LABEL UNESCO SITE MANAGEMENTTHE CASE OF LEBANON1

Professor Liliane Buccianti-Barakat2

Topics : Urban heritage and conservation

Absract :

Lebanon has signed the Venice Charter in 1964. Nowadays,five Lebanese cultural sites: Baalbeck, Aanjar, Bybols,Tyre and Qadisha valley are inscribed on the WorldHeritage List of UNESCO. These cultural properties give awhole, and an overall picture of Lebanese history andgeographic diversity.

The long civil war (1975-1990) has damaged severalarchaeological and historical remains. At the same time,the Lebanese General directorate of Antiquities could nolonger control all the sites and several archaeologicalexcavations and traffic of antique objects … were illegal

In 1990, at the end of the war, the Lebanese governmenthas been working to rebuild basic infrastructure (roads,housing, electricity....) and to stop the traffic ofantiquities. On the other hand, General directorate ofAntiquities, supported by the WTO, the UNESCO and otherinternational organizations, has rehabilitated thevarious sites in the country .

Tourism recovery has been long, but from 2008 to 2011,Lebanon has experienced strong tourism rebound over 2million visitors in 2010.

1 Annual Conference of the IGU Urban Commission, August11th to 14th 2014, Poznan (Poland)2 Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and SocialSciences, Saint-Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon

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But the Arab spring and the Syrian conflict weakens onceagain the country. Economic growth has fallen from 8% in2010 to 0% in 2013. Priority is given to politicalaffairs.

In a country where land and landscapes are still verymarked by political and religious affiliations, whatabout attendance and management of UNESCO label sites?The authorities, responsible for their protection, arethey full filling their part? What about the privatesector or the local communities?

This paper will attempt to answer these questions.

Keywords: LEBANON - UNESCO - SITES - LOCATION -MANAGEMENT - MARKETING

INTRODUCTION

In 1964, Lebanon has signed the Venice Charter.

In 1972, the World Heritage List was established underterms of “The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Culturaland Natural Heritage”.

A World heritage Committee has established the list ofcultural and natural properties; he provides technicalco-operation for the safe-guarding and the preservationof the sites.

In the 70’s, Lebanon was the first tourist destination inthe Arab world. Focusing on modernity and traditions,tourists flocked around the world, attracted by theLebanese way of life and the wealth of both natural andarchaeological sites.

I.- WAR AND DESTRUCTION

The war broke out in 1975. It will quickly isolateLebanon from the rest of the world. In a few months,Tour operators deleted Lebanon as a touristic

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destination.

In the 15 years of civil war, the absence of the stateand the fragmentation of the national territory, whichwas controlled by enemy militias ghettos, has enabledthe development of illegal activities suchracketeering, smuggling, drugs and antiquitiestrafficking among others: looting the sites andclandestine excavations. These illegal activities wereunder protection of militias but also Syrian officersfor whom this kind of trade activities was a goodsource of income for them.

We must not forget also, the destructions caused by thebombing, quarrying, illegal construction and sprawl ofurbanization.

National newspapers and some international magazinesreported, from time to time, the situation, to drawattention to systematic looting and degradation ofcultural heritage of great value, but in the absence ofany control from the Lebanese authorities and theDirectorate General of Antiquities (DGA), thesedenunciations have gone unheeded.

In the 80’s, UNESCO was contacted by Lebanesepersonalities calling for help, because emergencyassistance is also available in the case of propertiesin danger, threatened with imminent destruction.

In 1984, four Lebanese cultural sites were inscribed onthe World heritage list.

Two sites are ports cities, Byblos and Tyre, whichreflect the Phoenician past:

- The coastal town of Byblos is located on a cliff ofsandstone 40 km North of Beirut. It is a fishingport continuously inhabited since Neolithic times.Byblos is a testimony to history of uninterruptedconstruction from the first settlement dating back8000 years, through the first town buildings. The

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structures scattered around the site are from theBronze Age, Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Byzantine,Fatimid, Crusades, Mamluk, Ottoman ... The oldhistorical centre is still surrounded by medievalwalls in excellent condition. The origin of ouralphabet was discovered in Byblos; the most ancientPhoenician inscription was carved on the sarcophagusof Ahiram. The old Byblos offers an outstandingexample of traditional architecture beautifullymaintained.

