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REPORT
the importance of preserving cultural and
heritage diversity.
The initial focus of the international preservation
movement concentrated on major monuments and
emerged after World War I. A key event in the
development of this concept was the 1959 campaign to
save the Abu Simbel temples in Egypt, located in a valley
that would be flooded once the Aswan Dam was
constructed. There was worldwide concern for the
preservation of these monuments, which were considered
universally important. The campaign led to their
successful relocation and to UNESCO establishing the
World Heritage Convention (concerning the Protection
of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage- 1972).
Internationally the attention of conservators moved from
major monuments to urban sites and vernacular
architecture, on the basis that monuments derive a large
part of their value from the context in which they are
situated. In this way the traditional fabric of the Newar
towns and private houses became incorporated into
heritage preservation programmes for the
Kathmandu Valley.
The idea behind the World Heritage Convention is the
protection of cultural and natural properties worldwide.
The World Heritage List is only a small part of the
convention, but has become the most widely recognised
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