Initiated in 2014, ASOR’s Cultural Heritage Initiatives is an international collaboration of scholars and institutions who work under the auspices of ASOR. Although the destruction of cultural property represents only part of the humanitarian crisis, these harmful actions threaten our common world heritage and cultural diversity. We have an ethical obligation to respond, and our project is part of an international effort to work with Syrians, Iraqis, and Libyans (and other peoples) to protect their heritage and cultural identity.

ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives:
1. Promotes Global Awareness and Understanding
2. Fosters Education and Stewardship
3. Documents Heritage and Threats
4. Counters and Prevents Illicit Trafficking
5. Plans and Implements Urgent and Post-war Responses
6. Provides and Administers Grants

1. Promotes Global Awareness and Understanding

• Collecting information from news and social media sources
• Communicating with heritage specialists, networks of volunteers, and other organizations in Syria and northern Iraq
• Analyzing satellite imagery to monitor, document, and verify heritage damage
• Synthesizing data generated from the above activities to track the evolving cultural heritage situation in Syria
• Producing a comprehensive inventory of heritage sites and damage that integrates all of the above

2. Fosters Education and Stewardship

• Producing weekly reports that provide timely updates on the status of heritage damage and threats in Syria
• Providing periodic reports that synthesize trends, patterns, and needs within the overall heritage situation
• Sharing our findings and conclusions in public symposia, international conferences, and colloquia
• Communicating with the public through English and Arabic-language social media and news sources
• Coordinating with other organizations that are working to safeguard Syrian heritage

3. Documents Heritage and Threats

• Assessing the major preservation issues affecting cultural heritage
• Designing protocols for rapid documentation of damage and preservation needs that can be implemented in the future
• Developing proposals for future large-scale preservation projects
• Providing resources for high-impact mitigation projects
• Identifying human resource priorities to strengthen future cultural heritage management capacity for Syria

4. Counters and Prevents Illicit Trafficking

• Assessing the major preservation issues affecting cultural heritage
• Designing protocols for rapid documentation of damage and preservation needs that can be implemented in the future
• Developing proposals for future large-scale preservation projects
• Providing resources for high-impact mitigation projects
• Identifying human resource priorities to strengthen future cultural heritage management capacity for Syria

5. Plans and Implements Urgent and Post-war Responses

• Assessing the major preservation issues affecting cultural heritage
• Designing protocols for rapid documentation of damage and preservation needs that can be implemented in the future
• Developing proposals for future large-scale preservation projects
• Providing resources for high-impact mitigation projects
• Identifying human resource priorities to strengthen future cultural heritage management capacity for Syria