Scotland-based team will receive over £300K in funds for Kurdistan Region conservation project

The team from the University of Glasgow will document and monitor the damage in the Kurdistan Region’s Garmian area, using satellite and aerial technology, before submitting their recommendations on how to preserve the site.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A team of experts from Scotland who are leading a heritage project in the Kurdistan Region to preserve archaeological sites up to 10,000 years old is set to receive over £300,000 from a United Kingdom Government fund.

A team from the University of Glasgow, who is leading one of nine projects in the Middle East and North Africa, will receive £301,178 in financial backing from the Cultural Protection Fund, UK ministers said according to a report by GlasgowLive last week.

The projects, which in total will receive over £3 million pounds, are meant for the conservation of international cultural heritage sites which have been affected by the conflict in the countries in those regions.

The team from the University of Glasgow will document and monitor the damage in the Kurdistan Region’s Garmian area, using satellite and aerial technology, before submitting their recommendations on how to preserve the site, GlasgowLive said.

Garmian and its surrounding areas are home to historical artifacts from Mesopotamian civilizations which were damaged during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war as well as an earthquake in the region in November 2017.

While announcing the funding for the project, UK Heritage Minister Michael Ellis said the historic sites “tell the story of human history.”

“Their protection is therefore not only important to Kurdistan but to all of mankind,” he added.

“Tragically we have seen some of the world’s greatest cultural treasures destroyed in recent years. It is important, and right, that we share our expertise and support communities around the world to help preserve art, culture, and heritage of global significance.”

The UK Government and the British Council founded the Cultural Protection Fund in 2016. It has provided £30 million in financial support and has backed over 40 projects.