More bad news for Sanaa.

\http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/middleeast/yemen/11678151/Yemen-the-U nesco-heritage-slowly-being-destroyed.html

This program about the destruction of artifacts/sites in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan etc is well worth watching if you can see it on BBC4 or worth searching out somewhere else on the Web if you can't (Search for "Civilisation Under Attack". Dan Cruickshank )
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0615mxc

Includes an interview with Anjem Choudary, UK Muslim activist, arguing (as he is perfectly entitled to in UK as long as he doesn't advocate violence against people!!) that what IS are doing destroying "idols" wherever they can is excellent - and how he hopes that they, or their ilk, may be able to take over in Egypt and destroy the Sphinx and the Pyramids too!! See
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/11699241/Dan-Cruickshank-how-can-we-sto p-Isil-destroying-our-cultural-treasures.html

Also includes an interview with another ("moderate"? "progressive"?) UK Muslim scholar who argues (somewhat inconclusively I felt) that, whilst the Koran is adamant about not worshipping "Idols", it is less clear about what to do about destroying things which might have been used as, or could potentially be regarded as "Idols". Apparently (we are told) such views are only expressed in the Hadiths and not the Koran, and many of these are disputed and untrue - he says that this issue requires more debate among Muslims!! Never mind - Mr Cameron has told us all that IS and its actions have "Nothing to do with Islam" so it must be true.
Also includes a speech by Irina Bokova spouting fine thoughts about how the world must unite to preserve cultural artifacts whilst at the same time clearly demonstrating how absolutely powerless she or anyone else is to actually do anything about it other than pass "Resolutions" - which this year's WHC has already been doing!!!

I caught the second half of it, will have to catch the rest on i-Player. Though it seems I missed the rent-a-quote talking heads at the start, so not sure if it will add much.
I was interested in the idea that destruction of artifacts, pushes up the value of those that remain, thus increasing the profits on the vast quantity of treasures in their possession.

If others are interested in this then the book he cowrote, Under Fire from 10 years ago was very interesting, visiting the Iraq Museum after looting and Bamyan after the destruction of the Buddhas. There was a TV documentary to accompany it Raiders of the Lost Art.

Is there anything UNESCO can do? Certainly, UNESCO can be a source of support for Nepal and damage done by natural disasters. Perhaps UNESCO can be a rallying point for heritage in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen after all hostilities are over, but to expect that they can do much in real-time in regards to IS terrorism, Saudi airstrikes, or a civil war in Syria is not something that UNESCO is or ever will be capable of.

Of course not - so why don't they say so instead of passing worthy resolutions which make it appear that they are achieving something and give them a warm feeling! Of course they never will because of the Politics, which comes back to the point made in the program (and by various people on it - including some from US), that we can expect nothing much to change in respect of cultural destruction for a fair number of years - Europe's 30 Years war was cited as a comparison. The program also noted that IS are holding the destruction of Palmyra in reserve as a form of blackmail.

With deference to Meltwaterfalls, I found the "talking heads" of more significance in the program than the contribution of Dan Crucikshank -
On the one hand Ms Bukova - clearly totally impotent - and on the other Mr Choudary expressing opinions about the upcoming destruction of e.g Egyptian sites which are widely held by people with money, power and opportunity and for which there seem no obvious available preventative measures. Especially when currently all we get is "weasel words" from our politicians about this not being about Islam.

I suppose at the moment we can thank goodness for Turkey and Iran who seem at least to be "holding the line" when it comes to holding cultural artifacts in some esteem. As for Egypt - well the treasure trove of that country does seem vulnerable with its army as the main guarantor. many other countries seem to be lost causes and in one phrase I remember from the program "There is no undo button on this!"

And it is not just the major sites which are being destroyed - Tunisia has been in the news recently unfortunately - in one report a Tunisian pointed out the low level destruction of some 40 tombs of "saints" in that country in recent months - what price for the future safety of its WHS?

This is what is happening at the Palmrya WHS recently and just now being published during the 39th World Heritage Convention.

http://aranews.net/2015/07/islamic-state-broadcasts-execution-of-syrian-soldiers-in-p almyra/