Paris, Geneva. Since the end of September, Israel has bombed several areas of southern and eastern Lebanon, notably the Bekaa Valley (Hezbollah stronghold) and the town of Baalbek which includes a UNESCO World Heritage site (1984). . Known for its exceptional temples of Bacchus and Jupiter, the site of Baalbek (see ill.) has been occupied continuously since the Neolithic and reached its peak in the 2nd century AD.
Baalbek’s governor and de facto culture minister (Lebanon is mired in a long political crisis that is paralyzing the electoral process) said the bombings in early October took place 600 meters from the site, as evidenced by numerous reports. videos: we see a thick column of black smoke rising behind the colonnades of the Roman temples. If the latter do not seem to have been affected, the governor specifies in the local media that “exceptional measures have been taken” to secure the site and guard against the risk of looting. He mentions risks of deterioration “by toxic fumes” fires caused by bombs, and risks of “destabilization” soils due to shock waves. The minister declared that these bombings constitute a violation of international law and appealed to the United Nations and UNESCO to intervene quickly. He is asking for at least $100,000 to put emergency measures in place.
Because the bombings affect other regions of Lebanon: according to the Aliph foundation (International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Zones), the Crusader fortress of Tibnine (12th century) was affected, as well as historic districts in several localities. On social networks, testimonies from residents speak of damage in the Phoenician city of Tyre. UNESCO does not confirm these destructions, but the World Heritage Committee announces its support to the General Directorate of Antiquities of Lebanon for a “technical expertise” and for “assessment of damage caused to heritage and cultural establishments”. Urgent preventive measures are also mentioned (collection inventory, protection or movement depending on the case).
UNESCO is also announcing a partnership with the UN agency Unitar/Unosat for satellite imaging monitoring of damage to heritage sites (as is the case for Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza). Furthermore, the executive director of the Aliph foundation, Valéry Freland, announces an aid plan of $50,000 for museums which must protect their collections. Aliph has not yet heard of any museum directly affected by the bombings, but Beirut’s museums had suffered greatly from the explosion of August 2020, and the teams prefer to prevent another disaster.
Several curators quoted in Lebanese media highlight the chronic lack of staff, in a context where evacuation measures make the organization of the safeguarding of museums and archaeological sites even more complex.