Cultural Heritage Rescue Prize Awarded in Palermo to Baghdad Librarian Syed Khaled

The third edition of the Cultural Heritage Rescue Prize was awarded in Palermo on June 7-8, 2018, to Syed Khaled, director of the al-Qadiriyya Library in Baghdad. The ceremony took place at Villa Niscemi, with a conference at Teatro Massimo. Khaled saved 2,900 manuscripts and 86,000 volumes from destruction, despite a missile, an ISIS car bomb, and repeated threats. The prize is organized by the association Incontro di Civiltà, chaired by Francesco Rutelli, and supported by UNESCO, ICCROM, the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, and the World Monuments Fund. Previous winners include Mamoun Abdul Karim (2014) and Ahmad Naser Sarmast (2016). Rutelli announced plans for a global database for endangered heritage and an agreement with Iraqi authorities for post-conflict reconstructions, with support from the Farnesina, MIBACT, and Fondazione Terzo Pilastro. Palermo's mayor Leoluca Orlando emphasized cultural openness and human rights. The conference featured speakers including Sicilian governor Nello Musumeci, regional assessor Sebastiano Tusa, Europa Nostra secretary general Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, and Teatro Massimo superintendent Francesco Giambrone. The event highlighted the Mediterranean's cultural centrality and the symbolic value of biodiversity, referencing Francesco Lojacono's painting chosen by Manifesta 12.