ancient

This picturesque island off of the coast of Northern Ireland stands out for its unique charm and natural beauty, as it sits completely isolated from the rest of the UK

Tucked away and untouched by mass tourism, this remote island provides the perfect retreat for anyone wanting to reconnect with nature and breathe in the crisp coastal air.

Rathlin Island boasts an incredible array of wildlife, making it an idyllic destination in Northern Ireland for birdwatching and walking, with a tranquillity that only a community of just 150 residents could provide. And yet, they share their home with tens of thousands of seabirds.

The Rathlin Seabird Centre provides a magnificent vantage point to watch the delightful antics of puffins, razorbills and kittiwakes in their natural surroundings. Additionally, seals are frequently spotted basking on the rocks, whilst Irish hares and mink can be seen wandering across the terrain.

One visitor shared their experience on TripAdvisor, saying: “The beautiful and peaceful place. Very little tourism, but it’s not needed; everything is basic, normal everyday life. It’s so simple just to walk the island.

“We have done this on several occasions and walk to each lighthouse. I recommend getting the bus to the bird sanctuary, as it’s quite a walk and very hilly. The scenery is like you will never have seen before.”, reports Belfast Live.

Thanks to the distinctive shape of this small island, it features three stunning lighthouses, each with its own character. Next to the seabird centre stands the West Lighthouse, renowned for being Ireland’s only upside-down lighthouse and an essential stop on any visit.

The East Lighthouse, Rathlin’s oldest, stands tall on the edge of a cave that is steeped in history. It’s said that this very cave was the refuge of Robert the Bruce in 1306 after his defeat in Scotland.

Legend tells us that while hiding away, he found inspiration from a spider to continue his fight for Scottish independence. This tale has forever linked him with the island, and many visitors come to pay their respects at the cave, gazing out towards Scotland from Rathlin.

One satisfied visitor said: “The scenery is mind-blowing, and taking the bus up to the lighthouse and bird sanctuary was fantastic. So much to see, and not just puffins. Lots of other nesting birds, plus the old upside-down lighthouse. Just very cool.”

Another tourist wrote: “A perfect day on an idyllic and unspoilt island. From start to finish… from the scenic crossing to the cold drink at McCuaig’s bar overlooking the swimmers and paddle boarders in Church Bay (at the end of a long walk on a sunny day), Rathlin has everything you could desire.”

However, the only way to reach Rathlin Island is by ferry from Ballycastle Harbour. You have two options: a passenger-only ferry that takes about 25-30 minutes, or a larger ferry that accommodates both people and cars, which takes up to 45 minutes.

The 16th-century monks of Évora knew life was short. As if to ram home the point, they decorated an entire chapel with bones dug up from the town’s overflowing cemeteries. The sign outside the Chapel of Bones roughly translates as “We bones in here wait for yours to join us”. Cheerful lot, those monks. Columns, walls, arches – all are covered in skulls, tibias, fibulas, clavicles. Rapt, I can’t stop staring, then start to chuckle when I see skulls curving round frilly frescoes of cherubim on vaulted ceilings, a whimsical touch of chintz among the ghoulishness.

Évora has me in its grip even before I come to the Chapel of Bones. This former royal city of Portuguese kings and capital of the Alentejo region has so many architectural and cultural treasures wedged within its historical centre that it’s often referred to as a living museum. But in a museum, you generally have to keep your voice down: here in Évora, there’s the buzz you get with 11,000 university students roaming round a Unesco world heritage site old town that’s encased within medieval walls.

I feel a pang of envy when I visit the 16th-century College of the Holy Spirit within the University of Évora, which is open to the public willing to pay €3 and take pot luck as to which of the ridiculously beautiful classrooms are free at that moment. My guide, Andre Birken, came to Évora from Germany as an Erasmus student years ago and decided to stay. Chilly northern Germany or laid-back southern Portugal, where even in late October it’s still 23C? Bit of a no-brainer, he tells me. He shows me classrooms decorated in the azulejo tiles for which Portugal is renowned, and where, if the lecture gets dull, you can lose yourself in bucolic blue-and-white scenes.

The ancient Romans, rather than the Greeks, left their mark on Évora in a more monumental style, including an enormous aqueduct that’s one of the first things visitors see as they approach the city. Rising in the centre of the old town are the 14 graceful Corinthian columns of the Roman temple built for emperor Augustus around the 1st century AD (and not, as is commonly assumed, dedicated to the goddess Diana). Surrounding it are buildings that typify most of the architecture here – low-slung, whitewashed, trimmed in ochre and usually sporting wrought-iron balconies. One of them is my hotel, a 15th-century former convent turned into the Pousada del Convento Évora. Every cobbled lane in the old town has this same style of architecture, and I find its uniformity immensely pleasing and harmonious – the white reflecting the sun, the mustardy ochre reminding me of the landscapes of the Alentejo around me, whose brownness is dotted with olive groves and cork forests.

And vineyards, of course, all of them blazing with autumnal colours. Alentejo is one of Portugal’s major wine regions, and its subregion of Baixo Alentejo will be 2026’s European Wine City. About 10 minutes’ drive from Évora is Fitapreta Winery, the brainchild of the innovative Portuguese winemaker António Maçanita and the British viticulturist David Booth. In 2015, Maçanita bought an old fortified manor house that had been in the same family since the 14th century, resurrecting ancient grape varieties, planting new vineyards and sticking to organic production. It’s an idyllic spot for a leisurely wine-tasting, followed by an even more leisurely lunch.

Within the modern winery (its facade clad in cork in a nod to Portugal’s millions of cork forests), André Alves leads me through a tasting of five of the winery’s 22 varieties – all indigenous. A deliciously bone-dry rosé (amusingly named Freshly Squeezed), a fresh-tasting orange-type wine that technically wasn’t an orange wine (A Laranja Mecânica) and the very elegant red Enxarrama all made me wish I had room to stash these in my luggage.

This is only the preamble. Sommelier Francisco Cunha of the winery’s A Cozinha do Paço restaurant then guides me into the part of the manor house that was originally the chapel, and whose galleried upper floor is one of the many atmospheric spots where they serve a seven-course lunch that deserves some serious Michelin attention. Braised fennel and a gorgeous sheep’s milk cheese sauce with turbot, and the famed black pig of the Alentejo paired with a cauliflower cream quenelle were exquisite.

In fact, excellent food is a given in Alentejo. At Enoteca Cartuxa near the Roman temple, they serve their own wines to go with plates of thin buttery slices of cured black pig and chorizo; not to mention the sublime Monte da Vinha sheep’s milk cheese that’s as gooey and as good as an Époisses. The venerable Restaurante Fialho comes out with classic Alentejo dishes done expertly: pigs’ cheeks braised in red wine melt in the mouth, and pork and clams unite in a piquant red peppery stew.

Évora’s food and wine alone make it a worthy holder of the 2027 European Capital of Culture title, even without its architectural marvels. Then again, Évora Cathedral is magnificent, with a typical mishmash of architectural styles, from romanesque and gothic to Renaissance and baroque. From here, it’s almost a rite of passage to walk down the narrow pedestrianised Rua Cinco de Outubro and its souvenir and craft shops wedged into white and yellow houses. Yes, it’s touristy, but delightful nonetheless, with cork handbags and ceramics actually made in Portugal.

