will talk about the significance of the Cyrus Cylinder and also looking at the life of the Cylinder since 1971, and what it represents for different constituencies at the present time.

On Saturday, April 27^th, 2013, the Symposium includes a number of longer talks as well as presentations of shorter papers.  The invited speakers include scholars from University College London, German Archaeological Institute,  Columbia University, University College Dublin, Stanford University,  and Brandeis University.

The Cyrus Cylinder was discovered at Babylon in 1879. Scholars soon realized its inscription corroborated with the biblical account of how the Jews brought to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar were repatriated by Cyrus and allowed to start building the Second Temple. While the Cylinder does not mention the Jews by name, it does refer to the restoration of sacred statues to various shrines together with the people from those shrines.  It also gives a detailed account of Cyrus’s capture of Babylon.  From the beginning, the Cylinder was celebrated as an important historical document. It did not acquire its present iconic status until the late 1950s, however, when it began to be described as the First Charter of Human Rights.

For more information visit the Smithsonian’s Museums of Asian Art – http://www.asia.si.edu/events/cyrus-symposium/agenda.asp