The Protection of Cultural Heritage Must Be a Collaborative Effort

The organization that I founded, The Antiquities Coalition—and we emphasize the Coalition aspect of our name in bringing together a broad range of interests—was created to develop and help implement practical, viable solutions to cultural heritage preservation on a global basis. We work closely with governments, law enforcement, counter-terrorism experts, international institutions, and, of course, archaeologists, to build the necessary support to create tangible solutions.

The Antiquities Coalition (AC) works with governments around the globe to fight against cultural racketeering—the trade in illicit antiquities by organized crime and terrorists. An important part of this effort has been to repatriate seized items, and, along with our partners, to provide resources and training to the countries of origin to help stop the trafficking of looted and stolen artifacts.

Our first country of focus was Egypt after the 2011 Revolution when I was invited by the government to lead a delegation to discuss how we could help support Egypt during its time of need. Our emphasis was on developing concrete and practical solutions for policy makers that are based on economic, cultural, and political realities. And raising awareness has created real results. Inspired by a story about our work in the New York Times, the AC assisted in the return of a collection of 26th dynasty ushabtis to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities from a private collection. We do believe that repatriations are an important component of a heritage protection plan. Yet at the same time, law enforcement should go beyond a policy to “seize and send” and actively pursue indictments and arrests to create an adequate deterrent to the use of this trafficking to fund crime, conflict and even terrorism (Fig. 1).

In the Middle East, especially since the Arab Spring, culture is increasingly being used as a weapon of war and a fundraising tool for violent extremist organizations and organized criminals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Millions of archeological, historic, and religious sites in this region are threatened by organized plunder or destruction by terrorist organizations such as Daesh, the Al Nusrah Front, and other Al Qaeda affiliates. The sheer number of sites at risk provides a consistent source of revenue and propaganda for the foreseeable future. Not since the Nazis has the world seen such calculated and widespread attacks on heritage, which are an inseparable part of broader attacks against ethnic and religious minorities.

Fig 1.

Ambassador Mohammad Tawfik examines artifacts being returned to Egypt at a repatriation ceremony.

(Photo courtesy of the Antiquities Coalition.)

Nowhere has heritage suffered more than in Syria and Iraq. The list of destruction is long: Palmyra, Mosul, Nineveh, and hundreds of others from throughout millennia of history, cultures, and religions, including sacred sites meaningful to the foundations of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Priceless treasures from these sites have been stolen, unceremoniously ripped from the ground, losing all sense of history and context, perhaps never to be seen again.

Other countries have been targets of extremists’ destruction, however, including Tunisia, where Daesh attacked the Bardo Museum—killing 21 foreign tourists and injuring many more. In Mali, Yemen, and Libya, historic libraries have been raided, artifacts pillaged, and ancient structures razed, along with Shiite and Sufi places of worship. Extremists both inside and outside of Egypt have declared the Great Pyramids in Egypt to be a primary target, and have made several attempts to attack them, as well as the heritage sites in Luxor.

Given the level of destruction and the massive looting taking place in the Middle East and Northern Africa, these artifacts would inevitably begin to find their way to the United States—the largest art market in the world—as well as to the European Union. This potential influx of illicit heritage has raised questions about the role of the United States and Europe as a “safe harbor” for antiquities. Our view is that the long term solution lies, instead, in blocking access to “demand” country markets, while working with local governments to help strengthen their own laws, protections, as well as raising awareness...