The US Department of State is making it easier for people to explore cultural heritage sites from around the world thanks to a partnership with Google Arts & Culture. Announced as part of World Heritage Day, the dedicated section will let people virtually explore heritage sites from 1,100 Ambassadors Fund projects in over 130 countries around the world.
"Cultural heritage sites, objects, and traditions are a point of pride for people the world over, but they also require care and vigilance," wrote the US Department of State's Lee Satterfield. "That’s why the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center works with governments and organizations to preserve and protect cultural heritage from both natural and man-made threats through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP)."
This #worldheritageday, @heritageatstate has partnered with @googlearts to share our work protecting and preserving #culturalheritage in 130+ countries. #AFCPhttps://t.co/4vJWGdrIrP@ECAatState@ECA_AS@WorldMonuments
— Heritage at State (@HeritageAtState) April 18, 2022
Some of the sites on display include the Wat Chaiwatthanaram at Ayutthaya in Thailand, the al-Imam al-Shafi’i Mausoleum in Egypt and the Ancient Nabataean Flash Flood Protection System at Petra. All told, the Cultural Heritage Center added over 100 new images of sites. Along with those, there's a story about cultural heritage preservation, complete with video and images, created by the US Department of State's Cultural Heritage Center.
The Cultural Heritage Center promised to update the site with future stories down the road. And since the biggest threat to heritage sites is climate change, it also pointed folks to Google Arts & Culture's Heritage on the Edge project.