Building Resiliency to Protect Heritage at Risk
Preserving and protecting threatened cultural heritage
Globally, cultural heritage is vulnerable to a wide range of natural and human-made threats—such as natural disasters and armed conflict.
The United States believes that protecting and preserving heritage is an important responsibility for governments, organizations, and individuals and their communities.
The U.S. supports post-disaster and post-conflict recovery of cultural heritage worldwide through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) and special programs like the Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative.
These grant programs support and engage with local communities in their efforts to adapt, prepare and protect their heritage from future threats.
Painting of the19th-Century Elbow Reef Lighthouse (19th Century)Cultural Heritage Center, U.S. Department of State
A Beacon of Hope Restored: Elbow Reef Lighthouse
In the Bahamas, AFCP helped repair damage to the historic tower, lantern, and operational systems of Abaco Lighthouse, which was damaged in Hurricane Dorian.
Constructed in 1863, the Elbow Reef lighthouse in Abaco has aided navigation for over 160 years and is the last remaining hand-operated, kerosene-powered lighthouse in the world.
Before and after: Hurricane Dorian, which hit The Bahamas in early September 2019, was the country’s most intense tropical cyclone on record and the largest natural disaster in its history. In the aftermath, AFCP supported several cultural heritage recovery efforts, providing emergency conservation supplies for local museums and institutions on Abaco and other impacted islands. In a 2022 article, the Nassau Guardian referred to the renovated lighthouse as "a beacon of home restored."
Viewing the results of the AFCP restoration project at the Elbow Reef Lighthouse from the air.
Lo Gekhar and Gonpa Gang Monasteries, Upper Mustang, Nepal
An earthquake in 2015 caused extensive damage to historic monuments within Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas. AFCP invested nearly $2.5 million in recovery efforts, which are also building capacity for local communities to mitigate future disaster risks.
Lo Gekhar Monastery Carvings (2020-10-01/2022-10-01) by U.S. Embassy KathmanduCultural Heritage Center, U.S. Department of State
One such site is the 8th-century Lo Gekhar Monastery. Widely considered to be the oldest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Mustang, the complex contains a rare collection of stunning stone relief panels and is visited by thousands of pilgrims each year.
Temple at Lo Gekhar Monastery (2020-10-01) by U.S. Embassy KathmanduCultural Heritage Center, U.S. Department of State
Unfortunately, its temple is also highly susceptible to deterioration and damage from seismic activity and heavy rainfall.
This project involved documentation of the site and surrounding landscape and enhanced the capacities of local institutions and communities to mitigate disaster risks, with the aim of supporting inclusive socio-economic growth.
Durres Tower Before Reconstruction (2020) by U.S. Embassy TiranaCultural Heritage Center, U.S. Department of State
Durrës Fortress, Durrës, Albania
In 2019, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Albania earthquake killed 51 people, injured over 3,000, and caused $1.1 billion in damage. The earthquake damaged or destroyed more than 14,000 buildings.
Durres Stonework repairCultural Heritage Center, U.S. Department of State
AFCP responded with $800,000 in grants to support emergency stabilization, conservation analysis, and reconstruction of the ancient fortifications of Krujë, Durrës and Prezë.
This work included stabilization of the partially collapsed clocktower of the 4th and 5th-century Castle of Durrës and implementation of conservation measures to strengthen the bedrock beneath the tower’s foundation.
Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative
The U.S. Department of State’s $10.5 million Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative enhances the capacity of Ukraine to preserve its culture and identity in the face of Putin’s full-scale war— ensuring Ukrainian history will be safeguarded for generations to come.
In Ivankiv, partners from UNESCO and the Ivankiv Museum are assessing, documenting, and conserving paintings by renowned Ukrainian artist Maria Prymachenko, along with other damaged objects in the Museum. These cultural heritage professionals are also creating an inventory of works by Ukrainian women artists in Ukrainian collections and developing an online platform for the presentation of their works to the public.
In Zaporizhzhya, Dnipro, and Kyiv, partners at CyArk and the Ukrainian NGO Archaïc, are digitally documenting endangered cultural heritage collections, including 19th-century Cossack boats and stone stelae from the Yamna culture (3300-2600 BCE). The project includes training in 3D documentation for Ukrainian heritage professionals. The resulting data will reside on OpenHeritage3D.org.
The team at Ukrainian NGO Archaïc document a 19th-century Cossack boat in 3D.
