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Gaza Cultural Heritage Brought to Light in Geneva

This photograph shows a mosaic pavement (Byzantine period, 579 AD) collected in 1997 from the site of a vanished Byzantine church in Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, displayed during an exhibition on the protection of cultural property in case of conflict entitled "Heritage in Peril", at the Art and History Museum in Geneva on October 3, 2024. (AFP)
This photograph shows a mosaic pavement (Byzantine period, 579 AD) collected in 1997 from the site of a vanished Byzantine church in Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, displayed during an exhibition on the protection of cultural property in case of conflict entitled "Heritage in Peril", at the Art and History Museum in Geneva on October 3, 2024. (AFP)
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Gaza Cultural Heritage Brought to Light in Geneva

This photograph shows a mosaic pavement (Byzantine period, 579 AD) collected in 1997 from the site of a vanished Byzantine church in Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, displayed during an exhibition on the protection of cultural property in case of conflict entitled "Heritage in Peril", at the Art and History Museum in Geneva on October 3, 2024. (AFP)
This photograph shows a mosaic pavement (Byzantine period, 579 AD) collected in 1997 from the site of a vanished Byzantine church in Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, displayed during an exhibition on the protection of cultural property in case of conflict entitled "Heritage in Peril", at the Art and History Museum in Geneva on October 3, 2024. (AFP)

Archaeological treasures from the Gaza Strip are going on display in Geneva, with the Swiss city protecting the heritage of a territory devastated by a year of war.

Amphoras, statuettes, vases, oil lamps and figurines are among the 44 objects unearthed in Gaza going on show in the "Patrimony in Peril" exhibition at the Museum of Art and History (MAH).

"It's a part of Gaza's soul. Its identity, even," Beatrice Blandin, the exhibition's curator, told AFP. "Heritage is really the history of this strip of land, the history of the people who live there."

The artifacts are from a collection of more than 530 objects that have been stored in crates in a secure warehouse in Geneva since 2007, unable to return to Gaza.

The exhibition, which runs from Saturday until February 9, also includes artifacts from Sudan, Syria and Libya.

It was staged to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

The exhibition looks at the responsibility of museums in saving such property from damage, looting and conflict, reminding visitors that deliberately destroying heritage is a war crime.

- Cultural damage in Gaza -

"The forces of obscurantism understand that cultural property is what is at stake for civilization, because they have never stopped wanting to destroy this heritage, as in Mosul," said Geneva city councilor Alfonso Gomez -- a reference to the northern Iraqi city captured by the ISIS group in 2014.

MAH director Marc-Olivier Wahler told AFP: "Unfortunately, in the event of conflict, many aggressors attack cultural heritage because it is obviously erasing the identity of a people, erasing its history."

Thankfully, "there are museums, rules and conventions that protect this heritage".

Since Israel's offensive in Gaza began following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, cultural sites in the Palestinian territory have paid a heavy price, says the United Nations' cultural organization.

UNESCO has verified damage to 69 sites: 10 religious sites, 43 buildings of historical and/or artistic interest, two depositories of movable cultural property, six monuments, one museum and seven archaeological sites.

- Stuck in Swiss warehouse -

At a time when Palestinian cultural heritage is "the victim of unprecedented destruction, the patrimonial value of the Gazan objects held in Geneva seems greater than ever", said the MAH.

Some of the objects belonged to the Palestinian Authority. The rest belonged to the Palestinian entrepreneur Jawdat Khoudary, but he later gave ownership of them to the PA in 2018.

These artifacts, evoking daily, civil and religious life from the Bronze Age to the Ottoman era, arrived in Geneva in 2006 to be shown at the "Gaza at the Crossroads of Civilizations" exhibition, inaugurated by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.

They had been meant to form the foundation of an archaeological museum to be built in Gaza.

Instead, they were stuck in Geneva for 17 years, the conditions for their safe return having never been met.

- Saved by circumstances -

"At the time when the objects were due to leave, Hamas took over the Gaza Strip and there were geopolitical tensions between Palestine and Israel," said Blandin.

This "coincidence of circumstances," she said, ultimately saved the artifacts: the rest of Khoudary's private collection, which remained in Gaza, has been "totally destroyed" since October 7 last year.

Following a new cooperation agreement signed last September between the Palestinian Authority and Geneva, the Swiss city has committed to looking after the artifacts for as long as necessary.

The MAH also served as a refuge, in 1939 when the Spanish Republicans evacuated by train the greatest treasures from the Museo del Prado in Madrid and several other major collections.

And last year, Geneva hosted an exhibition of Ukrainian works of art.

