The challenges for preserving glorious heritage of Sudan: Status and solutions

Heritage conservation is always of interest to contemporary society. But the practice is often vague and full of challenges that need a multidisciplinary specialist. Cultural heritage conservation has also been recognized as an essential part of countries’ development plans, yet it faces multi-dimensional challenges and pressures. The threats to it have been acknowledged by the global community and national governments alike. This has generated actions such as international charters and guidelines in order to organize, govern and control any sort of intervention. Sudan has a rich history and very ancient civilization. But now most archaeological sites are under threat. The country is seeking help from international missions in order to protect the broad range of its heritage. This includes missions from European countries such as Germany, Britain, France and Poland. This analytical study examines the content of the license and the archeological law in order to find the gaps that lead to issues in heritage conservation practice. The paper highlights the challenges and issues and makes some recommendation for the future. The experience of Sudan is not isolated and it provides a beneficial case study, which may offer valuable lessons to other developing countries. Conservation of heritage is a cultural issue, and so capacity building and local awareness play a crucial role in enhancing and sustaining conservation projects.