This takes me to Évora’s historical heart, Praça do Giraldo, an expansive square filled with cafe terraces, arcaded shops, more of those lovely wrought-iron balconies and a huge 16th-century marble fountain that instantly grabs your attention. This is the spot for lazy and mild autumn mornings with a coffee and a pastel de nata custard tart or a cheesy tart called queijada de Évora, before heading off in search of more of the town’s oddities.

One in particular catches my eye: the row of very cute houses built under the 16th-century aqueduct Água de Prata, in the north-western part of the old town. I need more time here, yet I end up following the tourist trail out of Évora for a morning in the hilltop village of Monsaraz, right by the Spanish border. Here, in this all-white village, where craft boutiques and wine shops attract the tourists, it feels less real, more toytown. It’s all very pretty, and I even get a closer look at the beaches of Alqueva, western Europe’s largest artificial lake, just outside the village.

But I was missing Évora, which manages to hold on to its mellowness despite the growing number of tourists. I recall a chat with my guide, Andre, who mentioned the number of people who take day trips from Lisbon (only 90-odd minutes away) and tour groups who stop for a night or two. But they need four, five days, maybe a week, he says, to get the most out of it. I’m inclined to agree, as these too-short days fly by and I don’t get round to following the nature trails out of the town, or visiting all of the museums, or having another lazy coffee and eating a pastel de nata in the sunshine. Those monks were right: life really is too short.

The trip was provided by Kirker Holidays, which has three-night breaks at Pousada Convento Évora in November from £819pp, including breakfast, car hire and flights, although rail options are also available. Further information: visitalentejo.pt

Two halls are dedicated to the 5,000 artefacts from the collection of King Tutankhamun.

Cairo is set to open the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum that Egypt hopes will celebrate the nation’s heritage and also revitalise its struggling economy and tourism sector.

According to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, world leaders – including monarchs, and heads of state and government – were expected to attend the grand opening ceremony in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Saturday.

It described the museum opening as “an exceptional event in the history of human culture and civilisation”.

Massive statues and historical artefacts from the country’s ancient civilisation will be on display across the 24,000 square metres (258,000 square feet) of permanent exhibition space. Two decades in the making, the museum is located near the Giza Pyramids on the edge of Cairo.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi wrote on social media that the museum will bring “together the genius of ancient Egyptians and the creativity of modern Egyptians, enhancing the world culture and art with a new landmark that will attract all those who cherish civilisation and knowledge”.

The museum is one of several megaprojects championed by el-Sisi since he took office in 2014, embarking on massive investments in infrastructure with the aim of reviving an economy weakened by decades of stagnation and battered by the unrest that followed the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.

Preparations for the grand reveal have been shrouded in secrecy. Security around Cairo has been tightened ahead of the opening ceremony, with the government announcing that Saturday would be a public holiday. The museum, which has been open for limited visits over the past few years, was closed for the final two-week preparations.

The government has revamped the area around the museum and the nearby Giza Plateau that holds the pyramids and the Sphinx. Roads were paved and a metro station is being constructed outside the museum gates to improve access. An airport, Sphinx International Airport, has also opened west of Cairo, 40 minutes from the museum.

The $1bn facility had faced multiple delays, with construction beginning in 2005 but interrupted due to political instability.

From the atrium, a grand six-storey staircase lined with ancient statues leads up to the main galleries and a view of the nearby pyramids. A bridge links the museum to the pyramids, allowing tourists to move between them either on foot or via electric vehicles, according to museum officials.

The museum’s 12 main galleries, which opened last year, exhibit antiquities spanning from prehistoric times to the Roman era, organised by era and themes.

Two halls are dedicated to the 5,000 artefacts from the collection of King Tutankhamun, which will be displayed in its entirety for the first time since British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered King Tut’s tomb in 1922 in the southern city of Luxor.

The government hopes the museum will draw more tourists who will stay for a while and provide the foreign currency needed to shore up Egypt’s battered economy.

A record number of about 15.7 million tourists visited Egypt in 2024, contributing about 8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to official figures. Egypt, which has needed repeated bailouts to stabilise its economy, uses the foreign currency it collects from tourism to pay for crucial imports such as fuel and wheat.

The government aims to attract 30 million visitors annually by 2032. The museum will be open to the public starting from Tuesday, authorities said.

MEXICO CITY — Jasmín Ordóñez looks out from a wooden boat at the water as she crosses a narrow channel that connects a labyrinth of chinampas, island farms that were built by the Aztecs thousands of years ago.

“Let’s close our eyes and ask our Mother Water for permission to sail in peace,” she said as the boat moves slowly, in contrast to the frenetic traffic of Mexico City just a few miles away.

Ordóñez owns one of these island farms, first created with mud from the bottom of the lakes that once covered this area. When the boat arrives at her island, she proudly shows the corn and leafy greens she grows. Her ancestors owned chinampas, but she had to buy this one because women traditionally haven’t inherited them.

“My grandmother didn’t get any land. Back then, most was left in the hands of men,” she said. At her side, Cassandra Garduño listens attentively. She also didn’t inherit the family chinampa.

Today both are part of a small but growing group of women who have bought chinampas to cultivate sustainably in an effort to preserve an ecosystem that is increasingly threatened by urban development, mass tourism and water pollution.

Making their way in an area still dominated by men hasn’t been easy. In the chinampas of the boroughs of Xochimilco and San Gregorio Atlapulco, hardly any women work the land.

“People believe that men are the [only] ones who have the physical abilities to work them,” said Garduño. The mud stains her pale pink shirt, matching her boots. She knows her outfit gets funny looks from longtime male chinampa workers, but instead of getting upset, she finds it amusing.

After years away, she returned to San Gregorio in 2021 to dedicate herself to chinampa farming. She had gone to college and then spent long periods in Ecuador working in conservation efforts to protect manta rays and sharks. Then one day she came back to San Gregorio and was struck by the degradation of her own land: the lower water levels of the canals, the increasing pollution, the abandoned chinampas.

“That’s where I started to realize: ‘You are part of this space. And part of your responsibility is to safeguard it,’” she said.

After saving up for a year, she bought a chinampa — and was shocked to find it in such a bad state. A cleanup found pieces of armchairs, televisions and beer bottles. She worked to reopen canals that had been crammed with garbage and began planting crops. The distrust among the neighbors was palpable.

“They said: ‘Let’s see, this girl has never been down to this place, nobody knows her. And she’s already doing what she wants,’” she recalled.

But she knew much more than they thought. Garduño had learned a lot as a little girl who ran around her grandfather’s chinampa — “a paradise” of flowers. She learned that the mud from the bottom of the canals is the best fertilizer because it contains the mineral-rich ashes from the volcanoes surrounding Mexico City. She learned that planting a variety of crops keeps frost from destroying one entire crop and that the flowers attract insects, so they don’t eat the cabbage or kale.

Sharing the knowledge

“Chinampas can have up to eight rotations per year, whereas in other systems you might have two or three,” Garduño explained.

That’s why the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognized chinampas as one of the most productive agricultural systems on the planet. Today, her field is a melting pot of colors: the pale green of broccoli to the vivid yellow of marigolds.

Since 2016, she has been collaborating with Mexico’s National Autonomous University, advising other farmers who want to stop using agricultural chemicals and recover these traditional practices which also help preserve the ecosystem. Kneeling next to a planting bed, Garduño suggests elevating it so it won’t flood when it rains. Ordóñez takes note.

