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Cultural Preservation

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

Bill Cunningham worked as a photographer for the New York Times for nearly 40 years.

Tens of Thousands of Stunning Images by Photographer Bill Cunningham Acquired by New York Historical

The museum will house photographs, negatives and slides belonging to the renowned photographer, who captured life in New York City for decades before his death in 2016

The pok-ta-pok revival began in Mexico in the mid-1900s, but it only picked up steam over the past decade, with Belize playing a leading role on the global stage.

In Belize, Maya Descendants Are Reviving an Ancient, Sacred Ballgame

A movement is underway to make pok-ta-pok, the world’s oldest team ballgame, the national sport

The Dudderhouse Hill long cairn is located inside the Yorkshire Dales National Park in northern England.

Rare 5,000-Year-Old Neolithic Monument in Northern England Granted Protected Status

The Dudderhouse Hill long cairn is one of the oldest known sites built by humans in England. It now has the highest level of heritage protection available in the country

UNESCO, the cultural arm of the United Nations, is headquartered in Paris and has 194 member countries.

The U.S. Is Withdrawing From UNESCO for the Third Time in the Agency’s 80-Year History

The country previously left the agency for two brief stints—once from 1984 to 2003 and again from 2017 to 2023. The newly announced decision will take effect by the end of 2026

Entrepreneurs are remaking these 16th to 18th century farmhouses into intimate retreats and luxury hotels.

The Centuries-Old Abandoned Farmhouses of Puglia Are Having a Renaissance Moment

Supporting sustainability and local economies, these out-of-the-way structures known as masserie are offering a new type of rustic luxury

Neuschwanstein was one of four castles in Bavaria to make the list.

Germany’s Stunning Fairytale Castles Added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List

Built under the rule of Ludwig II, the grand palace complexes in Bavaria were among 26 new sites granted world heritage status

The ancient artwork is now on display at Pompeii.

Ancient Erotic Mosaic Stolen From Pompeii During World War II Finally Returns Home

A Nazi captain gave artwork, which depicts an intimate Roman romance, to a civilian. When he died, his heirs decided to return the piece to Italy

Jewish communities in Poland originated foods like the bialy, the knish and the bagel.

Jewish Food Is Making a Comeback in Poland

Bagels, knishes, bialys and more are popping up in bakeries as the country reckons with historical trauma

This portrait of Ferdinando de’ Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany (center), by Anton Domenico Gabbiani, was damaged after a visitor tripped while posing for a photo with the artwork.

Museumgoer Posing for Photo Stumbles Into Portrait of Medici Prince, Damaging the Historic Painting

The incident at the Uffizi Galleries is the latest in a series of tourist-related accidents at museums around the world. Now, the Florentine cultural institution plans to start limiting selfies

A giant Yemeni flag waves at the historic 12th-century citadel of al-Qahira in Taiz, in 2021, ahead of celebrations of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. 

Yemen’s Al-Qahira Castle Survived Centuries of War and Neglect. Can It Survive Its Own Restoration?

With funding for preserving the historic site in jeopardy, local officials are wondering what will come next for the 800-year-old structure

Many of the coins are from the United Kingom, but some are from as far away as the United States and Asia.

Tourists Are Stuffing Coins Into the Cracks of the Giant’s Causeway, Damaging the Iconic Site in Northern Ireland

Authorities are urging visitors to stop wedging pocket change between the basalt columns, which are cracking and crumbling as the coins expand

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