Save $20 when you purchase all 4 sessions of the Endangered UNESCO World Heritage Sites course!
COURSE DESCRIPTION
There are 1,121 UNESCO World Heritage sites throughout the world. Each of them offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of complex civilizations, empires, and religions. Some, however, are facing an existential crisis. This series offers an in-depth overview of four UNESCO World Heritage sites that have suffered grievous damage in recent decades, from Palmyra to the Great Barrier Reef. Each lavishly illustrated program goes far beyond the typical tourist experience by incorporating the insights of the latest scholarship and research.
Justin M. Jacobs, associate professor of history at American University, is the author of several books, including The Compensations of Plunder: How China Lost Its Treasures. He is currently producing a 24-episode series on UNESCO World Heritage Sites for The Great Courses.
Session Information
Timbuktu
Though it is often considered a remote, mysterious, and even imaginary place in the Western imagination, Timbuktu was at the center of the Islamic world in the 15th and 16th centuries. Profiting off the wealth accumulated from its position on an important sub-Saharan trade route, Timbuktu quickly became a seat of Muslim learning and helped facilitate the early Islamization of much of northern Africa. Jacobs pays particular attention to the tens of thousands of ancient Arabic manuscripts that have emerged from private collections over the past half century, with the goal of understanding how Timbuktu has become a new site of ideological contestation in our own era.
Additional Sessions
If you are interested in additional Endangered UNESCO World Heritage Sites sessions this spring, view the upcoming schedule:
Patron Information
- If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
- Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
- Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
- Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
- View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.
