China: ban on fake historic tourism

The Chinese government has banned the use of "negative historical figures or literary works" to boost tourism, a new decree says.

The Ministry of Culture and the state Administration of Cultural Heritage also said places cannot claim to be the birthplaces or hometowns of characters from fiction or legend, Xinhua, the official government news agency, said. The decree also bans the construction of fake historic buildings.

Source: upi.com; find full article here>>.

Saudi Arabia: International Conference for Urban Heritage in the Islamic Countries

The first International Conference for Urban Heritage in the Islamic Countries, which was held in Riyadh during the period from May 23-28, 2010, has concluded its events with a number of recommendations, which were focused on the importance of preservation of the urban heritage of the Islamic countries and to develop it economically and culturally.

Source: Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities; find full text of report here>>.

England: Transport Museum Planning Permission

R (On the Application of I’m Your Man Ltd.) v North Somerset Council [2004] EWHC 342

Planning permission had been obtained for the erection of a helicopter museum. Some time after it opened it began to increase the number of helicopter flights at the site. M sought judicial review of the planning authority’s decision not to take enforcement action against the museum. The court held that helicopter flights are an incidental purpose to the running of a helicopter museum and therefore covered by the planning permission. However, the planning authority should continue to monitor the number of flights at the site.

Egypt: smuggled ancient artifacts recovered

Egypt's Minister of Culture announced last that the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) stopped in the last hour the sale of two ancient Egyptian objects in London and Holland, in an attempt to save Egypt’s illegally smuggled heritage. He stated that one of the objects is an inscribed relief removed from a wall in the 26th Dynasty tomb of Mutirdis in Asasif on Luxor’s west bank, and was meant to be put on sale Thursday, May 1st at Bonhams, an auction house in London.
The relief om the tomb of Mutirdis appeared in Bonhams’s sale catalogue one week ago. In response, Hawass sent an urgent letter to Chantelle Waddington of Bonhams asking for the sale of the relief to be stopped, as it was stolen and smuggled from Egypt.
In collaboration with Egypt’s ambassador to Holland, a 19th Dynasty green ushabti figure of a woman called Hener was taken out of an auction sale, and will be returned to its homeland. This ushabti figure was stolen from a Saqqara storehouse and is now at the Leiden Museum awaiting its journey back to Egypt after the issuance of Amsterdam’s court verdict.

Source: eTurboNews; find full article here>>.

Spain: 15th Century Spanish Maps Stolen from Madrid now recovered by FBI

The FBI announced the return of two 15th century maps that were stolen from the Spanish National Library in Madrid, Spain, earlier this year. The FBI assisted in the recovery of the maps at the request of the Spanish National Police and Civil Guard. The two maps, from an edition of Ptolemy's Geographia, were recovered by a special agent assigned to the New York FBI's major theft squad and the FBI's Art Crime Team. Director Robert S. Mueller, III, presented the maps today to Joan Mesquida Ferrando, Director General of the Spanish National Police and Civil Guard in a ceremony at FBI Headquarters.

Read full article here.

Egypt demands artifacts returned by world powers

Last week, the Egyptian Foreign Minister’s office sent an official letter to four countries - France, Germany, Great Britain and the United States - demanding the return of famous artifacts for showcase at a temporary exhibition of ancient Egyptian artifacts. The objects, in question, are currently on display in separate museums while in the hands of the said countries.
The antiquities demanded, all well-known, include the Zodiac at the Louvre, Nefertiti’s bust at the Berlin Museum, the statue of the engineer Hem Iunu who built Khufu’s pyramid now in the Roemer & Pelizea Museum in Hildesheim, the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum and the statue of the engineer Ankh Ha If who built the second pyramid on display at the Boston Museum.

Read more here.

China to protect its cultural and natural heritage

The drive to protect its famous monuments and nature reserves continues to get stronger and stronger in China. Following a recent decision to pass its first set of laws against vandalizing the country s legendary Great Wall, China has now stepped up protection of its state-level nature reserves to crack down on activities such as film shooting and unauthorized tourism, according to a new regulation.
Source: eTurboNews.

Ancient Thai city destroyed

Officials in Thailand say three months of flooding have turned the foundations of the ancient city of Wiang Kum Kam into mud. Wiang Kum Kam was originally founded around 1286 by King Meng Rai and became the capital of the Lanna kingdom before flooding forced the ruler to move his capital to Chiang Mai. The city was unearthed in 1984 and was opened in 2004 as a tourist attraction
Further information here.

Languages

A Eurobarometer survey (16000 people in EU interviewed) reveals that English is the most widely-spoken second language in the EU (41%). 53% have a second language. French is second in the league (19%), German (10%) and Spanish (7%). 2001 is European Year of Languages.

(Originally posted by John Downes)

Afghahistan: Statues of Budha Attacked

It has been reported that the Taleban have begun the demolition of two statues of the Budha, the largest rock hewn in the world. The statues date back to 2-5th centuries, when Afghanistan was an important centre of Budhism. The Taleban have condemned the statues as "idols" and an "insult to Islam". They have also begun to destroy statues in the country's museums. UNESCO chief, Koichiro Matsuura, has condemned these as acts of vandalism.

(Originally posted by John Downes)