Italy Looks for Man Seen Carving Graffiti into Colosseum

FILE - 06 October 2016, Italy, Rome: An exterior view of the Colosseum in Rome. Photo: picture alliance / dpa
FILE - 06 October 2016, Italy, Rome: An exterior view of the Colosseum in Rome. Photo: picture alliance / dpa
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Italy Looks for Man Seen Carving Graffiti into Colosseum

FILE - 06 October 2016, Italy, Rome: An exterior view of the Colosseum in Rome. Photo: picture alliance / dpa
FILE - 06 October 2016, Italy, Rome: An exterior view of the Colosseum in Rome. Photo: picture alliance / dpa

Italy’s culture and tourism ministers have vowed to find and punish the tourist who was filmed carving his name and that of his apparent girlfriend in the wall of the Colosseum in Rome, a crime that in the past has resulted in hefty fines.
The Associated Press said that the video of the incident went viral on social media, at a time when Romans have already been complaining about hordes of tourists flooding the Eternal City in record numbers this season.
Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano called the graffiti — “Ivan+Haley 23” — carved into the almost 2,000-year-old Flavian Amphitheater “serious, undignified and a sign of great incivility.” He said he hoped the culprits would be found “and punished according to our laws.”
Previous cases of tourists scrawling on the Colosseum have resulted in fines of up to $20,000.
Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche also said she hoped the tourist would be sanctioned “so that he understands the gravity of the gesture.” Calling for respect for Italy’s culture and history, she vowed: “We cannot allow those who visit our nation to feel free to behave in this way.”
In 2014, a Russian tourist was fined 20,000 euros ($25,000) for engraving a big letter ‘K’ on a wall of the Colosseum, given a summary judgment and a suspended four-year jail sentence.
The following year, two American tourists were also cited for aggravated damage after they carved their names in the monument.



ICESCO, Saudi Heritage Commission Discuss Cooperation on Cultural Preservation

The meeting in Rabat highlighted the importance of joint efforts to safeguard Islamic world heritage
The meeting in Rabat highlighted the importance of joint efforts to safeguard Islamic world heritage
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ICESCO, Saudi Heritage Commission Discuss Cooperation on Cultural Preservation

The meeting in Rabat highlighted the importance of joint efforts to safeguard Islamic world heritage
The meeting in Rabat highlighted the importance of joint efforts to safeguard Islamic world heritage

Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) Director-General Dr. Salim Al-Malik has met with Saudi Heritage Commission's legal team director Mohammed Mahnashi and cultural asset trade director Nader Nafea to explore prospects for cooperation in the fields of heritage preservation, as well as efforts to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property.

The meeting at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat on Friday highlighted the importance of joint efforts to safeguard Islamic world heritage through documentation and registration initiatives, including the development of digital platforms for heritage archiving and the disclosure of missing artifacts.

Discussions also covered the organization of joint cultural and artistic events, hands-on training programs on preventing illicit trade in cultural property, capacity-building workshops for cultural professionals, and the activation of bilateral and international legislative frameworks to support heritage protection.