Who We Are
The Antiquities Coalition is leading the global campaign against cultural racketeering: the looting and trafficking of ancient art. This illicit industry is financing organized crime, armed conflict, and violent extremism around the world. It is erasing our past—and threatening our future. The Antiquities Coalition partners with leaders from the public and private sectors, tackles plunder-for-profit head on. Through independent research and outside collaborations, we develop and implement innovative and practical solutions, empowering communities and even countries in crisis. Together, with your help, we can stop the traffic in blood antiquities, and save our shared history for future generations.
The Problem
Cultural racketeering is the systematic looting and trafficking of art and antiquities by organized crime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation now ranks it as a multi-billion dollar global industry.Learn about Cultural Racketeering
Cultural cleansing is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a targeted group and their cultural heritage, with the intention of eliminating not only a people, but all physical evidence of them.Learn about Cultural CleansingWhat We’ve Lost
In this last year, we have lost entire chapters of our shared history, and some of the Cradle of Civilization’s most iconic masterpieces and sites, to plunder and iconoclasm.
Umayyad Mosque
Aleppo, Syria
Mausoleum of Mohammad Bin Ali
Palmyra, Syria
Explore more interactive before and after images→
International Recognition
“Egypt is working alongside regional and international partners such as the Antiquities Coalition to stem the flow of stolen antiquities.”
The Antiquities Coalition “provides a powerful example of what can be achieved through partnerships between governments and NGOs.”
“The [Antiquities] Coalition, since its inception in March 2011, has shown great support and exerted utmost efforts to raise awareness and combat the looting and illegal trade of Egyptian antiquities and artifacts.”
“The Antiquities Coalition, UNESCO, and other organizations have already sounded the alarm, and the U.S. should leverage their insights, networks, and activism to stem the flow of funds to ISIS from this trade.”
Latest From The Blog
Statement On UNESCO
WASHINGTON, DC, October 19, 2017 — The Antiquities Coalition congratulates, Audrey Azoulay, the French candidate, on her nomination to be the next Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). If [...]
Getting Dirty with Deborah Lehr
A Conversation on the Antiquities Coalition As the founder and Chairman of the Antiquities Coalition, Deborah Lehr leads a diverse team of experts in the fight against the looting and trafficking of [...]
The AC Digs Into: The India Pride Project
An Interview with Anuraag Saxena Anuraag Saxena is a Chartered Accountant and an MBA and lives in Singapore. Indian and Asian antiquities are illegally procured and sold around the world. Anuraag co-founded the India [...]