According to the Swiss Museums Association, Switzerland, along with counterparts in other countries, has also been able to help more than 200 museums in Ukraine preserve their collections after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

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Culture

Historic Jeddah Showcases Cultural Heritage at Umrah and Ziyarah Forum

The pavilion highlighted the distinctive architectural features of Historic Jeddah - SPA
The pavilion highlighted the distinctive architectural features of Historic Jeddah - SPA
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Historic Jeddah Showcases Cultural Heritage at Umrah and Ziyarah Forum

The pavilion highlighted the distinctive architectural features of Historic Jeddah - SPA
The pavilion highlighted the distinctive architectural features of Historic Jeddah - SPA

Historic Jeddah participated in the Umrah and Ziyarah Forum to highlight its historical role as a key gateway for pilgrims to Makkah, while introducing visitors to its cultural status and the ongoing development projects that reinforce its status as a heritage destination, SPA reported.

The pavilion introduced visitors to the "Historic Hajj Trail" supported by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, designed as a sequential narrative that retraces the pilgrim’s journey from arriving at Bab Al-Bunt Port, now the Red Sea Museum, to Makkah Gate, passing through prominent historical sites that reflect Jeddah’s role in serving pilgrims.

The pavilion highlighted the distinctive architectural features of Historic Jeddah and its long-standing role as a major port for pilgrims since the 7th century CE and also featured interactive content showcasing the area’s cultural and social fabric.

This participation forms part of the "Revitalization of Historic Jeddah" project, led by the Ministry of Culture, within the framework of the National Culture Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030.

Culture

Geisha Spectacle in Japan’s Kyoto Celebrates Arrival of Spring

Maiko (apprentice geisha) take part in a press interview ahead a rehearsal for the annual "Miyako Odori" -- which means "capital city dance" in Japanese, at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo in Kyoto on March 31, 2026. (AFP)
Maiko (apprentice geisha) take part in a press interview ahead a rehearsal for the annual "Miyako Odori" -- which means "capital city dance" in Japanese, at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo in Kyoto on March 31, 2026. (AFP)
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Geisha Spectacle in Japan’s Kyoto Celebrates Arrival of Spring

Maiko (apprentice geisha) take part in a press interview ahead a rehearsal for the annual "Miyako Odori" -- which means "capital city dance" in Japanese, at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo in Kyoto on March 31, 2026. (AFP)
Maiko (apprentice geisha) take part in a press interview ahead a rehearsal for the annual "Miyako Odori" -- which means "capital city dance" in Japanese, at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo in Kyoto on March 31, 2026. (AFP)

Against a backdrop of blooming cherry blossoms, a group of geishas elegantly shuffle onto a stage in Japan's Kyoto city to begin a centuries-old performance celebrating the arrival of spring.

Dressed in sky blue kimonos emblazoned with flowers, the dancers twist and twirl in unison in front of hundreds of spectators eager to see the annual "Miyako Odori" in the nation's spectacular ancient capital.

Geishas, known as geikos in Kyoto, and apprentices called maikos have been donning elaborate costumes and fluttering fans since the Miyako Odori -- or "capital city dance" -- first started in 1872.

"Just as cherry blossoms bloom when spring approaches, the Miyako Odori is a spring tradition in Kyoto," Kyoko Sugiura, head of the Yasaka Nyokoba Gakuen, a school for geishas in Kyoto's Gion district, told AFP.

In Japanese, the word geisha means "person of the arts", and can refer to a woman or man trained in traditional Japanese performing arts.

In the popular imagination geishas are often confused with courtesans but their work as trained masters of refined old artforms does not involve selling sex.

Their performances are usually small and private, and take place at high-class establishments which operate a no first-time customer policy.

"That's why it is often thought of as a very exclusive world," Sugiura said.

"But the Miyako Odori is a one-hour show in which geisha and maiko have the opportunity to showcase the arts they practise daily," she said.

"Anyone and everyone with a ticket can enjoy the show."

The Miyako Odori began soon after Kyoto hosted Japan's first national expo -- an effort to revitalize the western city following the relocation of the capital to Tokyo in 1869.

The format of the performance has not changed much, Sugiura explained, although the music and dance moves are sometimes switched up.

Maria Superata, a geisha expert who has worked with them as an interpreter, explained that the show "combines all of the traditional performing arts that you can see in Japan".

"For example, elements from kabuki (classical Japanese theatre), elements from traditional dance. So they have to act, they have to sing, they have to play the instruments, everything all in one," she said.

"That's why it's so special."

