Work Begins at Ani in Eastern Turkey World Monuments Fund and the Turkish government recently signed a memorandum of understanding to begin work at two of the major surviving structures at the ancient city of Ani in northeastern Turkey, Ani Cathedral and the Church of the Holy Redeemer. Work on stabilizing these two medieval buildings, both highly susceptible to further deterioration due to the frequent seismic activity in the area, will begin in the spring.
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Updates on Sites in Egypt Hourig Sourouzian, the director of the project at the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III in Thebes, has sent us two updates on sites in Egypt, giving insight into the region since unrest began last month. The first is an update on the status of several significant sites, while the second focuses specifically on the ongoing project at the mortuary temple, where WMF began working following its inclusion on the 1998 Watch.
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Workshop in Jordan for Early Islamic Site
Gaetano Palumbo, WMF's Program Director for North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, recently participated in a workshop co-organized by WMF in preparation for an upcoming project at Qusayr 'Amra, an eighth-century Umayyad-period Islamic structure in Jordan. For this project, which will focus on the conservation of the rare early Islamic murals inside the building, WMF is working with the government of Jordan and the Italian Conservation Institute. |
Project Begins at Chankillo World Monuments Fund recently completed laser-scanning as part of a documentation project at Chankillo, an ancient complex in the Peruvian coastal desert that includes a 2,300-year-old astronomical observatory. This 2010 Watch site will be the focus of a conservation project in the coming months. The overall management plan for the site also includes the implementation of a sustainable tourism plan, as the site is increasingly visited by unsupervised travelers.
The start of work at Chankillo coincided with an international archaeoastronomy conference in Peru, which allowed for some 60 archaeoastronomers to visit the ancient complex. Further attention will be focused on the site when a new series called Wonders of the Universe airs on BBC2 in Britain starting on March 6. Chankillo is featured in the first episode.
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WMF Britain's CEO Climbs Great Buildings
Jonathan Foyle, WMF Britain's Chief Executive, filmed a 15-part series for the BBC called Climbing Great Buildings, which recently won Best Daytime Series at the 2011 Broadcast Awards. By scaling famous buildings Foyle provides educational commentary on the histories of some of Britain's most iconic structures, explaining how architecture and construction techniques have evolved over a thousand years. |
2012 Watch Deadline Approaches
Nominations to the 2012 World Monuments Watch are being accepted until March 15. The Watch calls international attention to cultural heritage around the world threatened by neglect, vandalism, conflict, development, or disaster. Since the program was launched in 1996, 637 sites in some 90 countries and territories have been on the eight biennial lists. More than $200 million has been granted to 40 percent of these sites from WMF and leveraged through other sources. Anyone can nominate a site, so read the guidelines and submit an inquiry if you are interested. Visit the WMF Journal to read about some past Watch success stories by nominators guest-blogging for us!
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MIAMI MARINE STADIUM DESIGN CONTEST
A competition is currently underway to design a new floating stage for Miami Marine Stadium, a 2010 Watch site. |
VIIPURI LIBRARY UPDATE
Earlier this month WMF learned that the Russian government has committed the necessary funds to complete the restoration of Viipuri Library, an important early modern structure and past Watch site.
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EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS
Lecture: Emperor Qianlong's Juanqinzhai at the China Institute, March 18
The Emperor's Private Paradise at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York until May 1
Modernism at Risk at the University of Montreal until March 1
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2012 WATCH
Nomination Forms for the 2012 Watch are online. The deadline for submissions is March 15.
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