-Fig. 1- Byblos

- Tyre is located on the southern coast of Lebanon, at83 km south of Beirut. According to legend, purpledye was invented in Tyre. The city of Tyre wasfounded in 2 750 B.C. This great Phoenician portruled the seas and established prosperous coloniessuch as Cadiz and Carthage but its historical roledeclined at the end of the Crusades. There areimportant archaeological remains, mainly from Romantimes

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Fig. 2- Tyre necropolis

The following two sites are located in the Beqaa Valleywith altitudes ranging between 900 and 1100 meters. TheMonuments reflects the purpose of the plain, which hasalways been a pathway required for the powerful empiresof the Middle East.

- The Phoenician city of Baalbek was established onthe third millennium BC, where a triad of deitieswas worshipped; it was known as Heliopolis duringthe Hellenistic period. It retained its religiousfunction during Roman times, when the sanctuaryattracted thousands of pilgrims. The complex oftemples is located at the foot of the south west ofAnti-Lebanon at an altitude of 1150 m. Its colossalconstructions built over a period of more than twocenturies, make it one of the most famoussanctuaries of the Roman world and a model ofImperial Roman architecture.

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Fig.3- Bacchus Temple in Baalbeck

- Anjar is the only Umayyad city of Lebanonestablished at the beginning of the 8th century..Located a few kilometres from Damascus, the city isan example of an inland commercial centre, at thecrossroads for two important routes: one leadingfrom Beirut to Damascus and the other crossing theBeqaa and leading from Syria to Palestine.

Fig. 4- Anjar the Ommeyyad city

II. 1991: THE RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS

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War came to an end on the 13th of October 1990, when theSyrian soldiers entered in Beirut.

In 1992, Lebanon receives several expertises of UNESCOmissions to assess the state of heritage sitesclassified and make recommendations. DGA graduallyrestores its authority all over the country, andarrests at exit points of the country (airport, portroad).

In 1996, the Lebanese ministry of tourism, with thehelp of UNDP and WTO experts, published a plan fortourism development. The redevelopment ofarchaeological sites became a priority for the revivalof tourism in Lebanon.

The reconstruction of downtown Beirut was initiated bySOLIDERE. Lebanese government launched advertisingcampaigns in the world. But the presence of two foreignarmies (Tsahal and Syrian soldiers) discouraged touriststo come, particularly the Arab tourists.

In 1998, Lebanon will participate in several majormeetings such as International Exhibition in Lisbon, amajor exhibition on the Phoenician civilisation will takeplace at the IMA (Arab World Institute in Paris) and anew site was listed by UNESCO a "cultural landscape"(produced by nature but with a cultural connotation):“Qadisha Valley and cedars forest”.

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Fig. 5- Qadisha Valley

This site represents a strong symbol of the Lebaneseidentity because it reflects the cult of religiousfreedom and independence as the Cedar, symbol of thecountry, at the centre of the Lebanese flag.

Five classified sites give a whole, an overall picture ofLebanese history and its geographic diversity.

- “Ouadi”3 Qadisha is a deep gorge carved by the Qadishariver. Qadisha means “Holy” in Aramaic and the valley isone of the most important settlement sites of the firstChristians monasteries in the world. Nearby, are thevestiges of the great cedar forest of Lebanon, highlyprized in ancient times for the construction of greatreligious building such as Salomon’s temple in Jerusalem.

Some events will directly serve the recovery of tourismin Lebanon :- In May 2000, following the rapid withdrawal of Israeliforces from all Lebanese territory, Hezbollah tookcontrol of South Lebanon.- In 2001, the Qaeda’s attack on the two world tradebuildings in New York, the Arabophobia and then thebankrupt of large U.S. financial companies…. From 2003 to2006, tourist numbers will grow constantly.

3 « Ouadi » : valley

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- In 2005, following the assassination of former primeminister Rafik Hariri and the mobilization of more thanone billion of Lebanese people in downtown Beirut, Syriantroops were forced to withdraw from the country after 27years of occupation.

It was a period of a great hope because the country wasat last, totally free and the tourist and economicforecasts for the coming years were very good.

III.- THE 33-DAY WAR IN 2006

The first six months of 2006 were excellent but suddenlywar occurs.

The abduction by Hezbollah of 2 Israeli soldiers causes a33-day war between the Lebanese militia and the Israeliarmy. Violent aerial bombardment targeted the southernsuburbs of Beirut, pathways, bridges and tanks of Jiyehpower plant. The fear of a land invasion and the massivebombing of villages in southern Lebanon, led to the runaway of a million people towards Beirut. An oil slickwill spread along the north coast and soil. Lebanon’s,infrastructures were affected while the main victims werecivilians (more than 1 500 dead).

