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Celebration at Angkor

On Monday, January 7, WMF celebrates the completion of work at Angkor Wat's Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery and more than twenty years of work in Angkor Archaeological Park. Participants in a WMF trip to Cambodia will attend a special event at Angkor Wat to mark this occasion. The multi-year project at Angkor's most famous temple has helped conserve one of the most important sculptures in Southeast Asia. The project will conclude with the addition of a group of lotus sculptures to the roof of the gallery.

To coincide with the celebration, WMF is expanding its "adoption" program to assist in the conservation of monuments in Angkor Archaeological Park. The "Adopt a Garuda" program, begun several years ago for Preah Khan, is now joined by the "Adopt a Lotus" and "Adopt a Brick Shrine" programs for work at Angkor Wat and Phnom Bakheng, respectively. Visit WMF's website for more information on these programs.


New Finds at Qusayr 'Amra in Jordan
Conservation activity at Qusayr 'Amra, an Umayyad lodge and bath house in the Jordanian desert, continues to produce startling results. The collaboration between WMF, the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro in Rome, and Jordan's Department of Antiquities has produced valuable information about the original decorative campaign and the evolution of treatments to the colorful murals. Scenes not visible for decades were revealed in the murals, including a hunting scene (pictured) that completes one already known. Fine details of far superior quality than previously thought can now be admired, especially on the famous "six kings" panel. One-third of the largest painted wall found on site was cleaned, and work will continue in 2013. Conservtion in the caldarium, a room of the baths, confirmed that glass mosaics, often covered with a gold leaf, decorated the areas of the dome and niches in the walls. Important elements of the 2012 campaign were a more refined definition of the boundary for the archaeological zone, a tourism survey, and the preparation of a new topographic map of the area.
Cruise Ship Conference in Charleston
WMF, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Preservation Society of Charleston are hosting "Harboring Tourism: A Symposium on Cruise Ships in Historic Port Communities" from February 6 to 8 in Charleston, SC. The symposium will examine various approaches to cruise tourism in historic port communities around the world with the aim of advocating for policies and practices that benefit local communities by ensuring a balance between cruse tourism and heritage management. The symposium is open to participants from around the world. The historic center of Charleston is on the 2012 Watch. 
February Conference in Col�n, Panama

Experts in urban historic center management will join local professionals, business and community leaders, and representatives of governments and NGOs at a WMF-supported conference in the port city of Col�n, Panama, on Feb 1-2, 2013. The conference will focus on the integrated conservation of architectural, cultural, and environmental resources, with the objective of consolidating the historic center's role as the main hub of Colon's metropolitan area, safeguarding its socioeconomic diversity, environmental sustainability, and capacity for architectural and urban innovation. A short Spanish-language film looks at the steps required for urban revitalization. 

Soane Museum Exhibition Ends Jan. 26
A special exhibition celebrating the work of World Monuments Fund Britain is on view at the Soane Museum in London through January 26. The exhibition features current and past WMF Britain projects, supplemented by documents and drawings from the Soane Museum's permanent collection and objects relating to the sites. WMF Britain Chief Executive Jonathan Foyle shows the highlights of the exhibition in this video tour