Saving Ayutthaya, brick by brick
By Manote Tripathi 
Special to the Nation 

 

International conservation experts gathered in Ayutthaya recently for a symposium on the conservation of brick monuments. Nation/Chalinee Thirasupa

 

As conservators fret, a symposium seeks for fresh-solutions to protect the ancient capital’s historical temples

 

AYUTTHAYA: -- Since its heyday as the capital of the Thai kingdom, Ayutthaya has always been vulnerable to the forces of nature. Now as the crown jewel of Thailand’s cultural tourism, and a Unesco world heritage site, Ayutthaya’s brick monuments need constant attention as they face up to the perennial threats of seasonal flooding, rain, humidity and bio-growth. 

Despite exemplary conservation work by the Fine Arts Department, Ayutthaya needs to refresh its conservation perspective and learn from international perspectives, according to conservation experts who attended a symposium held in Ayutthaya last month.

“The International Symposium on the Conservation of Brick Monuments at World Heritage Sites”, organised by the Fine Arts Department in conjunction with Unesco and the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust for Unesco, brought together a vast array of international experts in archaeology and conservation from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, France, Germany and the United States.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/life/art_culture/30299811

 

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