Syrian and Iraqi Heritage in Peril: What is happening and what can we do about it? 

Media reports have brought attention to the destruction of heritage sites in Syria and Iraq, and recent developments in Palmyra, Syria and Mosul, Iraq emphasize the need for action. With so much taking place, it is difficult to determine which reports have accurate information, and what is the best course of action. The presentations by ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiative scholars during this dinner-event addressed these questions. Additionally, speakers detailed how collaborative work with the Getty Conservation Institute and the World Monuments Fund is helping to plan for the future through the development of ARCHES, an online, open-source inventory system for heritage sites. Finally, the culminating event of the evening was the public announcement and launch of The Cultural Heritage Monitor: an anonymous crowd-sourcing tool that will enable people in zones of conflict to document threats to heritage sites and to report looted or stolen objects.
Tentative Schedule of Events:

• 5:00PM: Reception
• 5:45PM: Welcome and Opening Comments
  • B. W. Ruffner (ASOR Board Chair)
  • Mark Taplin (Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State [Acting])
  • Margaret Plympton (Deputy Chair, National Endowment for the Humanities)
• 6:00PM: Dinner
• 6:45PM: Presentations
  • Allison Cuneo, ASOR CHI: “Palmyra in the Midst of War”
  • Michael Danti, ASOR CHI: “Cultural Heritage in Peril—An Update on What is Happening and What We Can Do”
  • Scott Branting, University of Central Florida and ASOR CHI, “Update on ARCHES as a Preservation Tool and the Collaborative Work with the Getty Conservation Institute”
  • Bisher Al-Issa, ASOR CHI: “A Crowd-sourcing Tool to Trigger Community Ownership of Cultural Heritage in Syria”
  • TBD: “Launch of the Cultural Heritage Monitor (A Crowd-Sourcing App to Safeguard Heritage in Peril)”

About ASOR CHI: 

ASOR’s Cultural Heritage Initiatives operate programs to document and safeguard cultural heritage. A major part of ASOR CHI is a cooperative agreement between ASOR and the U.S. Department of State that is designed to document, protect, and preserve the cultural heritage of war-torn Syria and northern Iraq. We have assembled a team of scholars with professional connections to leading academic and cultural institutions from all over the globe, and our international team has formed alliances and partnerships with groups of concerned citizens in Syria and Iraq who have been taking action.