A nation’s or community’s cultural heritage is reflected in historic places, monuments, works of art, folklore, and more. This treasured legacy must be preserved, protected, and shared.
The need to do so is why nonprofit cultural heritage organizations exist. They serve a wide range of communities, including urban, rural, and regional areas; long-standing and newer immigrant communities.
The Taj Mahal
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Taj Mahal is one of the most well-known examples of Mughal architecture and a national symbol of India. The Taj Mahal consists of a white marble mausoleum that encloses the tomb of Shah Jahan’s third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens. The entire complex is symmetrical and designed to represent both earthly life and the afterlife.
The Taj Mahal is often referred to as a “teardrop on the cheek of time.” Its beauty and love story have captured the hearts of millions of visitors. In the early twentieth century, British viceroy Lord Curzon ordered a massive restoration project to address earlier neglect of the site.
Today, the Taj Mahal continues to draw millions of visitors from around the world each year. It is a treasured cultural heritage of India and a monument of universal love. Nevertheless, like many other popular tourist attractions, the Taj Mahal faces a number of threats.
The Mona Lisa
Cultural heritage can be a source of economic development, attract tourists and contribute to social cohesion. However, it can also be a source of conflict. The destruction of cultural objects, looting and smuggling of artifacts in armed conflicts can fuel tensions and hamper post-conflict national reconciliation.
The Mona Lisa has captivated people through centuries with her mysterious smile and enigmatic presence. While the enigma of her smile has captivated people, some artists have mocked it, including Marcel Duchamp and Salvador Dali. Others have used the painting as a canvas for self-portraits, like the French urban artist known pseudonymously as Invader.
It is believed that the Mona Lisa was commissioned by Francesco del Giocondo for his wife, Lisa Gherardini (also known as La Gioconda and Jocunda). The painting is noted for its resemblance to other renaissance portraits and for Leonardo da Vinci’s use of aerial perspective, which creates a sense of distance in the picture. The painting has also been a subject of varying interpretations and psychoanalytic studies.
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is one of the world’s largest cultural monuments. It was built by various dynasties to deter northern nomads from invading the lands of the southern Chinese. The walls were made of rammed earth and timber, but they were strengthened by subsequent emperors with brick and quarried stone.
During its long history, the Great Wall was also used for immigration and emigration control and taxation controls on trade. Its symbolism of power and determination became an integral part of China’s culture.
The wall is now in a state of deterioration, and UNESCO has called for greater protection of this relic. China’s national administration on cultural heritage and provincial cultural heritage administrations in regions where sections of the Great Wall are located need to work together and develop more effective management procedures. They must also develop better theoretical work, and enhance exchange and cooperation with the international conservation community. The Great Wall has a unique value that can be preserved by taking its holistic heritage preservation into account.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
The pyramids at Giza are among the most famous monuments of ancient Egypt and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Pyramid, built for pharaoh Khufu (2589-2566 BCE), towers at 146 metres (479 feet).
When it was constructed, the Giza pyramid complex also contained the tombs of his wife Hetepheres I and his two sons Khafre and Menkaure. The king was buried in the heart of the pyramid along with his treasures.
It is still not known how the pyramid was built. But the discovery of a workers’ village located at the base of the pyramid has helped to shed some light. It seems that the king’s master builders were of a higher social class and lived in houses at the site while enslaved workmen made up the rest of the workforce.
These men were probably divided into gangs of twenty and could move blocks weighing more than 2.5 tons from quarry to pyramid in about 20 minutes, their path eased by a layer of lubricating wet silt.