H.E. David Lane, US Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies in Rome meets trainees of the stone conservation unit at Angkor Wat temple
08 December 2013
SIEM REAP, Cambodia – H.E. David Lane, US Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies in Rome toured Angkor Park in December 2013. At Angkor Wat, he met the trainees of the Stone Conservation Unit (SCU) who were taking part in a workshop withICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) consultant and conservation expert Simon Warrack.
During the workshop, students studied chisel marks on an unfinished wall to determine what tools the ancient stone carvers used.
“In his way they can understand how their ancestors carved the temple,” Simon Warrack explained. “Later, they will actually carve some sandstone using these traditional techniques.” By understanding how the temples were built, the students improve their ability to preserve them into the future.
The US Mission to the United Nations supports the conservation of cultural heritage, such as preservation projects at Angkor Wat and Phnom Bakeng.