Neither Egypt nor Sudan could face by themselves the economic and technical challenges involved in rescuing the Nubian historical heritage. With the consent of both countries, in 1959 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) undertook to coordinate international aid for the project. This was the first large-scale rescue campaign initiated by UNESCO at international level to protect endangered world heritage sites. The success of this campaign at the Valley of the Nile led to similar experiences at Mohenjo-daro, Fes and Barabudur, although they had far less repercussion. Mohenjodaro On March 8, 1960 the Director-General of UNESCO issued a formal appeal for international aid to rescue the monuments and archaeological sites under threat. In return, Egypt and Sudan committed themselves to share whatever findings were made in the course of the excavation works. This included the donation of four small temples to the highest contributing nations. Two great travelling exhibitions called “Five Thousand Years of Egyptian Art” (1959-1961) and “Treasures of Tutankhamun” (1961-1973) visited several countries of Europe, Asia and the Americas to further promote interest on the Nubian campaign. UNESCO headquarters The initiative was a big success, since 24 countries took part in excavation works and contributed to the rescue of endangered monuments. Overall, 50 states pledged nearly 26 million dollars to finance the campaign. Additionally, 7 million dollars were raised from private contributions.