As a Cheyenne, I have often contemplated the meaning of “historic preservation” from a Native-American point of view. I have also pondered the longer-range implications for the historic preservation movement in the context of Native American life and culture. In the course of my ruminations, I...Read more
Spring is universally regarded as a season of renewal—a time for sowing seeds of change. This issue we focus on a suite of sites witnessing dramatic rebirth, two of which are, appropriately enough, gardens, a third, an ancient temple-complex in Beijing dedicated to the worship of Xiannong, the...Read more
At a quarter to eight in the morning on the first auspicious day of the second month of spring, the gongs atop the Meridian Gate sound. The emperor of China, clad in azure silk, emerges from the Forbidden City. He is accompanied by a multitudenous entourage, among his attendants, three dukes and...Read more
After several years of research and communication with colleagues in the field, WMF, the World Heritage Centre, and the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia-INAH Campeche organized a conference a “Meeting of Experts for the Recuperation of American Fortifications&...Read more
The element of fantasy is a recurring theme in the written accounts of visitors to the pink Rococo palace of Queluz. One such description is that of Cecil Beaton, the celebrated photographer who, visited the palace in 1942. His diary he recalls his enchantment at this fantasy world with its...Read more
Major shifts in world events in 2004 posed both challenges and opportunities for WMF in its effort to safeguard and conserve our cultural heritage. Read more
Chandni Chowk is the central street of the imperial city of Shahjahanabad, founded in the mid-seventeenth century. The street runs from opposite the western entrance to the Red Fort, right down the breadth of the original walled city to Fatehpuri mosque. Read more
At the close of the nineteenth century, Antarctica remained the only continent on Earth that had yet to feel the imprint of humankind. Until that time, only the heartiest of men had even spied her frozen wastes at a distance as they combed Antarctica’s ice-choaked waters in pursuit of whale and...Read more
Of all the factors that threaten our most treasured cultural sites, few can match the destruction wrought by our restless planet. Its ever-shifting plates, yawns, and sighs cause earthquakes and tsunamis. Its mountain-building schemes change Earth's weather patterns, which affect humidity and...Read more
Homer called this island “Ogygia,” where the divine nymph Calypso held the “master mariner and commander” captive for seven long years, but the Maltese call it Gozo. The cave itself is said to be a grotto high in a cliff overlooking the beach at Ramla Bay, on the north side of the island, the...Read more