Paris Exhibit Documents Global Heritage Loss

Why this is here: Following October 7th, 2023 attacks, satellite data indicated 81% of buildings in Gaza were damaged or destroyed, and 86.1% of cultivated land rendered unusable.

The Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine in Paris currently hosts “Patrimoines en résistance,” an exhibition documenting sites of global heritage threatened by war and armed conflict. The exhibit displays photographs and short films from locations including Gaza, Ukraine, and Iraq, highlighting international efforts to preserve these cultural treasures. In 2012, the destruction of the mausoleums of Tombouctou in Mali was designated a war crime by The Hague, prompting widespread reconstruction efforts.

The exhibition also features the deliberate destruction of the Lion of Athena statue in Palmyra, Syria, by Daesh in 2015, and the killing of the site’s director, Khaled al-Asaad. Damage assessments in Gaza, as of October 2025, reveal that 81% of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, impacting 5,000 years of history. While the exhibit showcases restoration projects like the “Revive the Spirit of Mosul” initiative, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and tensions in the Caucasus region demonstrate that protecting cultural heritage remains a complex challenge.

The exhibit runs through January 3, 2027, and serves as a visual record of loss, but also of resilience and reconstruction.