Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Cultural Heritage

This bleached reef near Guam shows what happens when ocean temperatures rise.

New Research

Unesco-Protected Reefs Could Be Destroyed by 2100

Over 70 percent of world heritage reefs were damaged during the recent bleaching event

The ruins of the al-Nuri mosque

Mosul’s Great Mosque of al-Nuri Destroyed by ISIS Militants

The 12th-century mosque’s leaning minaret was one of Mosul’s most recognizable landmarks

French American Music and Dance, 1983

Commentary

After 50 Years of Song, Dance, Food, Even Hog Calling, at the Folklife Festival, Is It Still Worthwhile?

Recognizing traditional culture in the information age is ever more important argues the director of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Damian Le Bas' "Globe IV" (2016) on display at the launch event for the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture.

Trending Today

First-Ever Roma Cultural Institution Opens in Europe

It’s a step toward cultural inclusion for Europe’s largest minority group

New Online Database Catalogues 20,000 Threatened Archaeological Sites

The Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa Database includes an interactive map and a detailed search function

None

10 Must-Do Experiences in Australia’s Northern Territory

From massive crocodiles, to waterfalls and ancient Aboriginal art, the Top End offers something for every traveler

None

Discover Australia’s Top End: A Five-Day Itinerary

From massive crocodiles, to waterfalls and ancient Aboriginal art, the Top End offers something for every traveler

Prayer wheels are just one of the sounds preserved and remixed in a new project.

Cool Finds

Listen to the Sounds of Sacred Spaces Around the World

A new project documents, then remixes, religious and spiritual sounds

Asli Saghatelyan stands next to her father-in-law’s 240-gallon karas, a clay vessel traditionally used in Armenia, until recently, for storing and fermenting homemade wine.

Armenia: Smithsonian Guide

Unearthing Armenia’s Giant, Ancient Earthenware

These 240-gallon clay karases, crucial to the early development of winemaking, once held enormous value

A bicyclist rides by the destroyed old mosque and tomb of Nabi Jerjis, also known as Saint George, in central Mosul in July 2014.

Commentary

Why We Need to Fight to Save Mosul’s Cultural Heritage

As the battle to save Iraq from ISIS continues, Smithsonian experts are helping local people preserve their history

A street food market in San Andrés Cholula, in Mexico's Puebla state

What to Really Eat on Cinco de Mayo

Put down the margaritas and tacos, and pick up a chalupa

Muhammad Ali used this headgear before winning Olympic gold in 1960.

The Collections of the African American History and Culture Museum Await Their New Home

Objects from Muhammad Ali’s headgear to Nat Turner’s Bible sit in a holding facility in Maryland, ready to be put on display

None

What’s Up

American Art, African Culture and Mardi Gras

Page 19 of 19