CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VI (1) Contemporary-Eurasia-VI-1-engl | Page 72

SUBRAMANIAN KRISHNAN MANI
continuity of material over time, and that the aesthetics of old
structures was to be found in their age 14 .
Against the prevailing trends of Gothic Revival and energetic
church restoration undertaken, especially by the parishes and defended
by restoration architects such as George Gilbert Scott as befitting
places of worship in the mid-nineteenth century younger architects,
antiquarians, and preservationists, usually members of the SPAB,
began to militantly assert that the worth of old buildings and structures
lay in their age and beauty. Some architects, such as John James
Stevenson emphasized that an important purpose for engaging with
old buildings was antiquarian research and that churches, for example,
were merely records of history 15 . So steady was the growth in
influence of the preservation movement that by the end of the
nineteenth century opposition to restoration or any attempt to ‘de-
historicize’ ancient buildings had become the most prevailing trend in
thinking about built heritage.
Why protect monuments – a cultural property? Case study
Monuments as cultural property have unfortunately played a part in
conflict throughout history. Some notable examples include the 2001
destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statutes 16 by the Taliban, which
dated back to the pre-Islamic era of Afghanistan. The Taliban, despite
international pleas to stop their atrocious behavior, stated that while
they were part of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan they contradicted
Miele Ch., “Conservation and the Enemies of Progress?” In William Morris,
Building Conservation and the Arts and Crafts Cult of Authenticity 1877–1939,
edited by Miele Ch. Yale University Press, New Haven, 2005, pp. 1-29.
15
Davies Reginald W. J., “The Preservation of Ancient Monuments”, Royal Institute
of British Architects (RIBA), 1913, unpublished manuscript.
16
It should be noted that the statues were “inscribed” on to the “List of World
Heritage in Danger” by UNESCO in 2003. Once a country signs the Convention,
and has sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, the resulting prestige often
helps raise awareness among citizens and governments for heritage preservation.
Greater awareness leads to a general rise in the level of the protection and
conservation given to heritage properties. A country may also receive financial
assistance and expert advice from the World Heritage Committee to support
activities for the preservation of its sites. More information on the Bamiyan
Buddhas and UNESCO can be accessed at: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/208
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