New from the AC Think Tank: How Can Shared Language Support Shared Protection?
October 28, 2026
Washington, October 28, 2026—Language can shape how cultural heritage is defined, protected, and understood. But when the same terms carry different meanings across countries, they can complicate the implementation of laws and international conventions designed to safeguard it.
In a new policy brief from the Antiquities Coalition Think Tank, Dr. Ahmed Fatima Kzzo, Field Director of the Archaeological Mission of Sapienza University of Rome in the Arab Peninsula and the Gulf, examines how discrepancies between two Arabic terms—‘āthār and turāth—create challenges for cultural heritage protection across the Arab world.
Arabic is the official language of 24 countries, yet national laws do not consistently define these terms. Drawing on an analysis of legislation in Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, Dr. Kzzo demonstrates how the terms can describe different categories of cultural property, from ancient objects and archaeological sites to historic buildings, traditions, and intangible heritage.
These differences can create confusion between countries and complicate the application of international conventions when national legal definitions do not align with their Arabic translations.
Dr. Kzzo recommends harmonizing cultural heritage terminology across Arab countries before updating national laws. He proposes that the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) establish a regional working group bringing together language academies, legal experts, and cultural heritage professionals. He also calls for Arabic-speaking legal and linguistic experts to participate in drafting international legal instruments from the outset, rather than being involved only after the fact for translation.
Shared language supports shared protection. Establishing clearer, more consistent terminology can strengthen communication, improve the implementation of cultural heritage laws and conventions, and advance the protection of cultural property and antiquities across the region.
Read the new policy brief, How Can Shared Language Support Shared Protection? Defining “Heritage” and “Antiquities,” from the Antiquities Coalition Think Tank, here.