Italy's Junior Culture Minister Quits after Stolen Painting Scandalhttps://english.aawsat.com/culture/4830731-italys-junior-culture-minister-quits-after-stolen-painting-scandal
Italy's Junior Culture Minister Quits after Stolen Painting Scandal
Forza Italia party leader Silvio Berlusconi (L) talks to candidate Nello Musumeci (C) and Vittorio Sgarbi (R) at the end of a rally for the regional election in Palermo, Italy, November 1, 2017. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Italy's Junior Culture Minister Quits after Stolen Painting Scandal
Forza Italia party leader Silvio Berlusconi (L) talks to candidate Nello Musumeci (C) and Vittorio Sgarbi (R) at the end of a rally for the regional election in Palermo, Italy, November 1, 2017. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Italian junior culture minister and art critic Vittorio Sgarbi, under investigation over possession of a stolen painting, said on Friday he was quitting because Rome's antitrust body was trying to curb his unofficial duties.
Sgarbi, 71, is a long-serving parliamentarian and outspoken TV personality.
Sgarbi has been under pressure to resign for weeks over the painting scandal, but said he was quitting "to avoid a conflict of interest" before beginning a lecture on Renaissance artist Michelangelo in Milan, Reuters reported.
Sgarbi said the antitrust authority, which is investigating him over a possible conflict of interest, had informed him he should not attend an art conference.
He told his audience he had decided to preserve his freedom rather than respect its instructions.
"According to the antitrust notice, I should not talk about art, I should not deal with art. I should be a junior minister dealing with administrative duties, and limited ones," he said.
He attacked Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano for not backing him over what Sgarbi said were "anonymous letters" to the ministry alleging he was accepting payments for non-ministerial duties, in a breach of regulations.
Prosecutors are investigating the politician, whose brief includes protecting the country's cultural heritage, over his ownership of a 17th century painting that police say was stolen from a castle near Turin in 2013. He denies all wrongdoing.
In Lebanon’s Tyre, Ancient Site Threatened by Israeli Bombshttps://english.aawsat.com/culture/5254662-lebanon%E2%80%99s-tyre-ancient-site-threatened-israeli-bombs
This photograph taken on March 23, 2026, shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli air strike at the background of the archaeological site of the ruins of the Phoenician Port in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre. (AFP)
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In Lebanon’s Tyre, Ancient Site Threatened by Israeli Bombs
This photograph taken on March 23, 2026, shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli air strike at the background of the archaeological site of the ruins of the Phoenician Port in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre. (AFP)
At an archaeological site in southern Lebanon's Tyre, small signs bearing a blue and white emblem provide a symbolic shield, meant to protect the ancient ruins from bombardment.
One of the oldest cities on the Mediterranean coast, Tyre is located around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Israeli border, and has been the target of several strikes since Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war by Hezbollah's March 2 rocket attack on Israel.
The Al-Bass site is centered on a necropolis that dates back three millennia to Tyre's time as a major Phoenician city and was still in use until the Arab conquests of the 7h Century.
An organization linked to UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural heritage agency, launched the signs initiative near the site, part of a push that covers more than 30 locations across the country.
It is a reminder that the 1954 Hague Convention obliges warring parties to protect cultural property.
On March 6, an Israeli strike hit just a few meters away, killing eight people according to Lebanon's health ministry.
The target, a family home, is now a pile of rubble.
"They were our neighbors... They thought that being close to an archaeological site protected them, that because this is a World Heritage site it would not be struck," said Nader Saqlawi, director of archaeological excavations in the south for Lebanon's culture ministry.
Museum employees place Enhanced Protection Emblems, a special symbol used under international humanitarian law to protect critical sites during armed conflict, at the archaeological site of the Roman hippodrome in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, on March 23, 2026. (AFP)
- Human remains -
The team from the ministry that came to inspect possible damage to the monuments found human remains -- "a hand and pieces of flesh" -- on the roof of the site's museum, which is still under construction, he said.
The museum suffered damage, its windows were blown out, but the explosion did not reach the necropolis nor the Roman-era triumphal arch, aqueducts and hippodrome that are also part of the site.
In antiquity, the city of Tyre was at various times Phoenician, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine.
While many of its inhabitants have fled the latest war, others remain alongside the city's precious relics.
Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame condemned what he called Israel's aggression.
"The archaeological sites do not contain any military or security presence. Therefore, this argument cannot be used to justify their bombing," he said.
There was no immediate comment in response to AFP's request from the Israeli army, which usually says it is targeting Hezbollah sites or operatives with its attacks.
"Lebanon is full of archaeological riches... and the Beirut depots do not have the capacity to accommodate all these threatened objects," said David Sassine, an expert at the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage.
This photograph taken on March 23, 2026, shows boxes filled with fragments of ancient pottery collected after an Israeli strike near the archaeological site of the Roman hippodrome in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre. (AFP)
- 'No one cares' -
There is also no guarantee that the objects would be safer in the capital, which is itself regularly bombed by Israel, and transporting the items from the south of the country, even under military escort, "remains risky", Sassine said.
During the previous Israel-Hezbollah conflict in 2024, gold coins, millennia-old amphorae and valuable sarcophagi were transferred to Beirut, where they have remained.
Tyre was heavily damaged by Israeli strikes during that war, while much of the population evacuated at the time.
Closer to the border, the citadel in the village of Shamaa was also partly destroyed by the Israeli military.
Saqlawi of the culture ministry said he believed attacks on historic sites were intentional.
