Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

Cultural Heritage Sites Destroyed by Earthquakes

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer

Here I Am

by Jonathan Safran Foer
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (9):
  • First Published:
  • Sep 6, 2016, 592 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jun 2017, 592 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Cultural Heritage Sites Destroyed by Earthquakes

This article relates to Here I Am

Print Review

In Here I Am, a severe earthquake destroys practically all of Israel's (and its neighboring countries') cultural heritage sites. While this situation is fictional, there have been real instances of prized world heritage sites being destroyed or damaged by catastrophic seismic events. Here are a few examples of many:

The Erwang Temple, China
Erwang TempleChina's Sichuan province, home to a number of cultural heritage sites, is prone to earthquakes. When a major one struck in 2008, one of the primary treasures that suffered severe damage was the Erwang temple, built almost 2,000 years ago. The temple complex, situated on the eastern banks of the Dujiangyan dam on the Minjiang River, was built in harmony with the surrounding nature, and the associated irrigation system is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The dam is studied by engineers for its architecture that controls water flow without use of a firm wall.

The earthquake destroyed the temple's entrance gate and several shrines and halls in the complex, as well as many valuable historic artifacts. The Chinese government, with additional international financial aid, restored the temple, an important part of China's cultural heritage.

Bam, Iran
BamIn 2003, an earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck Iran, killing thousands. Its epicenter was located at the ancient city of Bam, a popular tourist spot and home to a 2,000-year-old citadel. Built of mud bricks and the trunks of palm trees, the ancient monument and surrounding city are believed to be one of a kind in the world and are part of UNESCO's World Heritage sites. In 2004, they were listed by UNESCO as "in Danger." Such a designation allows diversion of monetary aid for protection and reconstruction of destroyed properties, as well as proactively launches international campaigns to prevent further damage to sites. Most of the monuments in Bam date back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when the city was an important stop on the Silk Road. UNESCO is directing international efforts to salvage this ancient treasure.

Kathmandu's Durbar Square
Durbar Square in KathmanduMore recently, in 2015, a severe earthquake of magnitude 7.6 shook Nepal, taking more than 8,000 lives. The country as a whole is a fusion of Hinduism and Buddhism, and many cultural treasures celebrating this diversity, built in the Kathmandu valley, were destroyed in the earthquake. According to World Monuments Fund, a UK-based nonprofit dedicated to "preserving the world's most treasured places,": "In the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur, many buildings collapsed completely, while others sustained major structural damage. Other religious sites, such as Swayambhunath temple, one of Buddhism's most important shrines, were also damaged. Throughout the country, around 750 monuments were affected by the earthquake, according to Nepal's Department of Archaeology." Specifically, in Durbar Square, sections of the Hanuman Dhoka, the city's oldest palace - built by the Malla kings in the 16th century - collapsed, in addition to the pagodas of several temples.

Durbar Square in Patan UNESCO has launched a special rehabilitation project in Nepal. In a statement, Director General Irina Bokova lauded the endeavor as having "a unique potential to create jobs, improve livelihoods and foster economic development and cultural tourism."

"In all this, we do not seek only to rebuild heritage," she added, "We aim to ensure the continuity of cultural practices, the transmission of local knowledge, the continuity of the identity of communities."

Erwang temple
Dujiangyan irrigation system
Bam
Durbar Square of Kathmandu
Durbar Square of Patan

Filed under Cultural Curiosities

Article by Poornima Apte

This "beyond the book article" relates to Here I Am. It originally ran in September 2016 and has been updated for the June 2017 paperback edition. Go to magazine.

This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access become a member today.
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: The Missing Thread
    The Missing Thread
    by Daisy Dunn
    The fabric of ancient history is stitched heavily with stories of dramatic politics, conquest, and ...
  • Book Jacket: Model Home
    Model Home
    by Rivers Solomon
    Rivers Solomon's novel Model Home opens with a chilling and mesmerizing line: "Maybe my mother is ...
  • Book Jacket
    The Frozen River
    by Ariel Lawhon
    "I cannot say why it is so important that I make this daily record. Perhaps because I have been ...
  • Book Jacket
    Prophet Song
    by Paul Lynch
    Paul Lynch's 2023 Booker Prize–winning Prophet Song is a speedboat of a novel that hurtles...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Book Jacket
The Rose Arbor
by Rhys Bowen
An investigation into a girl's disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense.
Who Said...

To make a library it takes two volumes and a fire. Two volumes and a fire, and interest. The interest alone will ...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.