While the order does not mention the reason behind the closure, it refers to earlier orders of January 6 and January 18 whereby the iconic monument was closed from January 19 to January 22 due to a bird flu alert.

The monument was also shut from January 22 to January 26 due to the Republic Day celebrations. However, it was supposed to be open for visitors on January 27, but it did not.

It is believed that this time the closure time will be utilised to ascertain any damage that might have been caused to the iconic monument when it was overrun by protesters on January 26.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel toured the Red Fort on Wednesday to take stock of the situation. He has sought a report on the incident from the ASI.

Pictures and videos showing sections of the Red Fort complex, including the metal detector gate and ticket counter, vandalized surfaced on social media in the aftermath of the Republic Day violence.

There is a total of 173 monuments in Delhi protected under the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI). These included Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutab Minar – all three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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This extraordinary find is discovered in the archaeological park’s Regio V site, which is not yet open to the public.

Traces of nearly 2,000-year-old food were found in some of the deep terracotta jars containing hot food which the shop keeper transformed into a counter with circular holes.

The front of the counter was decorated with frescoes, some painted with animals that were ingredients in the food, such as chicken and ducks.

There was a multi-sided counter with deep vessels for hot food, similar to soup containers.

Archaeologists also found a decorated bronze drinking bowl known as patera, ceramic jars used for cooking stews and soups, wine flasks and amphora. They also traces of pork, fish, snails and beef had been found in the containers.

“This is an extraordinary find. It’s the first time we are excavating an entire termopolium,” said Massimo Ossana, director of the Pompeii archaeological park.

Pompeii was buried in a volcanic eruption in 79AD and is one of Italy’s most popular tourist attractions.

Nearly 80 fast food sites have been found at Pompeii but this is the first time an eatery has been entirely excavated, he added.

Around 13,000 people were living in Pompeii, 14 miles from Naples, when it was buried in ash, pumice and dust.

The ruins were discovered in the 16th century and excavations began around 1750. Around two-thirds of the town has been uncovered.

Pompeii, one of Italy’s most popular attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a rare documentation of Greco-Roman life.

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Sharjah has a new cultural edifice and iconic architectural marvel in keeping with the emirate’s year-long tenure as UNESCO World Book Capital 2019 – the House of Wisdom situated near the University City of Sharjah. It was inaugurated by H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on December 9.

Reimagined as a library of the 21st century, the House of Wisdom has been designed as an immersive space for learning, sharing, creating, and accessing knowledge. Built in modern architectural style, it has 15 lobbies and halls spread across two storeys set on an elevated platform spanning 12,000 square metres. Natural light bathes the key spaces like the huge lobby, the Al Rasheed Hall, the Espresso Books, Knowledge Terrace, the Wisdom Vault and the Al Ma’moun Exhibition; the Little Reader, the Wisdom Square, the Ibn Duraid Reading Area, the Al Jazri Lab, the Ladies Diwan, the Al Jarhmi Library, and the Al Khawarizmi Exhibition.

Developed by Shurooq, the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, the new knowledge centre and digital library complex represents libraries of the future – a flexible design that allows the library to grow with the times, vast digital resources, a fabrication lab with 3D printers to build prototypes of experimental projects and cutting-edge technology to print and bind books within minutes. The library’s futuristic suspended private pods for quiet reading and a host of collaborative community spaces are designed in a way that promotes academic and non-academic pursuits, social learning and cultural interaction.

Designed by Foster + Partners, an award-winning architectural firm, the structure also includes lecture halls, reading lounges, exhibition spaces, a dedicated children’s educational area, a central courtyard, a café, a restaurant, and outdoor gardens where you will find local varieties of fig, ghaf and palm trees.

The library will be home to 305,000 books, of which 200,000 are in the digital format and 11,000 hard copies in various languages. The children’s library called “The Little Reader” houses more than 2,000 books, while the library dedicated to youth has 3,000 titles.

There is a “Book espresso machine” that can print and bind books on demand in minutes, along with the digital self-service station.

The Al Jazari Laboratory (Fabrication Lab), named in honour of scientific inventor Badi Alzaman Al Jazar (1136 AD – 1206 AD), is equipped with state-of-the-art 3D printers, laser and vinyl cutting machines, and Computer Numerical Control tools.

There are spaces dedicated to women and children, such as the Ladies Diwan and a library for children aged between 3 and 10 years.

Iraqi-born, New York-based artist Wafaa Bilal’s solo exhibition titled “168: 01” is showing at the centre now. The exhibition conveys the historic loss caused by a fire that destroyed more than 70,000 books at the library of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Baghdad in 2003. A prominent exhibit features a makeshift library filled with empty white books. Visitors to the exhibition are invited to replace the blank books with real ones to restore the destroyed collection in Iraqi universities and institutes in Baghdad, Mosul, Babylon, as well as in the Iraqi National Museum. Another display is of ‘The Ashes Series’, a collection of detailed miniature reconstructions of original press photographs that captured the destruction caused by the Iraq War.

The Al Rasheed Hall is a space for hosting seminars, events, and conferences. The landscaped gardens feature 331 trees of 12 different species. It overlooks the Sharjah World Book Capital 2019 monument, “The Scroll” – a 36.5-metre piece of public art created by British sculptor Gerry Judah.

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“World heritage sites have become the platforms for knowledge exchange between diverse cultures and civilizations that evolved in history across time. Hagia Sophia is an important example of interaction and dialogue between Asia and Europe and should remain a witness to harmonious human history,” she elaborated.
The Minister emphasized the importance of the statement issued by UNESCO, which had stressed that Hagia Sophia was part of historic Istanbul. The UAE is a member of the UNESCO’s Executive Board.
“It is designated as a heritage museum by UNESCO. It is an architectural marvel and is a unique witness to the interaction between Asia and Europe across centuries. It is a symbol of dialogue,” she said.
The UNESCO demanded in its statement that countries that are home to cultural heritage sites should not alter them in ways that harm their outstanding universal value. A country that wants to alter anything should inform UNESCO in advance so the world heritage committee could look into it if need be.

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The case was brought by a Turkish NGO seeking an annulment of the decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a museum after being a mosque for nearly 500 years, a move backed by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Shortly after the ruling, Erdogan signed a decree opening Hagia Sophia for prayers.

Built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453. In 1934 it became a museum and is now a Unesco World Heritage site.

Islamists in Turkey long called for it to be converted to a mosque but secular opposition members opposed the move. The proposal prompted criticism from religious and political leaders worldwide.

Defending the decision, the President stressed that the country had exercised its sovereign right in converting it back to a mosque.

He told a press conference the first Muslim prayers would be held inside the building on July 24.

“Like all our mosques, the doors of Hagia Sophia will be wide open to locals and foreigners, Muslims and non-Muslims,” he added.

Making changes at Hagia Sophia is profoundly symbolic. It was Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, who decreed that it should be a museum. President Erdogan is now taking one more step to dismantle Ataturk’s secular legacy, and remould Turkey according to his vision. The Turkish leader – who presents himself as a modern day conqueror – is making no apologies for the change. He says anyone who doesn’t like it – and plenty abroad don’t – is attacking Turkey’s sovereignty.

Unesco has said it “deeply regrets” the decision to turn the museum into a mosque and called on the Turkish authorities to “open a dialogue without delay.” The organisation had urged Turkey not to change its status without discussion.

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