"The Israelis know everything. They know your shoe size... and they know very well this is an archaeological site," he said.
Mustapha Najdi, a guard at the archaeological sites, was at the Al-Bass site when the March 6 strike hit.
"I heard a very violent impact. I fled and alerted the authorities," he said.
"No one cares about us," Najdi lamented, calling on "everyone who can to exert pressure to stop this barbarity".
"This civilization represents history, represents us all, Lebanese and non-Lebanese."
India’s Historic Haveli Homes Caught Between Revival and Ruinhttps://english.aawsat.com/culture/5254593-india%E2%80%99s-historic-haveli-homes-caught-between-revival-and-ruin
This photograph taken on February 2, 2026 shows a hospitality staff arranging tableware at the Dharampura Haveli, an 18th-century haveli-turned-heritage hotel in the old quarters of Delhi. (AFP)
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India’s Historic Haveli Homes Caught Between Revival and Ruin
This photograph taken on February 2, 2026 shows a hospitality staff arranging tableware at the Dharampura Haveli, an 18th-century haveli-turned-heritage hotel in the old quarters of Delhi. (AFP)
Once the grand residences of Mughal-era nobility, the Indian capital's haveli homes now stand at a fragile crossroads -- a handful lovingly restored but many more sliding quietly into ruin.
Across Old Delhi -- the 17th century walled city founded as the Mughal capital Shahjahanabad -- cracked facades, shuttered gateways and sagging balconies tell the story of a heritage under siege from neglect, inheritance battles and relentless urban pressure.
Only a few restored pockets provide a glimpse of what once was -- airy courtyards, carved sandstone pillars and homes built around a deeply social way of life.
Inside one restored mansion that now houses a cultural center, sunlight filters through stained glass onto carved sandstone arches, the air infused with freshly polished wood and rosewater.
Musicians tune their instruments in a frescoed courtyard, where nobles may once have entertained guests, offering a rare peek into Old Delhi's rich architectural past.
But outside in the narrow lanes of Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk district, the contrast is stark.
Many havelis are abandoned or on the verge of collapsing, their carved facades fading beneath peeling paint.
The contrast reflects two futures -- one of careful restoration and the other of gradual decay.
- 'Who will pay?' -
The Kathika Cultural Centre's founder Atul Khanna said his initiative hoped to create an immersive cultural space inside a restored structure.
But he admitted that conservation in Old Delhi remains a huge challenge.
Many havelis are split among multiple heirs, with no single stakeholder willing or able to invest in costly upkeep.
"When there are multiple ownerships, that becomes a challenge," he said.
"If the haveli is decaying, who is going to spend the money?"
Khanna also blamed bureaucratic hurdles for discouraging restoration.
"There should be some kind of a single window for anyone who is working with heritage," he said, arguing that easing red tape would be more effective than offering subsidies for restoration.
Another prominent restoration is the 18th century Haveli Dharampura, now converted into a heritage hotel.
"Restoration in Old Delhi is still isolated unless there is sustained support and awareness," said Vidyun Goel, whose family owns the property.
Residents say family disputes and the push to convert properties into shops or apartments have led to rapid decline.
In nearby Roshanpura, only a scattering of old homes still stand. Among them, the century-old Mathur ki Haveli is a rare example of a lived-in heritage home.
- Showpiece projects -
"We are in love with this house," said Ashok Mathur, a fourth-generation resident who continues to live in the ancestral property despite mounting challenges.
Wooden ceilings are deteriorating, floors are wearing thin and doors require constant repair, he said, walking through rooms that bear only traces of intricate craftsmanship.
Still, he said he has never considered leaving -- although he can only imagine the social world that once defined haveli life.
"There is no community left," Mathur, 56, said. "We are living in a cocoon."
Conservationist K. T. Ravindran said that while Old Delhi is economically vibrant, its havelis suffer from unclear titles and multiple claimants.
"Often buildings that look intact from outside conceal deeper damage," he said, noting that the condition was worse in the inner lanes hidden from public view.
Ravindran said revival was still possible, but only through neighborhood-level regeneration rather than isolated showpiece projects.
Oral historian Sohail Hashmi said each haveli once formed part of "a larger social ecosystem of neighborhoods, crafts and traditions", with architecture and community deeply intertwined.
As Khanna put it, the loss goes beyond architecture.
"When you lose a haveli, you are not only losing the structure," he said.
"Every element in it is a piece of art."
Charcoal Irons Illustrate Traditional Ironing Practices in Saudi Arabia’s Old Villageshttps://english.aawsat.com/culture/5254380-charcoal-irons-illustrate-traditional-ironing-practices-saudi-arabia%E2%80%99s-old-villages
Charcoal Irons Illustrate Traditional Ironing Practices in Saudi Arabia’s Old Villages
Charcoal irons were once a common household tool in village homes over six decades ago - SPA
Charcoal irons were once a common household tool in village homes over six decades ago, serving as the only way to iron clothes before they gradually fell out of use and now survive mainly as museum artifacts, SPA reported.
Several elders recalled that charcoal irons were widely used, with women relying on them for daily ironing.
Neighbors often lent or exchanged irons when needed, highlighting their importance and scarcity, and making them an integral part of village social life.
The charcoal iron worked similarly to a modern steam iron but required preparation where charcoal had to be burned to embers, placed inside the iron to heat the base, and water had to be manually sprayed to create steam for ironing.
SPA documented several charcoal irons preserved at a heritage museum in Rafha Governorate, Northern Borders Region. Licensed by the Heritage Commission, the museum illustrates the history of traditional household tools in the past.
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