A team of experts from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is conducting an inspection tour of archaeological sites in the disaster-stricken areas in the east of the country.
UNESCO stated that the team will visit the Greek site of Cyrene, which was listed on the World Heritage List in 1982 to conduct an initial survey of the damage caused by floods and to ensure that structures in need of urgent maintenance are identified.
The agency added that the team will also visit the sites of “Talmitha”, “Hua Futeih” cave, and “Apollonia” city in Sousse, which are also listed on the temporary national list of world heritage.
Reuters quoted local officials in eastern Libya stating that the floods have caused damages to the ancient Greek city of Cyrene in the mountains near Shahat, but also revealed new archaeological remains where earth and stones were washed away.
Officials fear an increase in the number of archaeological sites falling due to floods while pointing out the emergence of a new water channel, which is likely to date back to the Roman era. UNESCO listed Cyrene on its World Heritage List at risk in 2016.
