From time to time we report on significant developments – positive and negative – in the preservation of cultural heritage. Below are some updates to prior reports and new items of interest.

Showcasing of Hindu Temple Backfires

Earlier this year we reported on the consecration of the Ram Mandir temple in Ayodhyh, India, a northern India pilgrimage site. The temple was intended to be a showcase for the Modi government as Prime Minister Narenda Modi and his Hindu Nationalist party prepared to run for a consecutive third term, and it was repeatedly touted in the campaign. However, that effort appears to have backfired, continuing the cultural controversy that has plagued this site.

Located on the site for centuries was the Babri Masjid, a 16th century mosque and symbol of faith for Indian Muslims. However, many Hindus believed that an ancient temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Ram once stood on the site, and the Babri Masjid was destroyed by Hindu extremists in 1992. Widespread violence and litigation ensued, with the result that the construction of the Hindu temple was allowed to proceed. (See our 2023 article on the concept of juridical personhood.) A new Muslim temple was to be built nearby, but that has not yet happened.

Modi’s party suffered unexpected losses in the two months-long national election concluded on June1 and has been forced to form a coalition government. One of the most notable losses was the Faizabad constituency, which includes Ayodhya, the location of the temple. While there are multiple explanations, it appears that many locals felt left behind in the massive redevelopment of Ayodhya to prepare it for the expected influx of tourism because of the temple. In fact, residents reported mass disruption without commensurate compensation. Many see this as yet one more chapter in continuing threats to Islamic heritage in India.

Russian Threat to Crimean Heritage

As we have discussed before, wartime threats to cultural sites include more than physical damage or destruction. A case in point involves the ruins of the ancient city of Tauric Chersonese in Crimea, added to the register of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2013, less than a year before the Russian invasion of Crimea. Russia has now transformed the ruins into a Russian historical and archeological site, transforming it by the addition of a new complex featuring a Russian Orthodox monastery and several museums. This is widely perceived as part of a larger campaign to erase Ukrainian cultural heritage. In fact Russian president Vladimir Putin visited the site on the ninth anniversary of the Russian annexation of Crimea, promoting the site as essential to Russian statehood. An appeal has been made to UNESCO to list the site on its “endangered list,” but there has been no official response so far.

UNESCO Warning re Holocaust Misinformation

UNESCO has issued a chilling warning about the misuse of generative AI — and in particular deepfake images and videos — to fabricate or distort information about the Holocaust. In a statement urging tech companies to adopt ethical guidelines, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said:

If we allow the horrific facts of the Holocaust to be diluted, distorted or falsified through the irresponsible use of AI, we risk the explosive spread of antisemitism and the gradual diminution of our understanding about the causes and consequences of these atrocities.

Progress Under Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

On the good news side of the ledger, there is an update to our previous report on tightened regulations promulgated by the Department of the Interior under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City, which had closed its Eastern Woodlands and Great Plains galleries pending compliance with the new regulations, has repatriated the remains of 124 individuals and 90 objects so far in 2024. Besides complying with the regulations’ requirements for consultation and consent, AMNH has increased its staffing capacity and is implementing new public initiatives to address this work.

Sharing is the New Museum Model

And, to close with another positive development, we note another example of a trend we have previously noted. “Sharing is the new having,” according to Marion Ackermann, director of the Dresden, Germany State Art Collections, referring to the joint acquisition by Dresden and the museum authorities of Berlin and Weimar of a book of sketches by Caspar David Friedrich dating from 1804. The sketchbook was purchased from the Berlin auction house Villa Grisebach and is believed to be the last sketchbook that was privately owned. Only six of Friedrich’s sketchbooks are known to exist. The new acquisition will be shown in all three cities to commemorate the 250^th anniversary of the artist’s birth. Joint acquisition allows museums a way to expand their reach and stretch their budgets.

Stay tuned for more reporting on threats to cultural heritage and promising ways to address them.