Washington — On virtually every continent, treasures from ancient civilizations are being conserved and restored through a U.S. program dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage in countries around the globe.

Since 2001, the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) has provided grant support to cultural heritage projects in 120 countries. To date, the Ambassadors Fund — administered by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs — has supported more than 500 projects, totaling more than $13.4 million, sending a strong message about the importance the United States places on the conservation of the culture of nations from every world region. In 2008, the fund supported projects in 60 countries.

“We look for well-crafted proposals for projects that meet the AFCP funding mandate and project criteria, and also make the case for cultural significance, urgency, sustainability, among other things,” said Martin Perschler, AFCP program coordinator. Funded projects have included technical support for the restoration of historic buildings, assessment and conservation of museum collections, archaeological site preservation, documentation to save traditional crafts, improved storage conditions for archives and manuscripts, and documentation of indigenous languages, music and dance.

A recent project supported by the Ambassadors Fund was the preservation of a mosque in Gao, Mali. The project helped support preservation of the remaining fragments of a mosque built in 1324 by Emperor Kankou Moussa, following his pilgrimage to Mecca. Designed by an Andalusian architect, the mosque bears witness to the exchange between the Sudan and the Mediterranean regions. The project included the construction of a protective shelter, the installation of interpretive site information and publication of a brochure on the history of the site.

“One of the most important impacts of this project was to raise local awareness and pride in Malian cultural heritage,” said Stephanie Syptak, a U.S. public affairs officer in Mali.

The Ambassadors Fund also supported preservation of traditional courtyards in northern Togo in 2006. “This project supported the preservation and documentation of ancient floor pavements in the north of Togo,” said Perschler. “Courtyards of housing compounds were traditionally paved with pottery shards, creating a mosaic. Samples dating to the 14th century were once found in Nigeria, Benin and Togo. Sites in Togo are the only remaining examples of this tradition, and only a few elderly women hold knowledge of this craft.”

One fascinating project from 2007 was the collection and cataloguing of 30 traditional Cambodian folk tales, as part of the Prasat Han Chey Conservation and Restoration Project, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The last effort to collect Khmer folk tales took place more than 50 years ago. Most of the current storytellers are more than 90 years old, making the preservation of these fables extremely urgent. Thanks to help from the Ambassadors Fund, the stories will reach a wider audience because they will be published in both English and Khmer.

Two mosques dating from the mid-17th to early 18th centuries on the island of Pemba in Tanzania were restored through a grant from the Ambassadors Fund in 2006. The mosques contain unique features combining Swahili and Persian architecture, and had fallen into disrepair from the harsh climate and lack of maintenance.

An important archaeological project supported by the Ambassadors Fund was the preservation and exhibition of artifacts from the Hepu Temple (circa 200 B.C.-A.D. 200) in China. So far, the Ambassadors Fund has helped support nine projects in China. The Hepu Tombs, from the Han Dynasty, are in Guangxi province. Not only were the artifacts preserved, but the fund helped provide assistance with site protection to prevent looting. Hepu became an urban center in 111 B.C. This ancient port city was a key link on the so-called Silk Road of the Sea, which enabled maritime trade to flourish along the coastal areas of South China, reaching to Vietnam and beyond.

In 2005, the Ambassadors Fund helped restore and preserve precious historic architecture in Turkmenistan. The Ak-Sray-Ding Tower is located in the northern Turkmenistan town of Kunya Urgench and has become an important Sunni Muslim pilgrimage site. Located near the tower is a saints’ cemetery, where Turkmen say that God receives their prayers.

According to Turkmen legend, the tower represents the gift of a rich man to his daughter, who died as a young woman. Legend says that the daughter appeared to her father in a dream, asking him to build her a kejebe, or saddle with a canopy, which is traditionally placed atop a bride’s camel during Turkmen wedding processions. Her father built the tower, which resembles a kejebe, over her grave.

During the 1950s, however, the Khorezm Expedition inspected the site and determined that it could be the top of a watchtower for a long-buried city. The tower is located in Dashoguz, the northernmost region of Turkmenistan. Although Russian architects included the tower in a listing of unique historical building sites in 1947, archaeologists never researched the site properly until the Ambassadors Fund offered help. The tower probably dates from A.D. 11-12.

The Ambassadors Fund was established by Congress in 2001 to assist countries in preserving their cultural heritage. U.S. ambassadors from eligible countries submit proposals for an annual competition. Organizations interested in the program may contact the public affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in eligible countries. “Proposals are submitted in the fall, and the awards are granted in the spring,” said Perschler.

The AFCP also has helped to reinforce each participating nation’s cultural identity and strengthen community solidarity. Through a wide range of cultural preservation projects, the Ambassadors Fund promotes cooperation with other countries, reducing the threat of pillage of irreplaceable cultural artifacts and developing educational initiatives as well as long-term strategies for preserving cultural property.

For more information, see the AFCP page at the U.S. State Department Web site.