Cultural Surfing: Google Arts Joins Hands With US State Dept to Show Global Heritage

1,100 Ambassadors Fund projects in over 130 countries around the world are now available, allowing viewers to explore new heritage sites, with help from the US State Department.

As part of the World Heritage Day programme on the 18th of April, Google Arts & Culture, in a partnership with the US Department of State announced that it was offering the opportunity to virtually explore heritage preservation projects at sites around the world.

"Cultural heritage sites, objects, and traditions are a point of pride for people the world over, but they also require care and vigilance," - wrote the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State’s Lee Satterfield. "That’s why the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center works with governments and organisations to preserve and protect cultural heritage from both natural and man-made threats through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP)."

The newly-dedicated section, for example, includes the royal residence of Nepal’s kings, Gaddi Baithak. The audience can also explore 100 new images of sites like the 13th-century al-Imam al-Shafi mausoleum in Cairo or the Buddhist temple Wat Chaiwatthanaram at Ayutthaya in Thailand.

The aim of the project is not only to introduce new places and provide information about their importance, but also to raise awareness about the struggle to preserve the world's cultural heritage, so that guests can participate in their own communities.

The Cultural Heritage Centre promised to update the site with future stories and to expand the list of culturally important places.