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The Future of Historic Monuments, Museums, and Sites Destroyed by ISIS: A Proposed Course of Action – Talk by Dr. Ihsan Fethi

This lecture is part of a workshop, The Future of the Past: Addressing the Cultural Heritage Crisis in Iraq and Syria, presented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Columbia University. Dr. Fethi will reflect on the various approaches and measures that could be taken by relevant authorities regarding the fate of destroyed cultural property in Iraq and Syria. He will discuss the idea of the reconstruction of sites destroyed by ISIS, and will explore proposed concepts of replicas.

Dr. Ihsan Fethi is a Professor of Architecture at Amman University and the founding dean of five colleges of architecture throughout the Arab world. He founded the Heritage Department at the Baghdad Municipality in 1983, and was Chairman of the Baghdad School of Architecture from 1986-1991.

Dr. Fethi was a consultant with UNESCO, Getty Conservation Institute, World Monument Fund and ICCROM, and Director of the Iraqi Architects Society. He has published more than 12 books and 50 research papers on modern and historical issues related to architecture, art, heritage and culture. Additionally, Dr. Fethi has compiled and authenticated a comprehensive documentation of cultural heritage in Iraq. He earned his Bachelors in Architecture from Cardiff University, and his Doctorate in Urban Conservation from Sheffield University.