Conservation experts, representatives from the government of Nepal and the diplomatic community joined members of the Patan community on December 1 to celebrate the completion of the restoration of Patan Royal Palace.  The preservation of this historic site was made possible through a $1.1 million grant provided by the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).

 U.S. Ambassador Peter W. Bodde and Embassy officials congratulated the local community and AFCP partner, Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT), for the project’s great success.  Ambassador Bodde said, “The Ambassadors Fund is among the U.S. Government’s most significant cultural initiatives abroad.  It makes me very proud as an American to know that my country supports and protects conservation efforts like this one around the world.”

 The Patan Royal Palace conservation project is extremely unique.  In 2009, the project completed successfully for an Ambassadors Fund award under a special “large grant” competition.  Nepal was one of only three countries, the others being Peru and Macedonia, to be selected and awarded a large grant.

 The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has supported fifteen projects in Nepal since 2003.  The restoration of Patan Royal Palace has been a model project for cultural preservation in Nepal and across the globe.  In 2006, the Patan complex was added to the World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites.  Already by 2013, this well-preserved site displays centuries of intact history, and is among Nepal’s most significant cultural destinations.