Lebanon: Unesco is committed to saving Beirut's cultural heritage

A study identifies 640 damaged historic buildings, 60 of which threatened to collapse in Beirut after the explosions of August 4. Unesco is mobilizing the international community to find emergency funding.

The explosions that hit Beirut on August 4 left 171 people dead, according to a provisional toll, and injured more than 6,500. They have also damaged much of the heritage and cultural life of the Lebanese capital.

A first study, carried out thanks to the deployment of around thirty architects in the field, and conducted by Sarkis Khoury, director general of antiquities of the Lebanese Ministry of Culture (DGA), reports that 640 historic buildings are affected, 60 of which are at risk. to collapse.

The report published by Unesco on August 13 points out that "at least 8,000 buildings", mainly located in the old quarters of Gemayzé and Mar-Mikhaël, are damaged. These include the National Museum of Beirut, the Sursock Museum and the Archaeological Museum of the American University, as well as cultural spaces, galleries and religious sites, still under inspection.

International call:

Unesco is committed to leading the international mobilization for the recovery and reconstruction of the culture and heritage of Beirut, in response to the request for support from the General Directorate of Antiquities of Lebanon. The UN institution brought together online on August 10, "leading cultural organizations and experts in Lebanon and abroad" with the objective of coordinating urgent measures that are required.

Among the many actors present, the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH) represents a great hope for actors in the field, in search of funding.

Tania Zaven, who works in the antiques department of the Lebanese Ministry of Culture, hopes to see this issue progress quickly. "It is therapy to work, we don't want to stop believing in Lebanon," she told La Croix.

Developers already looking for building land

Raising the funds as quickly as possible, that is the main challenge. "We are playing against the clock," explains Joyce Nassar, researcher at the Institut français du Proche-Orient (Ifpo). "What we fear are real estate developers who will take advantage of the situation to seek to acquire goods at low cost to destroy them." An unthinkable situation for the one who describes the district near the port as a mythical place of life located in the heart of the capital, and "which had just gained in value thanks to its art galleries".

The expert welcomes Unesco's announcements, but not without qualification. "We have to get the message across that the buildings are going to be restored, but we cannot say to ourselves that this is enough." Indeed, the first phase of reconstruction to come, "emergency", provides for consolidation and waterproofing work in the face of torrential fall rains, which are therefore dangerous. "It is currently valued at over thirty million dollars, but it could be more." As for the next phases of window and interior restoration, the budget is far from fixed.

The August 10 meeting is an essential first step. "Following this tragedy, the international community sent a strong signal of support to Lebanon," said Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture. It now remains to materialize the joint international action for the safeguarding of the Lebanese cultural heritage.