Terrorism and cultural heritage: an unconventional threat assessment

Information and communication technology (ICT) plays a significant role in making cultural heritage preservation activities find acceptance and appreciation from society. By using Web 2.0 developments, preservationists may strengthen the idiosyncrasy of cultural heritage. For Indonesia, highlighting a unique cultural heritage is important since Indonesia has cultural similarities with other countries. An intensive dialogue among historians, anthropologists, artists, activists, and other participants can facilitate the meta-reflection which is needed in formulating cultural heritage. Such a dialogue space can conveniently be constructed using Web 2.0 technologies. Instead of presenting a technically-focused applications of Web 2.0 technology for cultural heritage, this paper highlights the inquiry, dialogue, and collaboration behind culture and cultural heritage activities. It also discusses technocultural issues, including Web 2.0, globalization 3.0, and the rise of a new technocultural class, in order to create a framework for culture and cultural heritage approaches before implementing technological solutions to cultural heritage problems.

Історичний аспект охорони пам’яток культурної спадщини за кордоном та його значення для пам’яткоохоронної галузі України

Background and Aim: Although Wulajie Town in Jilin Province is an important birthplace of Manchu culture and has a rich historical and cultural heritage, there is a significant gap in existing research in comprehensively and systematically evaluating its cultural value, inheritance status, and the impact of modernization. Given this, this study aims to fill this gap by deeply analyzing the uniqueness of Manchu culture in Wulajie Town, identifying the specific challenges it faces in the process of modernization, and proposing practical protection and development strategies based on this, to promote the continuous inheritance and innovative development of this precious cultural heritage. Materials and Methods: This study adopted a series of systematic research methods to ensure the comprehensiveness and depth of the research. First, through a literature review, we extensively collected and analyzed historical documents, academic works, and relevant policy documents to construct the historical context and theoretical framework of the Manchu culture in Wulajie Town. Secondly, the field investigation method enabled us to directly observe and record the cultural heritage, traditional customs, and contemporary practices of Wulajie Town, including on-site surveys of historical sites and in-depth interviews with local community members. In addition, the interdisciplinary analysis method covers qualitative research, such as participant observation and semi-structured interviews, as well as quantitative research, such as statistical data analysis of cultural heritage use and tourism impacts. The comprehensive application of these methods enables us to comprehensively evaluate the characteristics of the Manchu culture in Wulajie Town and make evidence-based recommendations for its inheritance and development in modern society. Results: This study deeply analyzed the current situation and challenges of the Manchu cultural heritage in Wulajie Town, Jilin Province. The study found that although Wulajie Town has retained rich Manchu cultural characteristics in terms of language, customs, and costumes, the lack of cultural characteristics in the process of modernization, lack of professional talents, shortage of funds, and poor publicity have seriously threatened the inheritance and development of these cultural heritages. In particular, the contradiction between the protection of traditional culture and modernization, the aging of inheritors and the lack of cultural identity of the younger generation, and the financial and technical limitations of cultural tourism development have become the main obstacles to the sustainable development of Manchu culture in Wulajie Town. The study emphasized that to effectively respond to these challenges, a series of measures need to be taken, including strengthening the systematic research of cultural resources, enhancing cultural protection awareness, repairing historical sites, cultivating professional talents, developing cultural tourism products, innovating cultural communication methods, establishing a multi-party cooperation mechanism, and formulating sustainable development plans, etc., to ensure the protection, inheritance and development of Manchu culture in Wulajie Town, while promoting the prosperity of the local economy and social harmony. Conclusion: In response to the modernization challenges facing the Manchu culture in Wulajie Town, Jilin Province, this study puts forward strategic suggestions such as strengthening cultural resource research, enhancing protection awareness, restoring historical relics, cultivating professional talents, developing cultural tourism products, innovating communication methods, establishing cooperation mechanisms and formulating sustainable development plans, aiming to promote the inheritance and development of Manchu culture and ensure its vitality and prosperity in the context of the new era

