When people hear the word cultural heritage, they often imagine art and artifacts, historical monuments, buildings, and archeological sites. However, the concept of cultural heritage is much more than that. It is the collection of all cultural expressions that represent a group’s identity and its relationship with natural surroundings. The selection of which objects, monuments, and even natural environments are deemed to be heritage can set the course for future cultural narratives and societal consensus about both past and present.
Cultural heritage is a complex and constantly evolving concept. Its emergence is rooted in the historically changing values that different groups of people recognize and develop. These value systems, in turn, create a variety of cultural heritage categories and the corresponding terms such as world heritage, national heritage, etc.
The cultural heritage concept emerged from the recognition of the importance of preserving cultural manifestations that are considered to be of outstanding universal value. This is based on the understanding that cultural heritage is not only a source of identity, but also a source of inspiration for current and future generations of humankind.
When a cultural heritage object is lost, it leaves a gap in the memory of a society. It also diminishes the ability of the community to maintain and develop its identity, and thus its capacity for self-government and sustainable development.
It can also cause the loss of the knowledge and skills that were passed down to previous generations. This is why it is important to preserve cultural heritage, and in particular intangible heritage.
Intangible cultural heritage consists of traditions, oral history, performing arts, social practices, traditional craftsmanship, representations, and rituals that are transmitted through the members of a community, or even a whole society. It includes the dizzying array of traditions such as tango and flamenco, Arabian night music and folklore, Chinese shadow puppetry, Kabuki theatre, Azerbaijani carpet weaving traditions, Mediterranean cuisine, Vedic chanting, and polyphonic singing of the Aka people of Central Africa, to name just a few.
Unlike tangible heritage, intangible cultural heritage cannot be measured or appraised. Therefore, its preservation and conservation are more difficult than that of the built heritage. In addition, it is important to distinguish between “maintenance” – maintaining the fabric of heritage in its existing state and retarding its deterioration – and restoration, which refers to returning a site to its known earlier state without introducing any new material to it.
There are various challenges to preserving and conserving cultural heritage, especially in developing countries where the resources needed for maintenance are often not available. Moreover, there are instances when local communities do not consider their cultural heritage valuable or even see it as a hindrance to their access to modern society and economic wealth. In these cases, it is crucial to ensure that cultural heritage is preserved in a way that is respectful of the rights of the local community.