12 October. ICCROM is saddened to learn that Dr Selma Al-Radi, Iraqi archaeologist and conservation researcher at New York University, passed away on 9 October 2010.

Dr Al-Radi began to work in Yemen in 1977, and with UNESCO carried out the restoration of the 16th century Madrasa Al-Amiryah, one of Yemen's largest monuments in the town of Rada'. The project took place over a 26-year period, and in 2007 she received an Aga Khan Award for Architecture for its successful completion.

Dr Al-Radi was also involved in the rehabilitation of the Imamate palace complex housing the National Museum in Sana'a, Yemen, and prepared a catalogue of the museum's collections. She also excavated sites in Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait, Cyprus, Syria, and Yemen, and has published in Arabic and English. She was a member of the Aga Khan Award Technical Reviews and of the Steering Committee at a later stage.

The Director General and staff of ICCROM would like to present their most sincere condolences to her family, and in particular to her colleagues at our sister organizations (such as UNESCO and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture) who have worked with her to safeguard cultural heritage in Yemen, and in the Arab and Islamic World.

Mounir Bouchenaki
Director-General

updated on: 13 October, 2010