Turquoise Mountain exhibition at the Sackler Museum, Washington DC, 2016-17 focused on the craftswomen and men who are preserving the ancient skills to restore and maintain valued sites in Old Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan.

The tragedy of the devastating fire at Nôtre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is that it reminds us how fragile the world’s antiquities and beloved landmarks are—victims of deterioration, carelessness, war, trafficking and malefaction.

Buddhas of Bamiyan destroyed by the Taliban Courtesy of Save Antiquities.org

Our next article surveys the damage: from the sandstone of Petra to the destroyed Bamiyan Buddhas, the destruction of Old Kabul and Aleppo, to the “looting to order” of World Heritage sites – and those who work to shield, protect, and even reproduce what has been lost.