Growing concern for Lebanese heritage sites as Israeli air strike hits close to 11,000-year-old Baalbek

Conservation bodies take measures to safeguard historic locations amidst aerial attacks

Baalbek is regarded as one of the largest and best-preserved examples of ancient Roman architecture. Photo: Unesco

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With Israeli air strikes hitting less than one kilometre from Baalbek, concerned are growing about the safety of Lebanon's Unesco World Heritage Site.

Conservation bodies Unesco and Aliph have told The National that they are taking steps to the safeguard historic location and similar sites.

Listed as a World Heritage site in 1984, Baalbek is a Roman complex with a multicultural history dating back 11,000 years. Its temples are thought to have been built between the second and third century and the site is regarded as one of the largest and best-preserved examples of ancient Roman architecture.

Valery Freland, executive director of Aliph (the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas), has held talks with the Lebanese government to safeguard the site and has issued emergency funds to help.

“I was in Lebanon a few days ago to evaluate the situation with the director general of antiquities of Lebanon and his team,” he said. “We continue to maintain very close contact with them and they are keeping us updated on the threat to cultural heritage in the country.

“We have already adopted an initial emergency measure of $50,000 so they can start to protect the cultural heritage. We are ready to provide more assistance wherever it is needed and as quickly as it is required.”

A Unesco spokesperson said it has partnered the United Nations Satellite Centre to provide data on the state of Baalbek through the use of remote sensing tools and satellite imagery analysis.

“Unesco is closely following the impact on Lebanese cultural sites such as Baalbek,” the spokesperson said. “Unesco is in contact with site managers to assess the state of conservation at the sites and help take protective measures where necessary."

The conservation efforts come after an Israeli air attack inflicted damage about 700 metres away from Baalbek Castle, according to the city's mayor, Bachir Khodr. “The black smoke that rises from the strikes will affect the stones of the ruins negatively,” he said. “In addition, there's a significant risk that tremors from the strike will harm the structure.”

Meanwhile, efforts to protect Palestinian heritage sites have also been ramped up by Unesco as the war continues. In July, the Palestinian archaeological site Tell Umm Amer, featuring the monastery of Saint Hilarion, was added to the World Heritage List following an emergency nomination in New Delhi.

Located south of Gaza city, the fourth century site comprises ruins that include two churches, a burial site, a baptism hall, a public cemetery, an audience hall and dining rooms.

More than 200 of Palestine's historical and archaeological sites were damaged or destroyed in the first three months of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Culture.

Palestine currently has five sites on the World Heritage List: the Church of Nativity of Bethlehem, first completed in 339; the village of Battir in southern Jerusalem famed for its olive groves and vine fields; the Tell es Sultan site (also known as Ancient Jericho) that contains archaeological deposits dating back to 10,500BC; Al-Khalil Old Town in Hebron; and Tell Umm Amer.