Cyrene, Libya

Among the most important Classical Greek sites outside of Greece, Cyrene sits within a lush valley in Libya’s Jebel Akhdar uplands. Founded by settlers from Thera (modern Santorini) in 631 B.C., the colony was one of the principal cities in the ancient Greek world, its temples, tombs, agora, gymnasium and the Cyrene Amphitheatre all allegedly inspired by the historic structures at Delphi. Romanized in 74 B.C., Cyrene remained a vibrant metropolis until A.D. 365 when a massive earthquake and increasing aridity of the region brought about its decline. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982, Cyrene today ranks among the List’s most neglected and endangered sites in the Mediterranean Basin, due to improper restoration and extensive looting of its Greek artifacts.

In partnership with Italy’s Second University of Naples, the Libyan Department of Antiquities and the Libyan Ministry of Culture, Global Heritage Fund undertook a program to restore the monumental Cyrene Amphitheatre within the Sanctuary of Apollo. Our team of conservators, architects, planners, engineers and archaeologists represents Libya’s first integrated heritage preservation project involving Libyans, Italians and Americans. Stage One – including documentation and field research investigations – is complete, along with graphic, photographic and photogrammetric documentation and preliminary surveys for restorations and anastylosis. Research in the Archive of the Department of Antiquities of Cyrene revealed excavations and restorations carried out by Italian missions in the 1930s, which provided data of fundamental importance to our work.

As in many areas of the world, cultural heritage and natural assets offer transformational opportunities for long-term sustainable development. Everywhere we work, Global Heritage Fund is dedicated to leveraging heritage to stimulate the surrounding economy. Our program will facilitate significant education transfer and capacity building to our Libyan partners on international standards of conservation. This extends to hiring and training local site staff and project workers, as well as to improved visitor access, didactic interpretation and signage.

Responsible development of Cyrene and other cultural resources would help Libya to become a tourism destination in the Mediterranean. For now, ongoing political turmoil has taken a toll on the country’s cultural heritage, as documented by NATO and UNESCO. Our project for Cyrene, one of Africa’s finest archaeological jewels, has been on hold since 2011.