Purpose This paper aims to understand human-environment interactions in urban development over time by using historical data, cultural heritage and local knowledge to reduce risk exposure of local communities, prepare for disasters and enhance recovery and resilience efforts. Design/methodology/approach The study uses qualitative methods, drawing on anthropology and historical archaeology to analysed historical archives, ethnographic data and grey literature from Italy, Indonesia and the USA. Thematic analysis identified patterns in knowledge production and risk response to disasters like earthquakes, floods and pandemics and systematised traditional knowledge, including oral lore, land use and construction technologies, focusing on tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Findings Local and indigenous knowledge are crucial for urban resilience. Anthropological and historical-archaeological research reveals past communities’ valuable insights into disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. Integrating diverse knowledge and power dynamics fosters collaboration, enhancing resilience to environmental, socio-economic and political uncertainties throughout disaster cycles. Research limitations/implications The study was conducted within the EU research Project CORE; therefore, collected data were limited to the use case disaster scenarios addressed by the project, namely, terrorist attack, earthquake, flash flooding, wildfire, earthquake & tsunami and pandemic. Practical implications Research shows how communities have always found practical, local solutions to disaster-related issues, blending tangible and intangible cultural knowledge. Its insights can inform disaster preparedness, heritage-based risk mapping and community-led resilience efforts. This cultural approach complements scientific understanding, helping develop effective urban resilience strategies for today’s disaster prevention and mitigation. Social implications Indigenous knowledge, vital for urban resilience, stresses ecosystem harmony, community-environment understanding and local territorial knowledge. Integrating this into risk management and emergency planning unlocks hidden resources, fostering holistic, sustainable social and environmental approaches. Originality/value Addressing a crucial gap in disaster risk reduction by highlighting the role of cultural heritage and historical knowledge in building long-term urban resilience. It examines diverse historical data, from the 14th century to 2020, across continents like Italy, Indonesia and the USA. The study also investigates ancient construction techniques, including those from the Roman Empire, in relation to major global disasters.

Introduction. The task of the study is to identify and characterize the means of popularization of the regional historical and cultural heritage on the example of archaeological monuments of Volgograd Oblast. Taking into account the need to diversify regional cultural and educational tourism, to actualize new practices in heritage tourism we consider it necessary to focus on the archaeological heritage unique for most regions. Due to its interactivity and the possibility of combining several forms of recreational and cultural and cognitive activities, archaeological tourism can also become one of the most promising forms of promotion of cultural and historical heritage. Developing a methodology for assessing the archaeological potential of the region in the field of tourism will allow us to understand the principle of formation of a unique geo-cultural image of the region as the basis of cultural and historical framework. Methods. Assessment of the archaeotourism potential of Volgograd Oblast is possible with a combination of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Weighted Linear Combination (WLC), and applied methods, such as the questionnaire and Geographic Information System (GIS). Analysis. We identified the criteria for assessing the archaeotourism potential of the region the number of which can be limited to 1 quantitative and 7 qualitative indicators ranked on an assessment scale with 4 rating points – 0, 2, 4 and 5. Since the selected evaluation criteria play an unequal role in the formation of the tourist potential of the territory, it was necessary to determine the weighted coefficients for each of them. Results. The development of archaeological tourism acting as the most accessible and most popular forms of popularization of cultural heritage will be provided by the development of the territory’s historical and cultural framework based on a comprehensive assessment of the tourist potential of the region. The methodology was proposed in the framework of this study. Authors’ contribution. V.A. Zolotovskiy prepared the part devoted to the actualization and identification of the research topic. P.I. Lysikov developed an adequate methodology for assessing the archaeotourism potential of the Volgograd Oblast.

The Yemeni Cultural Heritage faces numerous risks, including looting, sabotage, and destruction across Yemen's governorates. UNESCO reports an ancient graveyard found in the Al-Jawf Governorate, where an entire cemetery with over 600 gravestones was excavated and sold in local and Arab markets. This research aims to assess the damage and losses suffered by Yemeni cultural heritage, outline key international conventions regarding cultural heritage protection, and examine the role of international organizations in safeguarding Yemen's cultural heritage. Employing an analytical-descriptive approach and content analysis, this study delves into literature and reports from international and regional organizations dedicated to cultural heritage and historical monuments. It uncovers the efforts of these organizations in protecting Yemen's cultural heritage. The research uncovers extensive damage to Yemeni antiquities caused by looting, theft, illegal trafficking, warfare, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters. It identifies prominent international conventions relevant to cultural heritage protection and highlights the crucial role of international organizations, particularly UNESCO. These organizations provide financial and technical support, conduct renovations, host seminars and workshops, offer training courses, issue statements and condemnations, and collaborate with stakeholders to impose bans on Yemeni antiquities importation. In conclusion, cultural heritage belongs to all humanity, representing national identity, fostering communication, and bearing witness to civilization. Its preservation is vital for the nation's economy and requires collective efforts from individuals, institutions, and organizations to prevent looting, tampering, and trafficking.