But the number of geishas, who once made a living through performing for Japan's wealthy elite, is in decline.

Superata said that fewer young Japanese want a life that demands huge discipline and comes with a strict practice schedule.

"Nowadays, young Japanese people... are not very interested that much in traditional art and in kimono."

Culture

Danish Warship Sunk by Nelson’s British Fleet Discovered After 225 Years

Morten Johansen, head of maritime archaeology at Denmark's Viking Ship Museum, shows a metal insignia recovered from the wreck of Danish flagship "Dannebroge" that sank during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP)
Morten Johansen, head of maritime archaeology at Denmark's Viking Ship Museum, shows a metal insignia recovered from the wreck of Danish flagship "Dannebroge" that sank during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP)
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Danish Warship Sunk by Nelson’s British Fleet Discovered After 225 Years

Morten Johansen, head of maritime archaeology at Denmark's Viking Ship Museum, shows a metal insignia recovered from the wreck of Danish flagship "Dannebroge" that sank during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP)
Morten Johansen, head of maritime archaeology at Denmark's Viking Ship Museum, shows a metal insignia recovered from the wreck of Danish flagship "Dannebroge" that sank during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP)

More than 200 years after being sunk by Adm. Horatio Nelson and the British fleet, a Danish warship has been discovered on the seabed of Copenhagen Harbor by marine archaeologists.

Working in thick sediment and almost zero visibility 15 meters (49 feet) beneath the waves, divers are in a race against time to unearth the 19th-century wreck of the "Dannebroge" before it becomes a construction site in a new housing district being built off the Danish coast.

Denmark’s Viking Ship Museum, which is leading the monthslong underwater excavations, announced its findings on Thursday, 225 years to the day since the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801.

“It’s a big part of the Danish national feeling,” said Morten Johansen, the museum’s head of maritime archaeology.

A great deal has been written about the battle “by very enthusiastic spectators, but we actually don’t know how it was to be onboard a ship being shot to pieces by English warships and some of that story we can probably learn from seeing the wreck,” Johansen said. The Associated Press was the only international outlet given access to the site.

In the Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson and the British fleet attacked and defeated Denmark’s navy as it formed a protective blockade outside the harbor.

Thousands were killed and wounded during the brutal hourslong naval clash, considered one of Nelson’s “great battles.” The intention was to force Denmark out of an alliance of Northern European powers, including Russia, Prussia and Sweden.

At the center of the fighting was the Danish flagship, the Dannebroge, commanded by Commodore Olfert Fischer.

The 48-meter (157-foot) Dannebroge was Nelson’s main target. Cannon fire tore through its upper deck before incendiary shells sparked a fire aboard.

“(It was) a nightmare to be on board one of these ships,” Johansen said. “When a cannonball hits a ship, it’s not the cannonball that does the most damage to the crew, it’s wooden splinters flying everywhere, very much like grenade debris.”

The battle also is believed to have inspired the phrase “to turn a blind eye.” After deciding to ignore a superior’s signal, Nelson, who had lost sight in his right eye, reportedly remarked: “I have only one eye, I have a right to be blind sometimes.”

Nelson eventually offered a truce and a ceasefire was later agreed with Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik.

The stricken Dannebroge slowly drifted northward and exploded. Records say the sound created a deafening roar across Copenhagen.

Marine archaeologists have discovered two cannons, uniforms, insignia, shoes, bottles and even part of a sailor’s lower jaw, perhaps one of the 19 unaccounted-for crew members who likely lost their lives that day.

The dig site will soon be enveloped by construction work for Lynetteholm, a megaproject to build a new housing district in the middle of Copenhagen Harbor that is expected to be completed by 2070.

Marine archaeologists began surveying the area late last year, targeting a spot thought to match the flagship’s final position.

Experts say the sizes of the wooden parts found match old drawings. Dendrochronological dating, the method of using tree rings to establish the age of wood, match the year the ship was built. They also say the darkened dig site is full of cannonballs, a hazard for divers navigating waters darkened by clouds of silt stirred up from the seabed.

“Sometimes you can’t see anything, and then you really have to just feel your way, look with your fingers instead of with your eyes,” diver and maritime archaeologist Marie Jonsson said.

Chronicled in books and painted on canvases, the 1801 battle is deeply embedded in Denmark’s national story.

Archaeologists hope their discoveries may help reexamine the event that shaped the Scandinavian country and perhaps uncover personal stories of those who went into battle on that day 225 years ago.

“There are bottles, there are ceramics, and even pieces of basketry,” Jonsson said. “You get closer to the people onboard.”