Stop Press

A compilation of media articles on heritage topics. Obviously, these all reflect the viewpoints of the authors.

28 February

• 'Bamiyan Buddhas were once brightly coloured'
  Times of India, India
  Researchers claim to have discovered that prior to the advent of Islam in Afghanistan, the Bamiyan Buddhas, destroyed by the Taliban a decade back, were once intensely colourful and overpainted several times.

• Scientists: Reconstructing Afghan Buddha possible
  Washington Post, United States
  German scientists said Monday it may be possible to reconstruct one of two giant 1,500 year-old Buddha statues dynamited by the Taliban in central Afghanistan 10 years ago, which prompted a worldwide outcry and left behind only towering cliff caverns.

26 February

• Mexico's struggle to stem looting of historic sites
  BBC, United Kingdom
  Mexico's archaeological and cultural riches not only attract visitors but are prey to increasingly sophisticated looting and smuggling gangs, reports the BBC's Julian Miglierini.

22 February

• Christchurch quake: People likely to be trapped in cathedral
  New Zealand Herald, New Zealand
  The Anglican cathedral in the heart of the city was largely destroyed in the 6.3 shake, the spire reduced to rubble and the roof caved in.

18 February

• Dutch museum to lend Picasso for display in West Bank
  BBC, United Kingdom
  Palestinian art lovers are to get a rare chance to view a Picasso when the painting goes on display in April, on loan from a Dutch museum.

• Caravaggio's crimes exposed in Rome's police files
  BBC, United Kingdom
  Four hundred years after his death, Caravaggio is a 21st Century superstar among old master painters. His stark, dramatically lit, super-realistic paintings strike a modern chord - but his police record is more shocking than any modern bad boy rock star's.

15 February

• Mussolini balcony to be reopened after decades of neglect
  The Telegraph, United Kingdom
  A balcony in Rome from which Mussolini gave rabble-rousing speeches to his Black Shirt supporters and declared war on Britain in 1940 is to be reopened to the public after decades of neglect.

14 February

• The mystery of the discolored Van Goghs
  Los Angeles Times, United States
  In some of the artist's works, the once-vibrant yellows are turning brown. European scientists have figured out why.

• Le Caire/musée: deux pièces retrouvées
  Le Figaro, France
  Deux des pièces volées au Musée égyptien du Caire pendant les manifestations antigouvernementales ont été retrouvées dans le jardin entourant le bâtiment, ont annoncé aujourd'hui les autorités égyptiennes.

• Auschwitz-Birkenau : la restauration programmée
  Le Monde, France
  Comment sauvegarder Auschwitz-Birkenau, en Pologne, le plus vaste camp de concentration et d'extermination des juifs d'Europe né de la folie nazie ?

13 February

• Egyptian Museum: Cairo's looted treasure
  BBC, United Kingdom
  For lovers of ancient history, the Egyptian Museum and the priceless, cultural treasures it contains have been in alarmingly close proximity to troubles in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

11 February

• Egalite for all: investing in Haiti's cultural heritage
  Miami Herald, United States
  In response to the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti, the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC), in partnership with FIU Libraries and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at FIU, established the Protecting Haitian Patrimony Initiative (PHPI) to help support the preservation and reconstruction efforts of Haiti’s libraries and archives.

8 February

• In Cambodia's temple battleground, a fragile peace
  Reuters
  Piles of sandbags and newly built bunkers surround the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, and while some Cambodian soldiers take the chance to relax, others clutch heavy-duty machineguns.

7 February

• Fire hits Rio de Janeiro's carnival district in Brazil
  BBC, United Kingdom
  At least four warehouses, a samba school and a carnival museum have been damaged in the blaze at Samba City.

• Egyptian Archaeologist Zahi Hawass Says Mummies are Safe After Riots Outside Museum
  Art Daily
  None of the mummies in Cairo's main archaeological museum were damaged during a break-in last week but 70 other exhibits will need restoration, top Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass said on Sunday.

4 February

• The glory is in the detail of the Google Art Project
  The Guardian, United Kindom
  Greater numbers of people viewing these paintings close-up will aid understanding – which seems unlikely to hit museum visits

3 February

• Emergency intervention launched to save Quseir Amra
  Jordan Times, Jordan
  Conservationists on Wednesday launched efforts to save one of the last examples of secular Umayyad art in the world from degradation.

updated on: 1 March, 2011