Cultural and natural heritage assets, as a set of tangible and intangible values that reveal the shared past and historical accumulations of the communities living together, are important not only for the past but also for the transfer to future generations and are the responsibility of all nations of the world. Today's digitalized information age, development, and change in science and technology contribute to producing highly accurate three-dimensional (3D) inventories of these cultural heritages. However, in addition to natural degradation and destruction processes, unexpected events such as war, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters can hinder the formulation of the traditional inventories. At this point, it is important to carry out 3D modeling studies using crowdsourced images and videos from social media, to enhance modeling accuracy and support digital documentation, virtual museum initiatives, and heritage preservation. This study aims to present a strategy following the Structure-from-Motion approach to create 3D models of cultural heritage assets by using shared crowdsourced images and videos collected via social media platforms and applying a normalization procedure for scale standardization to assess model accuracy. Data obtained during nighttime, snowy conditions, or overly filtered captures were excluded, and a segmentation procedure using the Segment Anything model was implemented to remove irrelevant objects. As a result, an approach that can be used in inventory studies has been presented by using images and videos shared by users on social media platforms through an integrated and mutually supportive methodology. Quantitative analysis using the M3C2 method showed that RMSE values ranged from 0.0010 to 0.0036 across the models, with over 93% of the matched points falling within ±1σ. These results confirm the reliability of the proposed approach for large-scale digital heritage documentation.

The purpose of this research is to determine primary school students' perceptions of cultural heritage and to evaluate student and teacher views on the level of cultural heritage knowledge that can be improved through innovative technologies. The research was carried out with 20 primary school students and 10 primary school teachers who were educated in the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan in the 2020-2021 academic year. The research was designed in the case study pattern, which is one of the qualitative research methods. The data collection tools of the research were developed by the researcher. Semi-structured student interview form and semi-structured teacher interview form were used to collect data in the research. The analysis of the data was carried out using the content analysis method. The results of the research reveal that the students have a good grasp of some concepts related to the definition of cultural heritage and they partially know the tangible cultural heritage and intangible cultural heritage items. While the teachers did not find the cultural heritage education sufficient, they stated that an education through innovative technologies would increase the level of student knowledge and made suggestions regarding this. Research findings reveal the necessity of using innovative technologies in cultural heritage education and accordingly the need for new regulations in education programs.
 Keywords; Cultural heritage, Innovative technologies, Cultural heritage education, Student knowledge level.

Terrorist attacks in recent years have demonstrated that the transport sector is the most common target for terrorists due to severe impacts in terms of mass casualties and disruption of the free and safe movement mainly of people, and to a lesser extent, of goods. Such attacks have also further social, economical and political impacts. On-going unsuccessful attempts are testament to the fact that terrorism is a prominent danger to this sector. Transport networks vulnerable to terrorist attacks are being identified as “critical infrastructure” (based on a number of related criteria), and their protection represents a serious challenge nowadays. Limited research in this field has mainly dealt with assessment of vulnerabilities and risks and the development of effective contingency plans that seek to reduce the levels of a given crisis in time and space, mitigate the impact of attacks and restore operations with confidence. Security deficiencies do exist, as well as lack of consistency in terms of provisions and policies. However, since complete protection is unrealistic and economically unfeasible, prioritisation is required. The freight sector, albeit less attractive to the terrorist than the passenger transport sector, demands equal attention, given the fact that the economic values of society depend largely on the smooth operation of the supply chain itself. This paper sets out to provide an overview of the current work and related gaps in conducting threat, vulnerability, and criticality assessments against the potential terrorist attack to the multimodal passenger and freight transport systems, since in most cases a ‘passenger trip’ or a ‘movement of goods’ involves more than one mode. In addition, it looks at the transport supply chain and its resilience to disruptions from such attacks. Finally, measures to prevent, detect, and reduce threats are discussed.