She bought this chinampa three years ago and is now seeking to obtain the “Etiqueta Chinampera,” the sustainability tag granted by the university to producers who, among other things, use mud as fertilizer instead of chemicals. With this label, their products can fetch higher prices.

Sixteen farmers have obtained the label so far, four of them women, said Diana Laura Vázquez Mendoza, of the university’s Institute of Biology, adding that the project encourages women to “take back their chinampas and produce.”

Cleaning the canals

In the chinampas supported by the university, filters made from aquatic plants are installed to clean the water and prevent the passage of carp and tilapia. Introduced in Xochimilco in the 1980s, these invasive species became predators of the most distinguished inhabitants of this ecosystem: Mexico’s salamander-like axolotl. Today, this amphibian is on the verge of extinction because of these invasive species and a combination of factors polluting the canals: the discharge of sewage from urban growth, mass tourism and agricultural chemicals in many chinampas.

“Chinampas are an artificial agro-ecosystem that was created to supply food in pre-Hispanic times to the entire population. And that endures to this day,” Mendoza said. “So the way to conserve Xochimilco is to also conserve the chinampa.”

But a walk through the area on any given Sunday makes it clear that fewer chinampas are dedicated to agriculture. Every weekend, hundreds of people come here to play soccer on chinampas converted into fields or to drink aboard the brightly painted boats known as “trajineras.” The impact of this transformation to the wetland is evident: contaminants have been found there, from heavy metals such as iron, cadmium and lead to oils, detergents and pesticides, according to a study by biologist Luis Bojórquez Castro, of the Autonomous Metropolitan University.

Most come from the treatment plants that discharge their water in Xochimilco and from the chinampas that use agrochemicals, according to Castro’s study.

Preserving what’s left of the past

“Look at the clarity of the water,” said Ordóñez as she reaches into the canal where she has installed her biofilter. She knows that taking care of the water is essential to preserving this ecosystem. This wetland is the last remnant of what was once the great Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire built on the lakes that once filled the Valley of Mexico. Although today what remains of Xochimilco represents only 3% of the original extent of those lakes, it’s still key to the stability of the city. If it were to disappear, the average temperature of the capital could rise by up to 3.6 degrees, according to biologist Luis Zambrano.

Xochimilco and San Gregorio also reduce flooding during the rainy season, provide a natural carbon dioxide reservoir and are home to hundreds of species, such as herons and the Tlaloc frog. “Look at the red-headed birds in the lagoon!” exclaimed Garduño, driving home at dusk along a dirt road after a long day at her chinampa.

For her, this is still the paradise she roamed with her grandfather. She’s convinced that women are needed to preserve chinampas and hopes that within 10 years, many more will own and take care of them.

“From the shared labor of women and men, we can do what we all want, which is conserve what we have left for as long as possible,” she said.

De Miguel writes for the Associated Press. This article is a collaboration between AP and Mongabay.

MEXICO CITY — Amid the constant blare of car horns in southern Mexico City, it’s hard to imagine that Cuicuilco was once the heart of a thriving ancient civilization. Yet atop its circular pyramid, now surrounded by buildings and a shopping center, a pre-Hispanic fire god was revered.

“This is incredible,” said Evangelina Báez, who spent a recent morning at Cuicuilco with her daughters. “In the midst of so much urbanization, there’s still this haven of peace.”

Her visit was part of a monthly tour program crafted by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, known by its Spanish initials as INAH.

Aside from overseeing Mexico’s archaeological sites and museums, the institute safeguards the country’s cultural heritage, including restoring damaged monuments and artworks as well as reviewing construction projects to ensure they don’t harm archaeological remains.

Its historians and archaeologists also lead excursions like the one in Cuicuilco. Each academic expert picks a location, proposes a walking itinerary to the INAH and, once approved, it’s offered to the public for about 260 pesos ($15).

“I joined these tours with the intention of sharing our living heritage,” said archaeologist Denisse Gómez after greeting guests in Cuicuilco. “Our content is always up to date.”

According to Mónica de Alba, who oversees the tours, the INAH excursions date to 1957, when an archaeologist decided to share the institute’s research with colleagues and students.

“People are beginning to realize how much the city has to offer,” said De Alba, explaining that the INAH offers around 130 tours per year in downtown Mexico City alone. “There are even travel agents who pretend to be participants to copy our routes.”

María Luisa Maya, 77, often joins these tours as a solo visitor. Her favorite so far was one to an archaeological site in Guerrero, a southern Mexican state along the Pacific coast.

“I’ve been doing this for about eight years,” she said. “But that’s nothing. I’ve met people who have come for 20 or 25.”

Traces of a lost city

Cuicuilco means “the place where songs and dances are made” in the Nahua language.

Still, the precise name of its people is unknown, given that the city’s splendor dates back to the pre-Classic era from 400 to 200 B.C. and few clues are left to dig deeper into its history.

“The Nahuas gave them that name, which reveals that this area was never forgotten,” said archaeologist Pablo Martínez, who co-led the visit with Gómez. “It was always remembered, and even after its decline, the Teotihuacan people came here to make offerings.”

The archaeological site is a quiet corner nestled between two of Mexico City’s busiest avenues. Yet according to Martínez, the settlements went far beyond the vicinity and Cuicuilco’s population reached 40,000.

“What we see today is just a small part of the city,” he said. “Merely its pyramidal base.”

Now covered in grass and resembling a truncated cone, the pyramid was used for ritual purposes. The details of the ceremonies are unknown, but female figurines preserved at the site’s museum suggest that offerings were related to fertility.

“We think they offered perishable objects such as corn, flowers and seeds,” Gómez said. “They were feeding the gods.”

Echoes of living heritage

According to official records, Mexico’s most visited archaeological sites are Teotihuacán and Chichén Itzá. The first is a pre-Aztec city northeast of the capital known for its monumental Sun and Moon pyramids. The latter is a major Mayan site in the Southeast famed for its 12th-century Temple of Kukulkán.

The INAH oversees both. But its tours focus on shedding light on Mexico’s hidden gems.

During an excursion preceding Cuicuilco’s, visitors walked through a neighborhood in Ecatepec, on the outskirts of Mexico City, where open-air markets, street food and religious festivals keep local traditions alive. A few days prior, another tour focused on La Merced market, where flowers, prayers and music filled the aisles during the feast of Our Lady of Mercy.

October’s schedule takes into account Day of the Dead traditions. But tours will feature a variety of places like Xochimilco, where visitors can take a moonlit boat tour through its canals and chinampas, and Templo Mayor, the Aztec empire’s main religious and social center in ancient Tenochtitlán.

“These tours allow the general public to get closer to societies that are distant in time and space,” said historian Jesús López del Río, who will lead an upcoming tour on human sacrifices to deities in Mesoamérica.

“Approaching the pre-Hispanic past is not only about how the Maya used zero in their calculations or how the Mexica built a city on a lake,” he added. “It’s about understanding how those societies worked — their way of seeing and relating to the world.”

Hernández writes for the Associated Press.

AN ANCIENT Roman ship downed by a storm has been found centuries later at a holiday hotspot – and there’s even treasure on board.

The 2,000-year-old discovery was made mere metres from a popular beachfront – and baffled researchers claim the ship is still in great condition.

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The archaeological sensation was unearthed along the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia this month, almost two millennia after it sunk.

Its timbers even “look like they were just carved”, according to the gobsmacked research team.

