Founded in 2014, ASOR’s Cultural Heritage Initiatives (ASOR CHI) unites local communities, heritage professionals, and scholars to protect and promote cultural heritage and identity in southwestern Asia, northern Africa, and the Sahel. ASOR CHI’s recent work includes strengthening networks for the collaborative protection of cultural and religious heritage in the Sahel and northern Africa through the documentation and promotion of cultural heritage sites belonging to religious and ethnic minorities.
This initiative has resulted in over 800 heritage sites documented, including nearly one third of those sites severely damaged or in disrepair. ASOR has developed an interactive database through Google Maps to share ASOR’s efforts widely. We aim to make all project data publicly available (with permission from partner organizations and institutions).