There is growing concern about the threat posed by climate change to cultural heritage, notably to World Heritage properties. Climate change is triggering changes in rainfall patterns, humidity and temperature, as well as increasing exposure to severe weather events that can negatively impact on cultural heritage materials and structures by enhancing the mechanical, chemical and biological processes causing degradation. In response to this climate change challenge, the Climate for Culture (CfC) project, funded by the European Commission, investigated the impacts of climate change on the European cultural heritage through the use of a high-resolution regional climate model that projected future changes in climatic conditions, and simulated the future conditions of the interiors of historical buildings and their impacts on the collections they hold using building simulation tools. This paper compares the climate change impacts on cultural heritage identified by the CfC project with semi-structured interviews with experts working on cultural heritage preservation in Norway, Italy and the UK. Hence, the perceptions of the cultural heritage community on the impacts of climate change on heritage assets are first explored, which are then compared with the risk matrices produced by the CfC project as a decision-support tool to inform managers involved in the preservation of cultural heritage. In addition, the learning strategy underpinning examples of climate change adaptive measures applied to cultural heritage is discussed. Through the identification of the current learning strategy in the case study sites, this research highlights the lack of dissemination of the outcomes of scientific research to managers of cultural heritage in the context of adaptation to climate change impacts.

(The Problem) The classical theorist Vitruvius celebrates architecture as an expression of societies’ cultural factors where culture has a determinant role in shaping built forms. Despite this notion of architecture has also been acknowledged by modern theorists, scholars stress that contemporary societies often ignore to consider buildings of cultural significance as an heritage asset of societies and therefore lack to protect them. (Objective) The purpose of this paper is to understand how the fulfillment of users’ needs, based on their cultural framework, had priority in the architectural design process of their houses. More specifically, the main objectives are (1) to understand the nature of the cultural factors influencing the form of Italian migrants’ transnational houses in Australia and (2) to recognize why these houses can be categorized as an heritage asset of the Australian built environment. (Methods) In order to provide an answer to the two research questions, firstly the authors review the literature supporting the significance of built and culture heritage within the development of the built environment; secondly a detailed case study in Brisbane is selected for the collection of data. (Contribution) As a result of this investigation, (1) the extent to which Italian transnational houses were conceived in response to specific cultural needs and (2) why these buildings, which are part of the multi-cultural built environment of Australia, should be preserved and restored, is revealed.

Heritage corridors play a pivotal role in preserving linear cultural heritage, especially in economically underdeveloped regions like the Yellow River area. These corridors not only serve as a primary method for safeguarding cultural heritage, but also act as catalysts for enhancing regional economic vitality. The widespread distribution of cultural heritage in the Yellow River region emphasizes the need for targeted protection and utilization at the regional level. To facilitate graded protection and the utilization of regional cultural heritage, this study introduces a method for constructing graded heritage corridors based on the comprehensive value of cultural heritage, thereby establishing a framework for comprehensive assessments. Through leveraging multi-source data, this study assesses cultural heritage’s comprehensive value by integrating the service capacity of heritage sites. Subsequently, this study constructs graded heritage corridors using the minimum cumulative resistance model. The findings reveal a concentrated distribution of cultural heritage in Shaanxi within the Yellow River region, where 19.8% of the sites in the economically and ecologically thriving southern regions were rated as high value (fourth or fifth grades). Finally, this study identifies distinct corridor themes by integrating regional cultural characteristics, thereby forming a cultural heritage region network that propels the overall protection and utilization in the area. The proposed cultural heritage assessment framework and corridor construction method are also applicable to various linear heritage types dispersed across diverse regions.

