ΥΠΟΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΟΤΙ Η ΟΥΝΕΣΚΟ ΘΑ ΤΗΝ ΠΡΟΣΤΑΤΕΥΕ
Κυρηναϊκή, ΛΙΒΥΗ-Ο Αρχαιολόγος και blogger Areej Khattab αναφέρει
ότι οι άνθρωποι που ζουν κοντά στο « Μνημείο
Παγκόσμιας Πολιτιστικής Κληρονομιάς της Κυρήνης» κατέστρεψαν μέρος της νεκρόπολης της. Χρησιμοποιώντας
εκσκαφικά μηχανήματα , οι αγρότες ισχυρίζονται
ότι η γη αυτή
παραδοσιακά ανήκει
σε αυτούς, και στη συνέχεια πέταξαν τα αρχαία
αντικείμενα σε ένα κοντινό ποτάμι. Ο Khattab προσθέτει ότι η γη θα πωληθεί σε κατασκευαστές
για να κτίσουν σπίτια τα καταστήματα. «Έχω προσπαθήσει
τα πάντα για να σταματήσει αυτή η καταστροφή. Ζήτησα, μάταια, από τις αρχαιολογικές καθώς και τις τοπικές αρχές. Ήρθα σε
επαφή με μια από τις ταξιαρχίες που είναι επιφορτισμένες με την ασφάλεια της
πόλης, ο διοικητής οποίος με ενημέρωσε ότι θα μπορούσαν να παρέμβουν μόνο αν οι
αρχές υπέβαλαν επίσημο αίτημα, αλλά δεν έχουν κάνει την παραμικρή κίνηση για να
εμπλακούν ... Κάλεσα ακόμα και τον υπουργό Πολιτισμού του κινητό τηλέφωνο. Άφησα
ένα μήνυμα, αλλά δεν έχω ακούσει τίποτα ακόμα ", γράφει.
Μια έκδοση του Αρχαιολογικού Ινστιτούτου της Αμερικής
23/08/2013 / LIBYA
Ancient Libyan
necropolis threatened by real estate speculators
·
Local residents
recently destroyed part of the Cyrene necropolis, an ancient Greek city in
north-eastern Libya, to make way for houses and shops. Our Observer, an
archaeology professor, laments the authorities’ unwillingness to act to prevent
the destruction of this invaluable archaeological heritage.
Cyrene dates back to
about 700 B.C. and was the oldest and largest Greek colony in eastern Libya, a
region now known as Cyrenaica. Of the city’s former glory remains an enormous
necropolis — nearly 10 square kilometres in size — used between 600 and 400
B.C. The necropolis includes 1,200 burial vaults dug into the bedrock and
thousands of individual sarcophagi that lie on the ground.
Even though the city
is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, local farmers have laid claim to
certain parts of the necropolis and recently destroyed a section with the help
of excavators in order to make way for new houses.
An excavator at work
in late July.
CONTRIBUTORS
“Ancient artefacts were thrown away like mere
rubbish”
Ahmed Hussein is an
archaeology professor Bayda University, in eastern Libya.
This ancient
necropolis is one of the most important in the world. Its burial vaults and
sarcophagi were built in about 600 B.C. These tombs are spread out on each side
of a road that leads to the centre of the ancient city of Cyrene. The site was
damaged along about two kilometres. About 200 vaults and tombs were destroyed,
as well as a section of a viaduct that dates back to approximately 200 A.D.
Ancient artefacts were thrown into a nearby river as if they were mere rubbish.
Our Observer
inspecting tombs destroyed in July 2013.
In Libya, customs and
practices tend to carry more weight than the written law. This land
traditionally belongs to families who live in nearby farms. They have no
official documents that prove that they own the land, yet their claims are not
contested. Under Muammar Gaddafi, these families did not dare try to act on
these claims. But now, they have transformed the archaeological site into a
construction zone.
They plan on selling
the land in parcels of 500 square metres to real estate developers and private
individuals. The latter will be able to build homes and shops. Since these
tracts of land are sold without any official documents, they go for very cheap
prices, such as 15,000 dinars [about 8,900 euros] per tract. However, it is
well known that 500 square metre tracts in this area are valued at about
100,000 dinars [about 59,000 euros], at least when they are sold legally.
Part of the demolished
viaduct.
“I
even left a message on the Culture Minister’s mobile phone, but I haven’t heard
anything back yet”
I have been trying
everything to stop this disaster. I appealed, in vain, to the archaeological
authorities as well as the local authorities. I contacted one of the brigades
in charge of the city’s security, who informed me that they could intervene
only if the authorities made an official request, but they haven’t made the
slightest move to get involved… I even called the Culture Minister on his
mobile phone. I left a message but I haven’t heard anything yet.
Farmers marked off 500
square metre tracts in order to sell them.
I recently talked with
several of the landowners who told me they would stop their project if the
state were willing to grant them other land plots in exchange, or compensate
them financially. The bad security situation in Libya does not justify this inertia
on the part of the authorities. It really isn’t so hard to send a couple
officers to block the construction equipment from the necropolis.
The circular
cemeteries, built in approximately 600 B.C., are some of the oldest of the
necropolis. ΑΡΧΑΙΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΣ ΤΑΦΟΣ ΤΟΥ 600 Π.Χ,
Now, part of this
ancient necropolis is forever lost. And the situation is likely to get worse if
the government continues to do nothing, because it will encourage other
families to destroy cemeteries located on their land.
ΔΕΙΤΕ ΕΔΩ ΑΦΙΕΡΩΜΑ ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΩΝ ΔΙΚΤΥΟ
Η εκπληκτική και άγνωστη Ελληνική Κυρήνη της Λιβύης θα σας αποκαλύψει την Ελληνικότητα της, τον πλούτο και τις ομορφιές της.
Η Κυρήνη ιδρύθηκε ως αποικία των Ελλήνων της Θήρας, το έτος 631 π.χ. όπως αναφέρει και ο Ηρόδοτος στο βιβλίο ιστορίας του. Υπήρξε η κύρια πόλη της αρχαίας Λιβύης και διατηρούσε εμπορικές σχέσεις με Ελληνικές πόλεις και το όνομα της το πήρε από την πηγή Κύρη, που ήταν αφιερωμένη στον θεό Απόλλωνα.
ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΚΑ ΔΙΚΤΥΑ