FLA’s Preservation and Conservation (PAC) Centre hosted at Qatar National Library brought multiple stakeholders together in a recent webinar to discuss the trafficking of documentary cultural heritage in their region.

The “What is Antiquities Trafficking?” webinar was presented as part of the Himaya Project Lecture Series. This initiative seeks to counter the theft and trafficking of documentary heritage, such as manuscripts, in the MENA region and neighbouring countries by engaging international agencies and regional organisations in this effort.

To this end, the recent webinar examined the structures of supply chains for the illicit trade of cultural property in this region, identified key stakeholders, and explored the sources, transit routes and market countries of the illegal activity.

It is vital that all stakeholders understand this complex issue and can act quickly and cooperatively to counteract the smuggling of cultural property. In many regions, the illicit sale of artifacts and documentary heritage is directly linked to criminal and terrorist groups and money laundering activities.

This event was featured by news outlets across the region. See articles online in English here as well as in Arabic here for more on the webinar and the Himaya Project Lecture Series itself. 

If you are interested in learning more about trafficking of cultural property, or the work of the PAC Centre at Qatar National Library, visit their website or reach out to IFLA: claire.mcguire@ifla.org