(Translated by WCHV)

Asiatic Cheetah or Persian Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) is the fastest mammal and is fast becoming extinct.  However, there are still a few of them living in Iran.

Cheetah and Tiger are two of the cat-like species that are becoming extinct in Iran.  In the recent years, Iranian lion and Mazandarani tiger became extinct in Iran.  The reasons that caused the extinction included; a) destroying their habitats, b) illegal hunting, c) shortage of their food supplies which was also caused by illegal hunting of deer and rabbits, d)  building factories and roads in the environments and areas where these animals live.  Until a few years ago, it was estimated that about 100 Persian Cheetah lived in Iran.  However, the new estimates show that there are only less than 50 of them that are still alive in Iran.  

Recently, the NGOs and activists working on behalf of natural heritage have been working on preservation of these tigers.  However, since they had no assistance from governmental organizations, their efforts were not effective.  As the director of the committee for preservation of Persian Cheetahs states: “In the last ten years, twenty seven Persian Cheetahs have been killed by hunters.  Eleven cases have been because of accidents with cars in the areas where these animals live. In spite of these losses and the warnings for their extinction,  the government is now building a new road in the restricted areas like the Bafgh Mountain of Yazd, where these animals live (therefore leading to more tigers and animals dying).” 

 Syria’s World Heritage Sites damaged in the war.

Several articles and reports published in late 2012 paint a grim picture for Syria’s cultural heritage sites (http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/oct/05/aleppo-souk-syria-destroyed-war) and (http://world.time.com/2012/09/12/syrias-looted-past-how-ancient-artifacts-are-being-traded-for-guns/#ixzz26ujLHJ8C.

It is true that the greatest loss from wars and conflicts are human losses.  Syria’s unbelievable human toll has been over 60,000 deaths, over 250,000 refugees and 1.2 million internally displaced people.  In addition to this tremendous human suffering, all the six Syria’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites have been damaged. These include Archeological sites of northern Syria.

Jean Perrot, an internationally well known French archeologist was born in 1920. He studied archeology at the Ecole du Louvre where he specialized in Syrian archaeology.  In 1945, he entered École biblique et archéologique française in Jerusalem to continue his studies during which time he researched ancient sites in Iran, Israel and Turkey.  Perrot went to Iran for the first time in 1968 and took over as the director of the Delegation Archéologique Français (DAFI) while researching and studying ancient Iranian Sites in collaboration with the Iranian Center of Archaeological Research, and experts from France and the United States.  His most significant and well known work was in Susa (Shush) and Jafar Abad and one of his notable discoveries is the headless statue of Darius which is now housed in the National Museum of Iran in Tehran.  He continued his work until the Iranian revolution in 1979.  While in Iran he was also a professor at the Sorbonne, Paris and a researcher at the CNRS, France.  The most recent work that Perrot has done, titled, Darius’ Palace in Susa,  (Le palais de Darius à Susa) was published in 2010.  Jean Perrot was married to an Iranian woman and passed away on December 25^th, 2012.

In 2012, the Tomb of Askia was added to the African endangered heritage list as reported by African World Heritage Sites.  The Tomb of Askia which is located close to the banks of the River Niger was built in 1495 in Gao, Mali.  The structure stands about 17 meter high and was made from hardened mud. 

From the early 15^th century to the late 16^th century, the Songhai (or Songhay) empire not only controlled vast part of West Africa but it had also become a major trading center for gold and salt. Gao which was initially the capital of Gao empire then became the capital of Songhai empire.  The Tomb of Askia symbolizes a major period in the history of west Africa and its gradual destruction is a significant loss.

Since 1997, when the German police seized Cyprus religious treasures from the house of a Turkish official, these items are still the subject of major discussions and reports.  The German newspaper Abendzeitung Munich reported in Dec 2012 that the Turkish official Aydin Dikman, in question, in fact is claiming the treasures as a part of his wife’s dowry and has even asked for financial compensation. Many Cyprus religious treasures have been reported to have been stolen during and after the 1974 invasion and several people and organizations are working to create reports listing these stolen items.