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Cultural Preservation

The Kalil House, one of seven Usonian Automatic residences by Frank Lloyd Wright in the country

One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Rare Usonian Automatic Homes Achieves Landmark Status

The Kalil House, located in Manchester, New Hampshire, is one of only seven Usonian Automatics in the country

The Vaillancourt Fountain at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco

Can This Controversial Brutalist Fountain in San Francisco Be Saved From Demolition?

Critics have called the Vaillancourt Fountain an “eyesore,” while supporters say it’s an important chapter in the city’s history

More than 250 looted objects are on display in UNESCO's Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects.

The World’s First Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects Wants Its Collection to Shrink, Not Grow

Visitors can explore 3D renderings of stolen artworks, historical artifacts, rare books and more in UNESCO’s new digital museum

The Syrian shawarma, originally served in the alleys of Damascus and Aleppo, has become a culinary mainstay in Berlin.

How Shawarma Became a Soul Food of Syria’s Diaspora in Berlin

The popularity of the humble street food is a testament to cultural survival for the hundreds of thousands of Syrians who arrived in Germany as refugees and asylum seekers in 2015

Some of the artifacts stored in the al-Kawthar building had been unearthed at the St. Hilarion Monastery.

Archaeologists in Gaza Rushed to Rescue Thousands of Ancient Artifacts From an Impending Airstrike

In just six hours, workers evacuated 70 percent of the historic collection, including objects from one of the Middle East’s oldest Christian monasteries. The remaining 30 percent was lost in the attack

The Oseberg, a Viking ship built in 820 C.E., moved to its new home at the Museum of the Viking Age at the speed of ten inches per minute.

The Best-Preserved Viking Ship in the World Just Survived Its Treacherous Final Journey

For more than ten years, experts have been painstakingly planning to move three 1,000-year-old vessels—the “Oseberg,” “Gokstad” and “Tune”—about 115 yards to their new home in Oslo

Located nearly 60 feet below the surface, the statue is cleaned every year.

See How Divers Clean This Statue of Jesus Christ Submerged Nearly 60 Feet Below the Surface of the Mediterranean

Located off the coast of northern Italy, “Christ of the Abyss” was installed in 1954 to commemorate lives lost at sea. The statue receives a routine cleaning every year

The Uan Muhuggiag mummy is housed at Libya's National Museum, where it rests in a glass case on a cushion of cotton.

Africa’s Oldest Mummy Is a Toddler Who Died 5,400 Years Ago, Nearly a Millennium Before the Egyptians Started Mummifying Their Dead

Libya’s civil war has placed the Uan Muhuggiag mummy at risk. But negotiations are underway to transport the rare artifact from Libya to Rome, where it will undergo restoration and scientific analysis

Eldarir checked three large suitcases full of artifacts in 2020.

Man Who Tried to Smuggle 600 Looted Ancient Egyptian Artifacts in Three Checked Suitcases Is Going to Prison

Ashraf Omar Eldarir failed to declare the stolen goods when he entered the United States through New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2020

Fallingwater is located in the Bear Run Nature Reserve in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands.

Fallingwater’s Roof Is Leaking. Can This $7 Million Renovation Protect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Masterpiece?

Leaky roofs and windows have long plagued the famous home in Pennsylvania. Experts say the three-year project will address decades of water damage and prevent similar problems from worsening in the future

Young people in 1978 skateboarding at Kelvin Wheelies skatepark.

Archaeologists Are Digging Up Scotland’s Very First Outdoor Skatepark

Kelvin Wheelies skatepark, which hosted the country’s first national skateboarding competition, has been buried under rubble for decades

Ahu Tongariki, home to 15 moai statues, is one of Easter Island’s most iconic cultural landmarks.

New Research

Seasonal Waves Could Reach Some of Easter Island’s Massive Moai Statues by 2080, New Study Suggests

Researchers warn that rising sea levels could cause flooding that will endanger the historically significant statues, which were created by the Rapa Nui people between roughly 1300 and 1600 C.E.

E.Y. “Yip” Harburg's sketch for the lyrics of “Over the Rainbow"

Want to See the Original Lyrics for ‘Over the Rainbow’? All You Need Is a Library Card

The Library of Congress has acquired a collection of musical manuscripts and other rare artifacts connected to “The Wizard of Oz”

Some scholars argue that the sprawling medieval tapestry is too fragile to be moved.

French Official Rules That 1,000-Year-Old Bayeux Tapestry Isn’t Too Fragile to Travel to London

The 230-foot-long medieval tapestry is scheduled to go on view at the British Museum next year, but critics worry that transporting the delicate artifact is too risky

The vessel's timbers are shrinking and its iron fittings are disintegrating.

America's 250th Anniversary

Watch as Experts Preserve a 249-Year-Old Gunboat That Sank During the American Revolution

Badly damaged during the Battle of Valcour Island, the “Philadelphia” is now the focus of a new exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Visitors to the Grand Egyptian Museum can view the pyramids.

A Sweeping Transformation Is Underway as the Grand Egyptian Museum Prepares to Officially Open and the Giza Plateau Braces for a Record-Breaking Influx of Visitors

The Egyptian government is making changes to enhance the visitor experience around the pyramids, but are these modifications threatening the livelihoods of local communities rooted in generations-old tourism practices?

These custom copper stools from Price Tower were sold in 2024 and later purchased by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.

Custom Furnishings From Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper Have Been Preserved for Posterity

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy hopes to return the 11 artifacts to the Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma

The Hollywood Premiere Motel was designed by architect Joyce Miller.

This Mid-Century Motel Described in Reviews as ‘Eerie’ Just Became a Los Angeles Historic Monument

Built in 1960, the Hollywood Premiere is the first motel to be added to the list of more than 1,300 protected sites in the city

The mural is decorated with blue and yellow pigments.

Cool Finds

This Colorful Mural of Stars and Fish Is the First of Its Kind Found on the Coast of Northern Peru

The 3,000- to 4,000-year-old artwork decorated the wall of a temple atrium during Peru’s Formative Period

The Mayan Languages Preservation and Digitization Project (MLPP) was launched in 2023 to preserve around 20 Mayan languages, including Qʼeqchiʼ, Kʼicheʼ and Kaqchikel.

Millions of Maya Still Call Mesoamerica Home. This Groundbreaking Initiative Ushers the Rich Tapestry of Mayan Languages Into the Digital Age

The Mayan Languages Preservation and Digitization Project promotes tools designed by and for Indigenous communities, like online glossaries and special phone keyboards

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