Mr. Amadou Mahtar-Mbow
Heritage alert for the protection, restoration and enhancement of the archaeological site of Tyre and its surroundings (Extracts)
Tyre is without doubt one of the oldest cities in the world. In the first millennium before Christ, Phoenician sailors founded the trading posts of Utica, Carthage, Nora and Sulcis, thereby establishing a veritable commercial empire centered on Tyre, with a virtual monopoly of maritime trade in the Mediterranean and along the Atlantic coast from Wales to Africa.
This, however, was not the city's only claim to fame. The invention of the alphabet, later copied and adapted by the Greeks, is attributed to Cadmos, the ancestor of the people of Tyre, whose sister, Europa, gave her name to a continent. The Phoenicians also discovered purple which became the color symbolic of royalty.
The prosperity and greatness of the city, however, often alternated with periods of trial and tribulation. The city underwent several sieges - including those of Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander - and fell to successive conquests, each of which left its mark. After being almost totally destroyed, it was rebuilt, but only partially, in the eighteenth century, but never regained its past glory.
Imposing remains testify, however, to its great past and the influence which it once had on Mediterranean civilizations. These remains are now in grave danger.
Tyre is once again threatened, not only by the acts of war which are inflicting suffering and destruction on Lebanon as a whole, but also by a modernization which shows no regard for harmony between old and new. Walls and monuments are being torn down to make way for new buildings and new roads, clandestine excavations and the pillaging of precious objects are feeding an illicit traffic, and the fighting is causing upheavals, all of which combined means that unique treasures are gradually being lost, and with them are vanishing the traces of the history of which they are the last witnesses.
The Government of Lebanon has thus decided to ask for the support of the world community for an international campaign to safeguard the principal sites of archaeological interest in Tyre, which has been on the World Heritage List since 1985.
In issuing a Heritage Alert for Tyre today, I call upon all those who feel deeply concerned by the future of this outstanding place to make world public opinion more aware of the danger facing the historical heritage of the city and to join forces in order to spare it any further harm and depredation until such time as the Lebanese Government can take the action necessary for its preservation and restoration.
Of course, the primary responsibility for preserving intact the heritage of Tyre falls to the people and government of the country. The international community, however, must, for its part and in liaison with the national authorities, help them. The site must be kept secure by preventing the transfer of and discouraging trade in items illegally acquired. The co-operation of international organizations, governments, museums and art specialists is essential in this regard.
Let us all work together so that the world comes to learn what Tyre represents both in world history and in the future of the world. Let us make sure that everyone in Lebanon and in the rest of the world knows the dangers which threaten this site and takes part in the common effort to protect and preserve it for future generations.