Experience shows that there is a serious danger of
destruction during times of social upheaval. It has taught us to look out for
looting by unscrupulous individuals that often damages the integrity of
artifacts and of archaeological sites. Careless dealers who buy these objects
and fragments are in fact inciting more looting. It is therefore crucial that
the international antiquities market be particularly wary of objects from Libya
in the present circumstances,”
Irina Bokova cautioned. The
Director-General of UNESCO urged the people of Libya and all those involved in
the international art and antiquities trade to protect the country’s cultural
heritage.
That is a pre alarm I
believe and good initiative by the head of UNESCO but what was the state of
these sites during Gheddafi`s long years?
Ahmed Fergiani writes:
Touring the coastal Roman and Greek sites reflects Libya`s
real hidden face and brilliant past, the North African country is a home to a mesmerizing
variety of archaeological cultures and remains that range from the Paleolithic
to the Medieval era, the great ruins of Leptis Magna( the Rome of
Africa),the Greek ruins of Cyrene the
native land of the first man who measured the circumference of the ground Eratosthenes,
the mosaics of Quasar Libya , one of its panels represents the unique evidence
of Alexandria`s light house ,rather than its open museum of the prehistoric
paintings and carvings at Akakus area and many Berber granaries along Nafusa
mountains. The excavations of these ruins were carried out during the Italian and the Libyan Kingdom
period, But Archaeology in Libya took a back seat or disappeared after
Gaddafi's 1969 revolution although some foreign archaeologists continued working,
making great finds like the polish
archaeological mission at Ptolemais who discovered a large villa with
impressive mosaics. The Italian mission of Urbino university at Cyrene who
restored lavishly the Temple of Zeus the largest in the whole Africa! But the
bitter truth is those sites have suffered a long neglecting in the last four
decades, "It's been neglected by the regime for quite a while. At
one time it was seen as not Libyan heritage as such but imperialist,"
," said Hafed Walda, a Libyan who advises the country's department of
antiquities and once led an excavation at Leptis Magna.
Ahmed, has Gheddafi ever been to this site??
Ahmed, do your people appreciate such treasures?
Ahmed, ma perche` non fate qualcosa?
Ahmed, mais pourquoi vous ne pas les restaurer?
I remember on the way back to Benghazi from that site , I had to give a long speech mainly criticizing the Libyan authorities and exposing the ugly face of the Libyan regime.
The Roman villa of Silin in Leptis Magna is always been closed for restoration according to the department of archaeology of Leptis Magna but when the visitor gets there, he found no sighs of restoration… I have not received my salary for the last six months… one of the villas`s care takers comments about the restoration…Gaddafi son was here last week as he seems to build a village on these sandy beaches.. Adds bitterly !
As an archeological guide worked with many nationalities but mainly with Travoca tour leaders like, Yvonne Buheiry, John Wotton, Sharon Zimmerman, we had to hold our breath with the nonstop obstacles in Gheddafi`s Libya, rather than the government minders who were just pioneers in sleeping at the back of the coach, me and Salah Rabeea a long experience in the Libyan tourism industry had to fight with airline companies, Hotels, restaurants, museum attendants.
Nevertheless me and Salah and many other Libyan colleagues are jobless since the outbreak of the Libyan war but, as Libya begins a new era of its history through the youth revolution of change ,are these sites included in this positive change?.......Inshallah
that article is insipred by my personale expercience as a tourist guide and marketer for the last 7 years in libya!
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