<p>This thesis proposes a composite framework for the evaluation of the environmental impact of tourism development on host destinations. In this study, the environmental impact of tourism is considered as a social-ecological phenomenon that can be categorized into the two aspects of natural and social-cultural impacts. Ecotourism is introduced as a type of sustainable tourism in that its policies and principles for development are based on conservation of environmental heritage (including natural and cultural heritage) via engagement of local people and communities in the tourism development process. The proposed composite framework arises from the integration of an ecological and a cultural framework for the sustainable development of tourism. This framework places the conservation of natural resources as the main ecological outcome for eco-tourism. The proposed framework uses the ecological footprint (EF) of the main tourism activities and services (including transportation, food and accommodation services) as the ecological indicator for evaluation of ecotourism development to ensure it is ecologically compatible. Ecological footprint (EF) is a way of measuring environmental impact. It assumes that everything needed for living, including all energy, goods and services can be obtained from land, and that any wastes produced can be absorbed by land (Wackernagel and Rees, 1996:9). Because land productivity varies considerably around the world the average global productivity is the normal measure, and this is called global hectares (gha). The ecological footprint of a product or activity produced/ consumed and conducted by a defined group of people can be measured through the following equation: EF (gha) = Lifecycle energy use of a given group of people (product and activity pro-duced or conducted) Gigajoules (GJ) / carrying capacity of the Earth (GJ/gha). The above equation determines the area required to produce resources and to absorb pollutants like carbon dioxide generated in the lifecycle energy use of the product or activity through using fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). Through using an ecological perspective, this thesis views culture as a system that links a group of people or a community to their surroundings through their use of local mate-rials and energies, and the production and consumption of products from these. The proposed framework determines the main cultural outcomes for ecotourism development such as conservation of heritage and making the host people aware of their cultural values. In addition, it introduces related activities such as social events, conservation of heritage and producing and consuming local products as contributive activities for achieving the outcomes stated above. Furthermore it investigates and refines a number of indicators that can be used as tools for evaluation of the cultural footprint of the development of ecotourism. Within these, local gross domestic product (GDP) as a social-economic indicator arising from tourism activities is also considered. This thesis concludes by presenting a case study of ‘The Otago Central Rail Trail’ (OCRT) as an example of ecotourism. The OCRT was introduced in the New Zealand Tourism Strategy (NZTS) for 2015 as a successful model for community-based development of sustainable tourism. The investigation reviews the impacts of the OCRT on natural and cultural heritage by using the framework developed in the thesis and its related ecological and cultural indicators. Through using the proposed holistic framework and the model for sustainable development of ecotourism, this thesis finds that, influenced by the development of the OCRT, many cultural heritage items including 60 bridges, 3 tunnels, and 78 buildings (used as OCRT accommodation services) have been refurbished. The restoration of this heritage can be considered as a policy that contributes to awareness of OCRT residents of their cultural heritage and identity. Likewise, as a part of the educational process related to ecotourism, this also makes an opportunity for OCRT visitors to learn about the cultural values of their host people. As shown in Table 5.84, in 2011, the total EF of 11,788 OCRT visitors including the EFs of the four categories of transportation, food, accommodation and activities is 1,617 gha (0.138 gha /visitor). In comparison with the EF of 0.03 gha/ visitor for sustainable tourism (see Table 5.86), the overshoot portion of the EF of the OCRT is equivalent to (0.138 – 0.03) 0.108 gha/ visitor. Likewise the total overshoot EF of 11,788 OCRT visitors is (11,788 visitors × 0.108 gha) 1,273 gha (see Table 5.86). This overshoot EF of the OCRT indicates that although the project has already been considered as a successful sustainable tourism project, still needs to reduce its total EF by 1,273 gha to be environmentally sustainable. As determined in Chapter 5 (see Table 5.88), the overshoot portion of the OCRT is calculated as 127,310.4 GJ/year. Since the costs to generate 1 GJ of overshoot energy use through using renewable energy sources (in this case wind + solar) is NZ$ 19.8, consequently the total cost to generate the overshoot energy use of the OCRT through using the latter systems (wind + solar) is equivalent to (127,310.4 GJ × NZ$ 19.8) NZ$ 2,720,746. Table 5.90 shows that in 2011, the total GDP of the OCRT is NZ$ 6,245,289 This means the total cost that must be spent to generate the overshoot portion of the OCRT energy use in a sustainable way (NZ$ 2,720,746) is 43.6% of its total GDP (NZ$ 6,245,289). Consequently the sustainable portion of the GDP (GDPs) of the OCRT is (NZ$ 6,245,289 – NZ$ 2, 720,746) NZ$ 3,524,543. The results of this thesis demonstrate that using local products (e.g. home prepared foods) as a sustainable cultural behavior not only contributes to the ability of the host destinations located along the OCRT (such as Naseby and Cromwell, used as further case studies) to present their cultural products, but also contributes to reduce the environmental impacts and increase the economic outcomes of the OCRT. For example, producing 17% (13,346.4 kg) of the total of 65165.05 kg consumed food as home prepared food reduces by 5.5% the ecological footprint related to the food consumed by OCRT visitors. As determined in Chapters 5 and 6, in three case studies, producing home prepared food contributes in a sustainable way to the increasing of the economic outcomes by about NZ$3.5 / kg of food produced. This thesis indicates that in all three case studies, using refurbished buildings as accommodation services, which is considered as an activity that contributes to preserving the cultural identity of the host destinations also contributes to reducing of environmental impacts and increasing the economic outcomes related to OCRT. For example in OCRT using 12.9% of bed space as refurbished buildings reduces by14.5% (7.3gha) the total 50.5 gha ecological footprint of accommodation services compared with when all accommodation buildings are assumed as new buildings. Chapters 5 and 6 determine that in OCRT using 21,378 m2 of refurbished buildings as accommodation services (12.9% of total bed spaces) increases by 5% the sustainable portion of GDP related to accommodation services. In Naseby also using refurbished buildings as accommodation services has the same sustainable ecological, cultural and economic outcomes as for the OCRT as a whole. The framework indicates the use of open air areas as being a cultural-ecological indicator for evaluation of architecture as being sustainable. Through using the framework, it is determined that using open air areas including balconies and verandas as part of OCRT accommodation buildings exerts environmentally friendly influences on the host destination. For instance in OCRT using 387 square meters of veranda and balcony as part of the 80,356m2 accommodation buildings decreases by 1.5% the total ecological footprint (50.5gha) of buildings used as accommodation services in OCRT. The thesis results demonstrate that an architecture that will contribute to sustainable development through ecotourism has a cultural footprint area in which the architecture contributes to the host societies knowing and preserving their cultural identity, capitals and heritages. Simultaneously, it contributes to reducing the environmental impacts and increasing the economic outcomes of the host societies through ecotourism. This thesis determines that since all ecological, cultural and economic characteristics of sustainable architecture are linked together, a strategy to develop sustainable architecture is successful when it considers the linkage between all of these profiles and influences that they exert on each other.</p>

