The Sites and Monuments Record for Syria, and the Shirin Project

Part of the Conflict and Cultural Heritage Conference. Theme 3: What is being done or should be done? Exploring archaeological and military heritage protection initiatives. With Professor Graham Philip. This presentation will focus upon three main issues: 1. To explain why there is a need for a comprehensive and accurate inventory of archaeological/heritage sites in Syria, and what is currently being done to support the creation of such a resource; 2. To introduce the international organization Shirin to the audience, by explaining what it is, who its members are, and what is its intended function?; and 3. To explain the nature of the contribution that Shirin is seeking to make to the protection of cultural heritage in Syria during and after the current crisis. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Om Podcasten

The Conflict and Cultural Heritage Conference aims to raise public awareness and develop understanding of the issues surrounding the protecting of cultural heritage at risk from armed conflict. Focussing on the Middle East, the area currently undergoing the greatest destruction and where the heritage is most at risk, we aim to demonstrate the importance of the heritage, why its destruction matters, and what can be done. Topics to be explored will include the material heritage of the region from international and local perspectives, and the living heritage of communities with rich and longstanding traditions, before exploring why such destruction is happening, and the beliefs that underlie extremist practices. Focus will then move to an overview of what is being done already, and what more the international community can do. This free conference is intended to provide information from a variety of cultures, perspectives, and organisations, including academics, archaeologists, the military, and the media, raising awareness of the multi-cultural nature of Middle Eastern heritage, and its global relevance in the past and today.