Lawlessness is damaging ancient Cyrene

It seems that nowadays, only a handful of tourists wander around the imposing ruins of Cyrene in eastern Libya. I honestly envy them, having the site all to themselves. However, when I visited this landmark before the outbreak of the Arab Spring, I was not bothered by many visitors either (see: Cyrene, founded by the Greeks). 

However, these were still the days of Muammar Gadaffi, and the country knew at least some structure and form of control. Soon after the Revolution, everybody made his own laws, and even today, there is no firm government in place to reinforce law and order. This was and is the case all over Libya, with its rich Roman heritage in western Tripolitania with cities like Sabratha, Oea (Tripoli), and Leptis Magna, and in eastern Cyrenaica, where the main town is Cyrene. 

Basically, Libya still has laws in place to protect its ancient heritage, but in today’s political situation, they have little or no effect. Besides, the fines and prison sentences are minimal and don’t refrain anyone from trying. 

The heart of ancient Cyrene, excavated mainly by the Italians under Mussolini, is fenced off to mark the protected area. However, as always, the old town spreads further outside these borders where it is complicated, even under the best of circumstances, to protect the ruins. 

The residents of nearby modern Shahat are taking matters into their own hands and have decided to take possession of these border lands that the state holds in trust. Some areas are being invaded by treasure and fortune-seekers who intend to sell the looted artifacts abroad. They don’t hesitate to use bulldozers to dig up whatever they can and divide the booty among them. Other parcels are simply seized and sold to the property developers who build their housing blocks right on top of these priceless remains. It is estimated that at least 30% of the ancient city has been built upon! 

Nobody has any idea of the extent of damage and of the number of artifacts that disappeared forever. In this unstable war and peace situation, it is understandable that people have more important worries than protecting their heritage. They feel this is their land and are free to exploit it in any way they wish. As an example, Shahat with its 50,000 inhabitants, experiences a pressing need for housing, which takes priority over everything else. 

Besides the unofficial digs and to make the situation worse, there is a severe disfiguration of the ancient buildings with graffiti. The problem is the same everywhere (see: Still hope, though scant, for Libya’s cultural heritage). Museums can somehow protect their treasures, but not the many archaeological sites still holding so many hidden gems.