UPDATE: WEEK 4—PROTECTING THE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF CYRENE, LIBYA

During the last week, the condition of 3 main sites located at the area of al-Qubba and Lamluda were evaluated.

This week was distinguished by two things: First, Dr. Ahmed Hussein, head of the Department of Antiquities in the East, accompanied us to the site of Ain al-Qubba and met there with some officials from the city and talked with them about the readiness of the DoA to help protect and preserve the site of Ain al-Qubba.

The second is that a citizen voluntarily handed over tombstones with Greek and Latin inscriptions that he had preserved when the site to which they belong was recently illegally bulldozed.

On the occasion of the conclusion of the survey work, a celebration was held in the city of Labraq, in the presence of the mayor of its municipality. This ceremony was dedicated to honoring the local people who contributed greatly to the success of the project by guiding us to many of these sites and allowing entry to their private properties to document and assess the condition of these sites. During this ceremony, participation certificates were distributed to team members and volunteers, and words were given that defined this project, its most important results, and its importance to the region in particular and the Libyan cultural heritage in general.

The ceremony was also attended by some primary and middle school students in the city, who were given brochures and booklets showing the importance of cultural heritage.

During about four weeks of work, we were able to document and evaluate the condition of 56 main sites and about 50 subsites dating back to different historical periods, from Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Italian periods.   These sites varied from fortified farms, forts, defensive towers, churches, tombs of various types to oil and wine presses, bathhouses, and others. Unfortunately, all sites are subject to multiple violations such as urban sprawl, clearing, illegal excavations, and neglect. The vast majority of them are located within private property and the owners’ permission had to be obtained to access them. Many of the sites, especially tombs and rock-cut chambers, are still used today by the owners of the lands as animal shelters and storehouses for their crops.

The Department of Antiquities is making an effort to protect these sites despite the lack of resources. Perhaps the awareness programs they are carrying out come at the top of these efforts. During our project, we organized three awareness campaigns, and we will continue to do so when schools reopen next October.

The field survey work has been completed, but the desk work is still going on. These days, we are analyzing and studying the data collected during the survey work and entered into the GPS database to write a report explaining the importance of these sites and classifying the risks facing them and the possible solutions that the responsible authorities must implement.

Read Every Weekly Update of ASOR’s Cyrene Cultural Heritage Survey

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