.png)
''' '' LIBYAN STUDENTS
LEGACY '' '''
SAM DAILY TIMES - '' THE VOICE OF THE VOICELESS '' :
With some very beautiful overthinking on ' Readers ', finds that Libya is very very far from thrilling and exciting and On The Go.
SHAHAT Worth it? The World Students Society for - every subject in the world - hopes and prays that after over a decade of violence, the new government of Libya will recognize and improve protection of various historical sites for the future generations.
LOOTING THE LIBYAN STUDENTS LEGACY : Bulldozers, smugglers threaten the country's ancient treasures.
THE SPECTACULAR RUINS OF THE ANCIENT Greek city of Cyrene survived Libya's 2011 revolution and an ensuing decade of lawlessness. But today, they face brand new threats : plunder and bulldozers.
Under balmy spring sunshine, a handful of tourists take advantage of the North African country's months-old ceasefire to wander around the temple of Zeus, perched atop a wind-battered hill near the eastern end of Libya's Mediterranean coast.
There are no queues here. The scarce visitors - all Libyans - amble through the sanctuary of Apollo and the amphitheater, before visiting a museum housing faceless busts of Greek divinities and naked statues in marble.
Founded in seventh century BC, Cyrene ''was one of the principal cities in the Hellenic world,'' according to UNESCO, which added the site to its World Heritage List in 1992. ''A thousand years of history is written into its ruins,'' it said.
Yet, beyond the fence marking out the protected part of Cyrene, residents of modern-day Shahat are taking possession of lands held in trust by that state, then selling them on to property developers. Other areas are being dug up by treasure seekers hoping to smuggle looted artifacts to sell abroad.
''Some people are coming in and bulldozing areas containing artefacts, dividing them and selling them, then building housing blocks on top of these priceless sites,'' said Adel Abu Fejra, of the Cyrene department of antiquities.
This is our land.
Abu Fejra said his department ''can't even measure'' how much has been lost, as the plots ''are outside the fenced area under our protection.''
Cyrene lies between the Egyptian border and Benghazi, one of the key cities that rose up against longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. The country has since fallen into anarchy and violence which sparked fears for its rich ancient heritage.
UNESCO in 2016 added Cyrene and four other sites in Libya to its List of World Heritage in Danger. The war saw the country splinter inti fiefdom under the control of a kaleidoscope of militias.
Today, despite the signing of a peace deal between Libya's main factions and the creation of a unity government last month, many residents have more immediate concerns than protecting ancient heritage.
''They want us to stop using our land around the ruins, saying there are still artefacts underneath them. But this is our land and we have the right to exploit it,'' said Saad Mahmmod, who owns farmland nearby.
''It's up to the state to find solutions and pay landowners compensation that fits with the rising prices of real estate, which have made it hard for us to find alternatives.''
Graffiti - looting
Like Mahmoud, many of Shahat's 50,000 residents see the pressing need for housing as a higher priority than preserving old ruins. A Town plan last updated in 1986 has been largely ignored.
Ismail Dakhil, an official at the museums department of eastern Libya, says as much as 30% of the ancient city may have been built on.
And that is not the only problem. ''There have been graffiti on the ancient ruins and lots of informal digs, where antiquities are dug up and smuggled out of the country.''
Libya does have laws aimed at protecting its ancient heritage, overseeing archaeological digs and sanctioning violators. But Dakhil says they have little effect, with ''derisory fines and prison sentences'' of up to a maximum of a year.
Some are now hoping that after a decade of violence, the new government will also improve protection of precious historical sites.
''The policies on protecting heritage must be reviewed,'' says researcher and historian Ahmed Faraj. ''I hope this government will come up with a new vision.''
The World Students Society thanks authors AFP.
With respectful dedication to the People, Leaders, Students, Professors and Teachers of Libya and then the world. See Ya all prepare and register for Great Global Elections on The World Students Society : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter - !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011
''' Welcome - Worthies '''
Good Night and God Bless
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Grace A Comment!