Divers suspected there might be a wreck at the Roman port of Barbir after discovering an antique plank with a metal nail in 2020.

Five years later, the entire 42-foot vessel has now been revealed, along with a haul of ancient coins.

One of them even included the ancient Roman emperor, Trajan.

The incredible shipwreck lies in the village of Sukošan just a few miles south of Zadar, one of Croatia’s biggest tourist destinations.

The International Centre for Underwater Archaeology, which led the excavation, said the ship was likely lost in a storm.

Director Mladen Pešić said: “As the evidence shows us, the ship was docked in the harbour.

“It was found just in front of the pier, so we suppose that due to the bad weather the ropes could be broken and the ship might have hit the shore.”

He added: “Broken stern elements give us evidence of this, since this beam that belongs to the keel was split like it hit a hard surface.

“The ship was probably in such bad condition that the owners decided to leave it on the bottom of the harbour.”

Radiocarbon analysis dates the ship to the first or second century AD – roughly the period of Trajan’s reign.

And though the ship was damaged enough to sink, it is in surprisingly good condition for its age.

Dr Pešić said: “The preserved ship was almost 13 meters in length and 3.5m in width.

“Many different elements were preserved – keel, planks, frames, ceilings, and many elements of the ship’s upper construction.”

He continued: “It is quite well preserved; some of the planks and frames look like they were just carved.”

The construction of the vessel suggests it was built to carry heavy loads over medium-to-long distances.

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And the artefacts found on board point to the same conclusion.

Dr Pešić said there were many shards of “pottery, glass, and other archaeological material” that could be connected with ship and the port.

“Most interesting are two complete jugs that were part of the ship’s equipment,” he explained.

“As we found many olive pits on it, we suppose that at the moment of sinking, the ship was transporting olives for further processing or for sale.”

The ship will now be preserved in-situ, being covered with a protective geotextile membrane and reburied in the sand.

But a recreation of the ship is planned for public display.

Dr Pešić said: “The plan is to make a 1:10 scale reconstruction of the existing ship construction in order to make a predictive model of ship how it looked in Roman times.”

Excavation of the ship was the work of a multinational team, including experts from Croatia, France, Poland, Germany, and the UK.

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In the narrow alleys of Old Mosul, once the proud heart of Iraq’s shoemaking industry, the workshops are coming alive again.

After years of conflict and destruction, artisans like 58-year-old Saad Abdul Aal are reviving a tradition that dates back more than 1,000 years.

Shoemaking in Iraq, known as al-qandarjiya, flourished during the Abbasid Caliphate, when Baghdad was a global hub of trade and culture.

Generations of families devoted their lives to transforming rawhide into durable footwear, their skills handed down from master to apprentice.

Before the war, the capital city of Baghdad had more than 250 factories, while Mosul boasted over 50. Iraqi-made shoes were prized for their elegance and resilience – a symbol of national pride.

“Our work began more than 40 years ago,” says Abdul Aal, his hands quick and steady as he trims a piece of leather. “I learned the profession, fell in love with it, and never left it.”

That proud tradition nearly disappeared in 2014, when ISIL (ISIS) seized Mosul. Workshops and factories were bombed, looted, or abandoned.

Abdul Aal lost everything – his equipment, his shop, his workers. “Bombings, destruction,” he recalls. “There was no money even to consider starting again.”

By the end of the war, Mosul’s 50 factories had dwindled to fewer than 10. Thousands of shoemakers were left unemployed, their skills at risk of vanishing.

The turning point came with the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM’s) Enterprise Development Fund-Tameer, which provided grants and training to displaced entrepreneurs and returnees.

For Abdul Aal, this was an opportunity to buy sewing and pressing machines, reopen his workshop, and hire staff.

“It’s not easy, but little by little we are moving forward,” he says.

Today, Abdul Aal produces about four pairs of shoes a day – fewer than before, but enough to keep his business alive. Competition from cheap imports is fierce, but he insists Iraqi craftsmanship still has an edge.

“Our shoes are genuine leather; they last. Imported shoes may appear visually appealing, but they lack quality.

“In contrast, the shoes produced in my factory are visually similar to imported shoes but offer superior quality.

“That is what makes us proud.”

THE real ‘Da Vinci Code’ is close to finally being solved after a major scientific breakthrough.

Experts are racing to crack the mystery of DNA, death and burial tied to legendary artist, scientist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci.

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The world was captivated by 2003 novel and 2006 movie The Da Dinvci Code.

It saw Tom Hanks playing a professor looking to uncover a religious mystery around the Holy Grail with clues hidden in Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting The Last Supper.

But the real Da Vinci Code that scientists are trying to solve involves mapping out the artist’s genome.

That’s the entire collection of DNA in da Vinci’s body – all of the genetic instructions needed to make and maintain him.

Now scientists say that they’ve confirmed a male bloodline that they can date all the way back to 1331.

This family tree spans 21 generations and involves as many as 400 individuals.

And they’ve found at least six descendants who, after DNA testing, can be traced directly to Leonardo da Vinci, who was born in 1452 in Anchiano, Vinci, Florence and died in 1519.

As part of the research, the scientists have also confirmed the existence of a da Vinci family tomb, in the Church of Santa Croce in Vinci.

The experts think this may be where several of Leonardo da Vinci’s family members are buried.

That includes his grandfather Antonio, uncle Francesco, and half-brothers Antonio, Pandolfo, and Giovanni.

“Further detailed analyses are necessary to determine whether the DNA extracted is sufficiently preserved,” said David Caramelli, of the University of Florence.

“Based on the results, we can proceed with analysis of Y chromosome fragments for comparison with current descendants.”

Now scientists hope to analyse the remains in the Vinci church tombs to find a match with the Y chromosome of the living descendants.

And scientists are also hoping to look for traces left on his original works.

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This could allow scientists to fully reconstruct da Vinci’s DNA.

“Our goal in reconstructing the Da Vinci family’s lineage up to the present day,” said Alessandro Vezzosi, of the Leonardo da Vinci Heritage Association.

“While also preserving and valuing the places connected to Leonardo, is to enable scientific research on his DNA.

“Through the recovery of Leonardo’s DNA, we hope to understand the biological roots of his extraordinary visual acuity, creativity, and possibly even aspects of his health and causes of death.”

Scientists may be able to use this information to confirm da Vinci’s final resting place.

The Renaissance painter was originally said to have been buried in Amboise, France in the Saint Florentin church.

This church was severely damaged during the French Revolution.

And bones believed to belong to him were moved to the Chapel of St Hubert in Amboise.

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But there have been doubts over whether these bones really do belong to da Vinci – a puzzle that could be solved using his DNA.

So scientists are probing what remains of da Vinci in terms of his works and descendants to crack the real code.

“Even a tiny fingerprint on a page could contain cells to sequence,” says Jesse H. Ausubel, of The Rockefeller University, who is director of the DNA project.

“21st-century biology is moving the boundary between the unknowable and the unknown.

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“Soon we may gain information about Leonardo and other historical figures once believed lost forever.”

St Just in Roseland is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, located just north of St Mawes and six miles south of Truro

This secluded Cornish retreat boasts stunning natural beauty and one remarkable historic structure just six miles south of the bustling tourist destination, Truro.

St Just in Roseland stands out as a charming village and civil parish renowned for its breathtaking church and surprising tropical surroundings. Positioned just north of St Mawes, this hidden gem is perfectly nestled along the Cornwall coastline, providing peaceful views far from the usual Cornish attractions.

