ACTIVE PROJECTS
Here you’ll find a series of posts providing an overview of active projects by ASOR’s Cultural Heritage Initiatives through support from public and private sources.
Combating Cultural Racketeering in the Levant
Of the many threats to heritage in Southwest Asia and North Africa, one of the most pernicious is the illicit antiquities trade. Antiquities trafficking is a universal problem, but it particularly benefits from the breakdown in management and law enforcement that occurs in conflict zones. For decades, war, economic instability, and other crises in Lebanon and Syria have created the conditions for the looting and trafficking of antiquities to thrive. Lebanese and Syrian heritage professionals, law enforcement, and civil society members have worked tirelessly throughout this time to protect their heritage, but the scale of the problem is beyond their ability to address alone with the resources they have available.
Cyrene Conservation Initiative
The Cyrene Conservation Initiative is a 12-month conservation and heritage education project at the World Heritage Site of Cyrene in eastern Libya developed in collaboration with the Libyan Department of Antiquities (DOA). The project is a direct response to the effects of catastrophic flooding from Storm Daniel in September 2023 on the iconic Sanctuary of Apollo terrace and the adjacent Valley Street access route. During this storm, sustained flooding down Valley Street and into the eastern half of the Sanctuary of Apollo terrace resulted in deep trenching into unexcavated archaeological strata, damage to standing archaeological remains and the access path, and the mass deposition of dislocated stone, soil, and archaeological materials into the terrace area.
Sudan National Museum Access
With an award from the Gerda Henkel Stiftung, ASOR is supporting critical site security and infrastructure improvements at the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum. Working in coordination with the Sudanese National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM), ASOR will expand safe access to the property, with a focus on rebuilding the damaged enclosure wall and making priority repairs to the electrical, water, and sewage systems. This project will lay essential groundwork to support NCAM’s ongoing efforts to restore functionality to the Sudan National Museum complex.
Tunisia: Ksar Douiret
For many, the name Tatooine evokes the arid landscape of the desert planet that plays such an important role in the “Star Wars” universe. However, the iconic places and landscapes of this fictional world are built upon the very real history, culture, and environment of Tunisia’s Tataouine Governorate. Since October 2024, ASOR and its partners at the Douiret Women’s Association (Wakry Association) have been working to preserve Ksar Douiret, one of the most iconic ksars, or fortified villages, in Tataouine Governorate, with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.