Somalia has suffered a civil war since early 1991. Systematic looting, destruction and illicit excavation of sites continue without the international community (including academics, government organisations, heritage workers and humanitarian aid organisations) acknowledging this problem, let alone addressing it. The pre-war approaches to Somali cultural heritage lacked awareness-raising initiatives and basic dialogue with local communities, and hence remained uninformed about local views and methodologies regarding heritage. This has resulted in a lack of interest in building a local foundation and infrastructure for heritage management and archaeological research in the country. Today, it is clear that no measures were taken to protect cultural heritage during two decades of armed conflict in Somalia. Recently, archaeological material has become the target of ideologically motivated destruction. However, in post-conflict Somaliland, a self-declared, de facto country where there is peace and stability, possibilities for protection and management of cultural heritage exist. In order to carry out such work, an understanding of local practices is necessary. Hence, this paper presents unique research into local heritage management strategies and unveils indigenous heritage management methods, which the author refers to as the knowledge-centred approach. This approach emphasises knowledge and skill rather than objects, helping cultures such as the Somali, with strong oral transmission of knowledge, preserve their cultural heritage even in times of armed conflict. Also, this paper presents a critical assessment of the Somali cultural emergency as a whole and suggests ways of assisting different stakeholders in the protection of Somali heritage in the conflict and post-conflict eras.

The main goal of this study was to investigate the impact of a serious game on university students’ learning about cultural heritage content and to reveal the factors affecting their learning experiences during the serious gameplay. The serious computer game “Europe in a museum,” which includes tangible and intangible cultural heritage visuals of several European countries, was used in the study. The main research design was a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. The participants were 50 freshman students studying in the Digital Game Design department at a private university. Pre-knowledge test, post-test and delayed post-test instruments were used to collect quantitative data, while semi-structured interviews were implemented to obtain qualitative data. Based on independent-measures t-tests, post-test and delayed post-test scores of the students’ cultural heritage knowledge for students who played the serious game were significantly higher than those of students taught by traditional methods. Content analysis results showed that game design, gameplay and instructional content were the main themes affecting players’ learning experiences during the serious gameplay. According to the students, the narrative used to convey the story of the game created a better playing and learning experience. The students indicated that the challenges must be consistent with the expectations of the gamers. They also noted that concise and clear presentation of cultural heritage content within the game had a positive impact on their learning experiences. This study contributes to the literature in showing the long-term effect of serious games on cultural heritage learning. Factors influencing the cultural heritage learning experience of players during serious gameplay can be a guide for instructors, instructional technologists and game designers.