What sets this location apart is its 13th-century Church of England parish church, referred to by locals as St Just’s Church. This ancient structure is positioned amongst waterside gardens that house some of Britain’s most unusual species.

St Just’s Church rests peacefully at the water’s edge of a tidal creek, resembling something from a storybook, sitting quietly alongside the Carrick Roads, away from the main village centre. The approach features a delightful pathway constructed from granite stones that bear inscribed Biblical passages and meaningful quotes.

The surrounding gardens burst with verdant palm trees, blooms, vegetation and more, forming an enchanting miniature wilderness around the ancient building. One TripAdvisor reviewer describes St Just in Roseland as having “tranquil” gardens that are “the most beautiful” they’ve encountered at any church, reports the Express.

Another delighted visitor said: “I have been to many wonderful churches, but this one is very special. For almost 1,500 years there has been a church on this site; even today there is a sense of peace and solitude.

“The graveyard is really a semi-tropical garden and compares well with some of the famous gardens in Cornwall.The church is relatively plain inside but provides a magic space to leave behind the modern world and all its troubles.”

Another visitor added: “This church and area are just so beautiful. The church and grounds are just so serene and peaceful and pretty. The views over the water from the church are beautiful.

“Lovely old graves and a well-kept graveyard. Definitely worth a visit if you love churches.”

The church interior welcomes respectful guests, serving as both a sanctuary for prayer and worship, plus a “place of respite” for the entire community.

According to its website, St Just in Roseland Church promises an experience “you will never forget you have visited”.

The site adds: “St Just church is open daily from 9am to 6pm in the summer and 9am to 4pm during the winter months.Please note there may be times when the church is closed – such as for a funeral or reflective service.”

The grounds also house charming Renwicks Café, which caters to both residents and holidaymakers within the subtropical gardens.

To find it, guests must venture beyond the main village along a narrow lane leading to the hillside church entrance.

While on-site parking is limited, roadside spaces offer an alternative for those travelling through.

A BUNDESLIGA club unveiled its stunning new-look tunnel ahead of their clash with champions Bayern Munich last month.

FC Augsburg have been renovating their tunnel for the last few months as part of a desperately-needed refurb.

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And the new-look tunnel players will walk out of going forward is truly a sight to behold.

The club has paid tribute to its Roman roots with a tunnel inspired by the city’s ancient amphitheatres.

The gates to the tunnel have drawn inspiration from amphitheatres in the Eternal City and Verona and features several aspects of the club’s badge.

Its walls have been stunningly designed to appear as if they’ve been covered in ancient Roman stones and have been laid out in a pattern befitting the time period.

The stones are beautifully highlighted by accent lights and an illuminated club badge.

A beautiful mosaic pattern comprised of Italian stones makes up the midway point of the tunnel, which the club proudly showed off on social media.

Augsburg CEO Michael Stroll said of the revamp: “We’ve long spoken about our desire to modernise our players’ tunnel.

“Our previous tunnel was functional, but didn’t really catch the eye.

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“The results of the renovation are impressive.

“Our new players’ tunnel features a stylish, detailed design and is a perfect fit for our club.

“There’s no doubt in our minds that we now have one of the best-looking players’ tunnels in the Bundesliga.”

St Pauli will be the next away team to have the Roman tunnel experience when they travel the WWK Arena a week on Sunday.

Sept. 2 (UPI) — A large Samaritan estate has been unearthed by archaeologists in Israel, uncovering a wealth of treasures including mosaics, baths and an ancient oil press.

The dig is in Kafr Qasim, an Arab city about 12 miles east of Tel Aviv. It is on the Israeli side of the border with the West Bank. It was financed by the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing before constructing a new neighborhood. The site is within the boundaries of the Kafr Hatta archaelogical site.

The estate is an agricultural site that existed about 400 years ago, from the fourth through seventh centuries, which was between the Roman and the Byzantine periods. The site of Kafr Hatta is described in historical sources as the birthplace of Menander, the Samaritan magician and successor of Simon Magus, who was considered the father of the Gnostic sects and one of Christianity’s first converts.

The dig was in preparation for building housing on the site. The Ministry of Construction and Housing is cooperating with Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists in the field and helping with conservation operations, parallel to promoting the neighborhood’s development in other areas, a press release said.

“The size and splendor of the buildings discovered, the quality of their mosaic floors and the impressive agricultural installations, all point to the great wealth and prosperity of the local Samaritan community over the years,” said Alla Nagorsky and Dr. Daniel Leahy Griswold, Israel Antiquities Authority excavation directors.

In one of the buildings, a mosaic floor was preserved, decorated with a dense geometric pattern and vegetal images. Alongside its central medallion are acanthus leaves combined with rare decorations of fruits and vegetables — such as grapes, dates, watermelons, artichokes and asparagus. In the entrance to this room was a partially preserved Greek inscription wishing the building’s owner “Good Luck!”

The owner’s first name, Rabia, was common in Samaritan communities.

In the northern part of the estate, archaeologists found an olive press, a large warehouse building and a public purification bath called a miqveh. The proximity of the oil press to the miqveh probably was used to produce olive oil in purity.

The large olive press had two wings; the northern wing contained the main production areas, while auxiliary rooms were erected in the southern wing. In the production areas, two screw presses were found, as well as a large olive crushing basin.

“This type of olive press is more typical of the Jerusalem region and the Judean Shephelah and is less common in Samaria” Nagorsky said.

Over the years, the estate saw dramatic changes.

“The wealth and luxury of the buildings were replaced by oil production and agricultural installations. New walls damaged the mosaic floors, and the magnificent capitals and columns were integrated within the new walls,” she said.

Nagorsky suggested that these changes are related to the Samaritan Revolts under the Byzantine rule — a series of fifth- through sixth-century uprisings against the Byzantine emperors, who enforced restrictive laws on members of other religions.

“What makes this site particularly interesting is that unlike some of the other Samaritan sites that were destroyed in these revolts, the agricultural estate in Kafr Qasim actually continued in use, and even preserved its Samaritan identity — as evidenced by the Samaritan ceramic oil-lamps uncovered in our excavation,” she said.

“This is a fascinating site, which displays the historical gamut between the days of prosperity and the decline of the Samaritan community,” Nagorsky said. “Its long-term existence and impressive findings will allow us to reconstruct its history over centuries and will enrich our knowledge about this population in ancient times.”

Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu, Israeli minister of heritage, explained the connection between ancient Jews and Samaritans.

“These two ancient communities led their lives based on the Torah and shared common roots, and also experienced similar hardships during periods of antagonistic rule,” he said. “The impressive findings indicate the prosperity of a community closely related to Judaism, who lived in the Land of Israel for many centuries. These physical remains are another reminder that our heritage in this land is deep and multi-faceted.”

Wells is one of England’s most charming cathedral cities where you can browse markets, drink cider in cosy pubs and wander the cathedral’s gorgeous grounds

Nestled in Somerset lies one of England’s most picturesque cathedral cities, Wells, where you can explore markets, sip cider in quaint pubs and stroll around the stunning grounds of the cathedral. Wells is situated on the southern fringe of the Mendip Hills, with the imposing figure of Wells Cathedral at its heart, reports the Express.

Constructed between 1175 and 1490, Wells Cathedral has been hailed as the most poetic of the English Cathedrals, and it’s not hard to see why. It holds the distinction of being the earliest English Cathedral built in the Gothic style and enjoys an international reputation.

