A remarkable series of documentaries based on an idea by Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Supreme Commission for Tourism & Antiquities, is currently being shown on BBC World News. The series highlights the work of heritage heroes across the world from Saudi Arabia to China.

Originally, Prince Sultan asked Dr. Zahir Othman, director general of the Riyadh based Al Turath Foundation, to write a proposal for a book, “100 Stories from the Heritage Front Lines.” “After many discussions with scholars from around the world, it was deemed better to produce a TV series first,” said Prince Sultan who was appointed Chairman of the Heritage Heroes jury.

After an exhaustive search, a shortlist of about 100 potential heroes was set up. Then, 18 “heroes” from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life were finally selected to be filmed.

Heritage Heroes is a seven-part series, which tells the story of how, in the midst of the rush to modernize and expand our urban landscape, individuals, neighborhoods and organizations have managed to salvage a part of our endangered inheritance. These 18 heroes, three per program, demonstrate how restoration can contribute positively to society by reviving crafts, attracting tourists, stimulating the economy and contributing to our communal sense of well-being.

There are moving stories from Morocco, Egypt, Zanzibar, Bahrain and India as well as Turkey, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

The undisputed heritage hero in the Kingdom is Ahmed Tourshi who began the restoration of his own village of Rejal Almaa 25 years ago. He started first with his house and ended by renovating the old village:

“When I finished restoring my palace, other villagers saw the fruits of my labor and said why not start restoring other houses? So, I said I spent my own money here, and they said OK, let’s do more, whatever the cost. We did one after the other, and then in the end, we had nine houses done,” explained Tourshi.

Prince Sultan sees Rejal Almaa as an inspiration. “It was an experience of people, a group that believed in culture and heritage, who wanted to protect it and who saw the benefits of protecting their own heritage,” said Prince Sultan.

An expert panel to debate the issues brought up in the series will broadcast from Riyadh at the end of the series on July 31 and Aug. 1. BBC’s Zeinab Badawi will moderate the 50-minute discussion program. Panelists including Prince Sultan, Francesco Bandarin, Mohammed Benaissa from Morocco, Amita Baig from India and Theresa de Anchorena from Argentina, will answer questions about the organizing theme: “Heritage: Whose Responsibility?”

Prince Sultan — the first Arab in Space — said that as he was looking down on earth, he was struck by how we owed it to ourselves to preserve our past. For a people with no past, have no present and no future:

“It has given me particular pleasure to see how in the Islamic world, home to fully one third of all world heritage sites, the authorities, the public and business are waking up to the threats to the magnificent legacy in our cities, towns and villages…I harbor the hope the series will inspire others ‘to get out there’ and contribute to the conservation of our urban treasures,” he concluded.

The Heritage Heroes series has been extremely popular since it was aired on June 19. Enthusiastic viewers have already submitted around 100 nominations for a planned second series. Robert Lamb, Executive Producer of the series, said: “We have been taken back by the tremendous feedback we have received for Heritage Heroes.”
 
— To know when the episodes will be aired on BBC World News, or to watch episodes you’ve missed, log on to www.heritageheroes.org