The organizers of a symposium on world cultural heritage, held in Hildesheim, Germany 23 February - 1 March 1997 have announced the publication of the proceedings of this symposium, entitled: "World Cultural Heritage: A Global Challenge." The work contains all the presentations and the resolution adopted at this week-long conference.
Seven representative projects from all five continents demonstrate the problems and possible preservation measures of cultural sites under threat. The African contribution is concerned with the preservation of the old city of Islamic Cairo. For the American continent, the archaeologist Walter Alva Alva describes the spectacular excavation of several graves of princes of the Moche culture (c.400 AD) on the pyramid field of Sipan in northern Peru. The Asian project, presented by Prof. Yuan ZhongYi, the Director of the Museum of Qin Shi Huangdi's Terracotta Warriors and Horses, focuses on the excavation work carried out on the tomb of the first emperor of China. The Australian Kakadu National Park with aboriginal rock paintings stands for a joint park management of indigenous and non-indigenous people. Three projects in Europe are represented, including efforts to restore sacred works of art in Dubrovnik, the conservation of frescoes in Arezzo, Italy, and the preservation of Jewish cemeteries in Hannover and Berlin, Germany.