This grand cathedral is worth a visit for its architecture alone, but it also houses over 300 sculptures, Britain’s oldest functioning mechanical clock, and offers daily tours to delve into the city’s rich history.

The city itself gained international recognition after serving as the filming location for the fictional village of Sandford in the cult film Hot Fuzz, featuring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and a host of other renowned British actors.

Many of the film’s most memorable locations such as the Swan Hotel, the corner shop where the characters purchase Cornettos and the marketplace where the epic gunfight occurs are actual places you can visit.

Wells is also home to Europe’s oldest residential street. Vicars Close boasts beautiful stone houses, cobbled streets and a breath-taking view of the cathedral, perfect for capturing memorable photos of your weekend getaway.

The marketplace in front of the cathedral opens on Wednesdays and Saturdays where you can buy fresh produce, treats and homemade crafts – perfect for a lazy day of mooching around before stopping in to one of the city’s many pubs and enjoying a pint of Somerset cider.

According to Tripadvisor, one of Wells’ finest boozers is the Sheep and Penguin, which serves up a cracking Sunday roast.

One punter raved: “The choice of beer was excellent and the bar manager’s knowledge and enthusiasm was great. We then returned for more beer and a meal. The beer remained delicious and the meal was fabulous. If we lived anywhere near, we would be enjoying the delights on a frequent basis.”

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HISTORY fans should keep their phones close for a special TV series that will air with extra augmented reality tonight.

7 Wonders of the Ancient World will transport viewers with a simple QR code each episode to scan for virtual and immersive experiences delivered by Snapchat.

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People will be able to “explore” world-famous ancient sites across the Mediterranean and Middle East from the comfort of their living room.

This includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.

The show is hosted by renowned historian Bettany Hughes.

“The past is a living place, a place that’s relevant to all of us,” she said.

“Using this meticulously researched augmented reality allows viewers at home to explore right inside these ancient wonders.

“It’s an immersive experience that we hope will bring the past to life for millions.”

The three-part series launches on 5 tonight at 6.30pm.

UN cultural organisation this week announces its choice of sites to be granted World Heritage status.

The United Nations cultural organisation has added a remote Aboriginal site featuring one million carvings that potentially date back 50,000 years to its World Heritage list.

Located on the Burrup peninsula in Western Australia, Murujuga is home to the Mardudunera people, who declared themselves “overjoyed” when UNESCO gave the ancient site a coveted place on its list on Friday.

“These carvings are what our ancestors left here for us to learn and keep their knowledge and keep our culture thriving through these sacred sites,” said Mark Clifton, a member of the Aboriginal delegation meeting with UNESCO representatives in Paris.

Environmental and Indigenous organisations argue that the presence of mining groups emitting industrial emissions has already caused damage to the ancient site.

Benjamin Smith, a rock art specialist at the University of Western Australia, said Murujuga was “possibly the most important rock art site in the world”, but that mining activity was causing the rock art to “break down”.

“We should be looking after it,” he said.

Australian company Woodside Energy, which operates an industrial complex in the area, told news agency AFP that it recognised Murujuga as “one of Australia’s most culturally significant landscapes” and that it was taking “proactive steps … to ensure we manage our impacts responsibly”.

Delegation leader Raelene Cooper said the UNESCO listing sent “a clear signal to the Australian Government and Woodside that things need to change”.

Making the UNESCO’s heritage list does not in itself trigger protection for a site, but can help pressure national governments into taking action.

African heritage boosted

Cameroon’s Mandara Mountains and Malawi’s Mount Mulanje were also added to the latest edition of the UNESCO World Heritage list.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has presented Africa as a priority during her two terms in office, although the continent remains underrepresented.

The Diy-Gid-Biy landscape of the Mandara Mountains, in the far north of Cameroon, consists of archaeological sites, probably created between the 12th and 17th centuries.

Malawi’s Mount Mulanje, in the south of the country, is considered a sacred place inhabited by gods, spirits and ancestors.

UNESCO is also considering applications from two other African countries, namely the Gola Tiwai forests in Sierra Leone and the biosphere reserve of the Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau.

On Friday, UNESCO also listed three notorious Cambodian torture and execution sites used by the Khmer Rouge regime to perpetrate genocide 50 years ago.

The gorgeous beach is often overlooked because it’s near some holiday hotspots but it’s well worth the trip especially if you want to avoid the crowds

The UK’s ‘best hidden beach’ offers up some ridiculously beautiful views, a large stretch of shore, and almost no crowds.

Abermawr Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales has recently been named the UK’s best ‘secret bay’, boasting a remote location that means visitors have to put in effort to visit; but those who have enjoyed a staycation in the area say it’s well worth it.

The pebbled beach looks like something out of a storybook with its cliff-backed coastline, pebbled shore and azure waters. One visitor on Tripadvisor wrote that it was “just stunning”, adding they “could have stayed for hours and taken a billion photos”.

But it’s not just the pretty surroundings that make this a must-visit. Abermawr boasts an ancient forest buried among golden sands, that’s revealed twice a day at low tide. Visit Pembrokeshire explains: “Low tide exposes the golden sand and buried tree stumps – the remains of a forest drowned by a sudden flood as an ice sheet melted 8000 years ago. The stumps have been perfectly preserved by salt. Behind the beach are an interesting ruined cottage, a wildlife-rich marshy area and bluebell woods climbing the hill at the southern end.”

It’s therefore no surprise that the beach continues to be a hit with intrepid explorers. “Lovely exclusive beach, out of the way and the water is a beautiful blue green, so refreshing, pebbles, went with my dogs they loved it too, small but beautiful,” wrote one happy holidaymaker. “It’ll stay with me forever,” added another impressed explorer.

However be warned; visitors have also flagged that there’s a small car park near the beach, the only one available nearby. It means that if the car park is full up, you could end up taking a detour and then still need to commit to a fairly big walk to get to the beach. As it’s so remote and hidden, it’s unlikely to get crowded, even during busier months, but if you don’t want to risk it, you can always visit off season or earlier in the morning.

If it wasn’t already established as a hidden gem, Abermawr Bay recently topped new rankings from footwear brand FitFlop that analysed Google search data to uncover some of the UK’s best underrated beaches.

The team behind the research explained: “With a 4.5 Tripadvisor rating and positioned on the wild and unspoiled north-west coast of Pembrokeshire, Abermawr Bay is a true gem for beach walkers seeking peace, beauty, and connection with nature. This secluded shingle beach is framed by rugged cliffs and backed by a whispering woodland of wind-sculpted trees to offer an atmospheric experience that feels miles away from the modern world. Stroll along the shore and listen to the rhythmic sound of waves rolling over the pebbles or follow the coastal path above the bay to admire the panoramic views over St. George’s Channel, which offers opportunities for birdwatching and spotting marine life.

“Aber Mawr is especially magical in the early morning or golden evening light, when the landscape glows and the only footprints in the sand are your own. It’s dog-friendly, rarely crowded, and perfect for those who value solitude, scenic beauty, and a refreshing sea breeze. If you park at the woollen mill you can also enjoy some delicious cake and browse the blanket shop after your walk.”

Do you have a story to tell us? Email us at [email protected].