Fig. 6- A bridge and a family running away

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This short war, somewhat modifies the balance of forcesin the region. It results in a failure for Tsahal thathas not achieved its military objectives and failed todestroy Hezbollah.

Already highly indebted, the Lebanese government needsinternational aid to finance the rebuilding ofinfrastructures. Hezbollah, meanwhile, strengthens itsprestige, by helping people rebuild their homes. Qatarwill rebuild the destroyed villages in southern Lebanon.

III.1- History in danger

Shortly after the Israel-Hezbollah conflict broke out,Lebanese Foreign minister issued a desperate plea to theUN to help protect the country’s historic andarchaeological treasures.

During he conflict, the Israel military carried out land,sea and air based operations a well as commando raidsacross Lebanon, include Tyre and Baalbeck.

Following the cease-fire, 4 UNESCO experts began a five-day mission to determine how to help recovery efforts.

The UNESCO mission reports that the most serious damageresulting from the war concerns the World Heritage siteof Byblos, which was affected by the oil spill from thefuel tanks of the Jiyeh power plant, an ecologicalproblem for a large area of the eastern Mediterranean.It was urgent to clean, manually the stones at the baseof the port’s two medieval towers and other sea-shorearchaeological remains. DGA and several NGOs havehelped the Ministry of Environment to clean beaches.

In Tyre, frescoes in Roman tomb on the site had comepartly unstuck, probably because of vibrations caused bybombs, and required emergency restoration.

In Baalbeck, fissures on the lintels of the temple ofJupiter and Bacchus at the site had probably widened

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because of vibrations of bombing nearby. The Souk andsome old houses, in the old city, were damaged by bombs.

70 000 $ from the World Heritage Fund was sent to theLebanese authorities for emergency measures. But morefunds were raised to help the country revitalize itstourism and cultural sector.

III. 2- Short Tourism recovery

From 2007 to 2010, tourism recovery is impressive. The2006 war had developed sympathy all over the world andmany tourists and migrants from the Lebanese Diaspora,came to Lebanon to boost reconstruction.

In 2010, Lebanon has received more than 2 billion offoreign visitors. Once more time, Lebanese believed intheir future, a future without war and conflicts withneighbouring countries.

But in 2011, totalitarian regime in Tunisia, Libya andEgypt were overthrown by the Arab Spring movement. InMarch 2012 civil war in Syria starts causing massivedisplacements of refugees. In 2014: there are more than1.5 billion of refugees in Lebanon now.

Of course, the civil war in Syria, frequent shelling andclashes in the border regions, kidnapping ... discouragetourists to visit the cedar land.

Because of the Hezbollah involvement in the Syrianconflict, in June 2013, the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC), which supports the Syrian rebels, decides topunish Lebanon prohibiting their nationals to visitBeirut. Unfortunately the tourists from arabic peninsularepresented each year, more than 45% of visitors.

According to the Minister of Tourism, in July 2014, thetourism sector fell by 20% compared to 2013

CONCLUSION

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When a site is inscribed on the World Heritage List ofUNESCO, the latter brings his bail and label site andcountry.

But it is for the State to protect the values for whichtheir property was inscribed on the List.

In developing countries, such as Lebanon, thepriorities of the authorities are often elsewhere suchas resolving internal conflicts caused by the regionalpolitical situation in the Middle East.

But also, many sites are increasingly threatened by theuncontrolled development of urban or illegalconstructions, by piercing roads or development ofunderground roads, quarries, landfills …

In addition, tourism is the most important sector forLebanese economy. Tourist attractions are harmful:mega-events, festivals, show… can degrade theenvironment of monuments.

But as long as it brings money to the country, theLebanese authorities will not apply the laws.

Lebanon is not of course, the only one to do so.Elsewhere in the world, since the 1990’s, looting anddestruction has occurred such the Taliban blastingBamian Budhas. Vandalism recurs now in Syria and Iraqwhere Daech, fanatical jihadist movement, is destroyingall cultural heritage in these countries.

The situation is so alarming in Lebanon, Middle Eastand other countries. UNESCO does its best to preserveestablished cultural and natural properties duringconflicts and everywhere in the world.

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