Before and After Series | Ancient Artifacts

#CultureUnderThreat Before and After Series

With interactive images, the #CultureUnderThreat before and after series provides a look at the cultural heritage we’ve lost. By illustrating the region’s iconic monuments and sites then and now, we hope to begin conveying the enormity of the ongoing crisis.

As long as there have been tombs, there have been tomb raiders- but in this modern world, such destruction is taking place on a scale never before seen in history.

Cultural racketeering has become a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that spans the globe and thrives during the crisis. While this illicit trade itself poses a serious threat to global security, it often goes hand in hand with cultural destruction. With the rise of a violent campaign targeting the Middle East and North Africa’s rich heritage by religious extremists, the fight against this cultural destruction and racketeering are now more important than ever.

There is no way to adequately measure or describe the loss to our shared history, but in this case, a picture may be worth a thousand words.

What We've Lost

#CultureUnderThreat: Before and After Volume I

#CultureUnderThreat before and after images provide a look at the cultural heritage we’ve lost in this first volume of interactive images.

#CultureUnderThreat: Before and After Volume II

#CultureUnderThreat before and after images provide a look at the cultural heritage we’ve lost in this second volume of interactive images.