The world’s best countries to visit in 2025 have been ranked with one gorgeous European destination taking the top spot – and it’s got heaps for Brits to explore

The world’s best country to visit in 2025 has been revealed, and it boasts some incredible Maldives-worthy beaches, not to mention it’s easy for Brits to visit on a budget as it’s in Europe.

Albania has been emerging as must-visit holiday destination in recent yers, and now travel insiders have ranked it as the top spot that’s ‘preserved from mass tourism, authentic and affordable’, closely followed by Colombia and Laos.

The travel experts at HelloSafe, who conducted the study, explained: “Among the top-rated European destinations in 2025, Albania stands out with its still largely unexplored mountainous landscapes, Ionian beaches and excellent value for money.” According to the research, the best months to visit are between May and September, which isn’t surprising considering this is when the country boasts some enviable hot and sunny weather, with temperatures reaching an average of 32-33C across July and August.

There’s so much to see and do across the country, but the team flagged that if you’re only going to visit one area, make it the “preserved valley of Theth, nestled in the heart of the Albanian Alps”. Theth itself is a small village that looks like it’s straight out of a storybook, thanks to the lush green valley that surrounds it, complete with ethereal waterfalls and colourful flowers. Hikers will definitely want to don some sturdy boots and take on many of the countless trails that weave through the landscape, with some Instagram-worthy views.

For those after more social media fodder, the small coastal village of Ksamil is worth having on your radar. Dubbed ‘Europe’s answer to the Maldives’, it boasts plenty of incredible white beaches and crystal-clear waters, while the Ksamil Islands can be reached by boat or even by kayak if you fancy a day trip. (It’s also just a 30-minute ferry ride from Corfu if you want to add a Greek island to the itinerary!).

Meanwhile, the ‘Stone City’ of Gjirokastër is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because of its ‘rare examples of an architectural character typical of the Ottoman period’. This citadel town, along with Berat which is part of the site, looks like it belongs in a film set with the ancient ruins, historic churches and dense green surroundings.

For those who prefer a city break, the Albanian capital, Tirana, is sure to tick all of the boxes. Boasting an enviable nightlife, plenty of restaurants and heaps of museums to explore, the city also has a plethora of attractions to fill up the itinerary whether that’s taking in the mountain views from the cable car, discovering the Cold War bunkers, or taking a guided walking tour of all of the incredible street art nestled across the city.

If you want to visit Albania, one of the easiest routes is to fly direct to Tirana, with airlines including Wizz Air and Ryanair offering a range of options from the UK, with fares starting from £19.99 each way (excluding luggage fees).

You can check out the full rankings and find out more at hellosafe.com.

Bangkok, Thailand – Over several years in the mid-1960s, the crumbling ruins of an ancient temple in northeast Thailand were picked clean by local looters.

Possibly hundreds of centuries-old statues that were long buried beneath the soft, verdant grounds around the temple were stolen.

To this day, all the known artefacts from the pillaging spree, collectively known as the Prakhon Chai hoard, sit scattered thousands of miles away in museums and collections across the United States, Europe and Australia.

In a matter of weeks, though, the first of those statues will begin their journey home to Thailand.

The acquisitions committee of San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum recommended the release last year of four bronze statues from the hoard, which had been held in its collection since the late 1960s.

San Francisco city’s Asian Art Commission, which manages the museum, then approved the proposal on April 22, officially setting the pieces free.

Some six decades after the late British antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford is suspected of spiriting the statues out of the country, they are expected to arrive back in Thailand within a month or two.

“We are the righteous owners,” Disapong Netlomwong, senior curator for the Office of National Museums at Thailand’s Fine Arts Department, told Al Jazeera.

“It is something that our ancestors … have made, and it should be exhibited here to show the civilisation and the belief of the people,” said Disapong, who also serves on Thailand’s Committee for the Repatriation of Stolen Artefacts.

The imminent return of the statues is the latest victory in Thailand’s quest to reclaim its pilfered heritage.

Their homecoming also exemplifies the efforts of countries across the world to retrieve pieces of their own stolen history that still sit in display cases and in the vaults of some of the West’s top museums.

From Thai temples to the Acropolis in Athens

Latchford, a high-profile Asian art dealer who came to settle in Bangkok and lived there until his death in 2020 at 88 years of age, is believed to have earned a fortune from auction houses, private collectors and museums around the world who acquired his smuggled ancient artefacts from Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia.

In 2021, Latchford’s daughter, Nawapan Kriangsak, agreed to return her late father’s private collection of more than 100 artefacts, valued at more than $50m, to Cambodia.

Though never convicted during his lifetime, Latchford was charged with falsifying shipping records, wire fraud and a host of other crimes related to antiquities smuggling by a US federal grand jury in 2019.

He died the following year, before the case against him could go to trial.

In 2023 the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York agreed to return 16 pieces tied to Latchford’s smuggling network to Cambodia and Thailand.

San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum has also previously returned pieces to Thailand – two intricately carved stone lintels taken from a pair of temples dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries, in 2021.

While Thailand and Cambodia have recently fared relatively well in efforts to reclaim their looted heritage from US museum collections, Greece has not had such luck with the British Museum in London.

Perhaps no case of looted antiquities has grabbed more news headlines than that of the so-called “Elgin Marbles”.

The 2,500-year-old friezes, known also as the Parthenon Marbles, were hacked off the iconic Acropolis in Athens in the early 1800s by agents of Lord Elgin, Britain’s ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which controlled Greece at that time.

Elgin claimed he took the marbles with the permission of the Ottomans and then sold them in 1816 to the British Museum in London, where they remain.

Greece has been demanding the return of the artefacts since the country’s declaration of independence in 1832 and sent an official request to the museum in 1983, according to the nongovernmental Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy.

“Despite all these efforts, the British government has not deviated from its positions over the years, legally considering the Parthenon marbles to belong to Britain. They have even passed laws to prevent the return of cultural artefacts,” the institute said.

‘Colonialism is still alive and well’

Tess Davis, executive director of the Antiquities Coalition, a Washington-based nonprofit campaigning against the illicit trade of ancient art and artefacts, said that “colonialism is still alive and well in parts of the art world”.

“There is a mistaken assumption by some institutions that they are better carers, owners, custodians of these cultural objects,” Davis told Al Jazeera.

But Davis, who has worked on Cambodia’s repatriation claims with US museums, says the “custodians” defence has long been debunked.

“These antiquities were cared for by [their] communities for centuries, in some cases for millennia, before there was … a market demand for them, leading to their looting and trafficking, but we still do see resistance,” she said.

Brad Gordon, a lawyer representing the Cambodian government in its ongoing repatriation of stolen artefacts, has heard museums make all sorts of claims to defend retaining pieces that should be returned to their rightful homelands.

Excuses from museums include claiming that they are not sure where pieces originated from; that contested items were acquired before laws banned their smuggling; that domestic laws block their repatriation, or that the ancient pieces deserve a more global audience than they would receive in their home country.

Still, none of those arguments should keep a stolen piece from coming home, Gordon said.

“If we believe the object is stolen and the country of origin wishes for it to come home, then the artefact should be returned,” he said.

Old attitudes have started breaking down though, and more looted artefacts are starting to find their way back to their origins.

“There’s definitely a growing trend toward doing the right thing in this area, and … I hope that more museums follow the Asian Art Museum’s example. We’ve come a long way, but there’s still a long way to go,” Davis said.

Much of the progress, Davis believes, is down to growing media coverage of stolen antiquities and public awareness of the problem in the West, which has placed mounting pressure on museums to do the right thing.

