UNESCO expresses its deep regret at the passing of Dr Michael Jansen
Dr Michael Jansen was a scholar and professor in conservation engineering, and the Managing Director of the German University of Technology | GUtech · Urban Planning and Architectural Design in Oman.
"We pay tribute to the memory of Michael Jansen and for the immense contribution he made to safeguarding heritage of many countries. He has been involved for decades as expert in heritage conservation and monitoring in many countries. His interdisciplinary approach and open personality, throughout his professional career and life, inspired numerous heritage practitioners and professionals in the world. His intellectual and scientific contribution was significant, especially in one of the UNESCO’s most known international campaigns - to Save Mohenjo Daro (Pakistan) – as well as the preservation of the Buddhas of Bamiyan (Afghanistan)" said Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of UNESCO World Heritage.
Professor Jansen was one of the most active Board Members to the International Safeguarding Campaign of Mohenjodaro, which was launched in 1974 and lasted until 1997, to implement large scale conservation measures to address the complex issues of flooding, implementation of national capacity building activities and for the installation of a conservation and monitoring laboratory. Thanks to the campaign, an estimated 150 million people around the world, including schoolchildren, were informed about Moenjodaro and the ancient Indus civilization.
Numerous UNESCO World Heritage sites in Asia, Arab States and beyond, benefitted from Professor Jansen’s long experience and knowledge. These include notably the preservation projects for and debates surrounding the two Buddhas of the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley, destroyed in March 2001 and inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2003, through field missions and his participation in the sessions of the Bamiyan expert Working Group.
UNESCO extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Michael Jansen and will remember with immense gratitude his untiring efforts in the safeguarding of cultural heritage, through which he shared his extensive knowledge and passion for heritage with the world at large.