In 2022, the popular US comedy show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver dedicated a whole episode to the topic. As Oliver said, if you go to Greece and visit the Acropolis you might notice “some odd details”, such as sections missing from sculptures – which are now in Britain.

“Honestly, if you are ever looking for a missing artefact, nine times out of 10 it’s in the British Museum,” Oliver quips.

Gordon also believes a generational shift in thinking is at play among those who once trafficked in the cultural heritage of other countries.

“For example, the children of many collectors, once they are aware of the facts of how the artefacts were removed from the country of origin, want their parents to return them,” he said.

Proof of the past

The four bronze statues the San Francisco museum will soon be returning to Thailand date back to the 7th and 9th centuries.

Thai archaeologist Tanongsak Hanwong said that period places them squarely in the Dvaravati civilisation, which dominated northeast Thailand, before the height of the Khmer empire that would build the towering spires of Angkor Wat in present-day Cambodia and come to conquer much of the surrounding region centuries later.

Three of the slender, mottled figures, one nearly a metre tall (3.2 feet), depict Bodhisattva – Buddhist adherents on the path to nirvana – and the other the Buddha himself in a wide, flowing robe.

Tanongsak, who brought the four pieces in the San Francisco collection to the attention of Thailand’s stolen artefacts repatriation committee in 2017, said they and the rest of the Prakhon Chai hoard are priceless proof of Thailand’s Buddhist roots at a time when much of the region was still Hindu.

“The fact that we do not have any Prakhon Chai bronzes on display anywhere [in Thailand], in the national museum or local museums whatsoever, it means we do not have any evidence of the Buddhist history of that period at all, and that’s strange,” he said.

The Fine Arts Department first wrote to San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum about the statues’ illicit provenance in 2019, but started to make progress on having them returned only when the US Department of Homeland Security got involved on Thailand’s behalf.

Robert Mintz, the museum’s chief curator, said staff could find no evidence that the statues had been trafficked in their own records.

But they were convinced they had been looted and smuggled out of Thailand – and of Latchford’s involvement – once Homeland Security provided proof, with the help of Thai researchers.

“Once that evidence was presented and they heard it, their feeling was the appropriate place for these would be back in Thailand,” Mintz said of the museum’s staff and acquisition committee.

‘Pull back the curtain’

The San Francisco Asian Art Museum went a step further when it finally resolved to return the four statues to Thailand.

It also staged a special exhibit around the pieces to highlight the very questions the experience had raised regarding the theft of antiquities.

The exhibition – Moving Objects: Learning from Local and Global Communities – ran in San Francisco from November to March.

“One of our goals was to try to indicate to the visiting public to the museum how important it is to look historically at where works of art have come from,” Mintz said.

“To pull back the curtain a bit, to say, these things do exist within American collections and now is the time to address challenges that emerge from past collecting practice,” he said.

Mintz says Homeland Security has asked the Asian Art Museum to look into the provenance of at least another 10 pieces in its collection that likely came from Thailand.

Tess Davis, of the Antiquities Coalition campaign group, said the exhibition was a very unusual, and welcome, move for a museum in the process of giving up looted artefacts.

In Thailand, Disapong and Tanongsak say the Asian Art Museum’s decision to recognise Thailand’s rightful claim to the statues could also help them start bringing the rest of the Prakhon Chai hoard home, including 14 more known pieces in other museums around the US, and at least a half-dozen scattered across Europe and Australia.

“It is indeed a good example, because once we can show the world that the Prakhon Chai bronzes were all exported from Thailand illegally, then probably, hopefully some other museums will see that all the Prakhon Chai bronzes they have must be returned to Thailand as well,” Tanongsak said.

There are several other artefacts besides the Prakhon Chai hoard that Thailand is also looking to repatriate from collections around the world, he said.

Davis said the repatriation of stolen antiquities is still being treated by too many with collections as an obstacle when it should be seen, as the Asian Art Museum has, as an opportunity.

“It’s an opportunity to educate the public,” Davis said.

“It’s an opportunity to build bridges with Southeast Asia,” she added, “and I hope other institutions follow suit.”

So the white smoke emerged from Whitehall as the Prime Minister didn’t quite say “Habemas a Deal”. at the end of the much hyped UK-EU reset talks. The good news is that there is some amelioration of the 2020 Brexit Treaty negotiated by Boris Johnson. The bad news is that it won’t satisfy many on either side of the Brexit divide.

In 1992 the Swiss voted against the Maastricht Treaty enshrining Margaret Thatcher’s campaign to create a single market Europe with its four freedoms of movement of capital, goods, services and labour. Pope Saint John Paul II Mrs Thactcer’s Treat  “will hasten the process of European integration. A common political structure, the product of the free will of European citizens, far from endangering the identity of the peoples in the community, will be able to guarantee more equitably the rights, in particular the cultural rights, of all its regions. These united European peoples will not accept the domination of one nation or culture over the others, but they will uphold the equal right of all to enrich others with their difference.”

                  Quickly Europe’s richest nation in the Alps realised they had shot a crossbow arrow into their foot. Negotiations started and continue to this day to improve Switzerland’s access to the four freedoms without actually joining the EU.

                  The Alpine nation is governed by referendums and there have been 20 so far on aspects of the EU-Swiss relationship. 17 agreed to proposals put forward by negotiators in Berne and Brussels and 3 said no. In 2010 as David Cameron and Nick Clegg announced their referendum which both leaders thought would put the Europe question to bed the Swiss voted against allowing Europeans to work in sectors like care homes, agricultures, mountain tourism, or construction which Swiss like Brits chez nous didn’t want to work in.

                  Swiss employers recoiled in horror and launched a campaign to reverse the decision. Despite the fulminations of the anti-EU Swiss People’s Party a second referendum was held and Switzerland now benefits from access to the European labour market pool while the UK imported more than a million workers from Africa and Asia to do the work native Brits shunned.

                  Britain is now embarking on the laborious slog of the mountain climb of gradual  step by step improvements in the 2020 deal Boris Johnson signed.

                  This has led the ageing tenors of anti-European ideology emerging like Japanese soldiers from the jungle 20 years after the second world war ended still believing their inevitable triumph is just around the corner.

                  From Boris Johnson, through Jacob Rees Mogg, Priti Patel, David Frost, Andrew Neil or assorted peers and retired Oxbridge dons  the chorus of “Surrender!”, “Betrayal!”, or “Sell-out!” continues but is weaker and weaker.

                  As Rod Liddle who helped turn Today when he edited it into a platform for Nigel Farage and anti-European keenies now notes the old heartlands of Brexit know it has delivered none of its promises and just want to move on.

                  Some Labour ministers use Theresa May’s slogan she “would make Brexit work.” That is an oxymoron. When the very conservative governor of the Bank of England says here will be no growth if we continue to set our faces against trade with Europe that is an ex-cathedra statement saying Adieu to Brexit. 

                  The Prime minister has none of the flair, nor drive of a Tony Blair or Margaret Thatcher but after the excitements of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, voters opted for caution, prudence, and stability.

                  `It will be a long haul but the 30 year long Brexit era of British politics is over. One day Polish workers will be welcome back in Britain and attendance at Sunday mass will go up.

Denis MacShane is the former Labour Minister for Europe. His book “Brexiternity. The uncertain future of Britain” is published by Bloomsbury.