Conflict Incident Report

BAALBECK, Lebanon: Residents and activists gathered at the steps of the Temple of Bacchus in the eastern city of Baalbeck to protest poor restoration of the heritage site. “The restoration efforts by the Council for Development and Reconstruction have been done in a careless way,” Issam al-Rifai, a local activist, said as she read a joint statement from several civil society groups. “It was apparent that there was grave damage that was the result of the detrimental methods used in the reconstruction process. This has been confirmed in a report by specialized architects.” Baalbeck Gov. Bachir Khodr spoke to local press in response to civil society’s protests, condemning the damage to the ancient Temple of Bacchus complex that dates from the second or early third century. It was classed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. The governor said the restoration efforts had been done in a “primitive” way and acknowledged that it had resulted in “deformities” and the removal of inscriptions. Khodr also said that the municipality filed a complaint to the Culture Ministry several months ago regarding the quality of restoration work. “Former Minister Raymond Areiji immediately responded and took action,” Khodr said. “But the committee that was sent to evaluate the situation covered up the crime.” The local demonstrators held photos showing visible physical damage to the ancient Roman temples, specifically the temples of Bacchus and Venus, as well as structures on the pathway to the Temple of Jupiter. Throughout her speech, Rifai listed four demands agreed on by local activists and civil society members. They include holding a meeting between local activists and state officials before any maintenance continues and terminating the contract of the current company that has cause the damage “after losing its credibility.” Their demands also included measures to prevent any future damage taking place. Activists called on officials to publicize the legal contract for the maintenance work in an effort to ascertain the exact methods of restoration that had caused damage. They also want to appoint local archaeologists who specialize in reconstruction and have the municipality oversee and monitor future work. Raed Sharha, another local activists, explained the extent of the damage, saying “The reconstruction ... left deformations and resulted in damage to the stone and the engravings of Baalbeck’s historical fortress,” he said. “The residents of the city and the municipal council were surprised by the results that are not befitting the people of Baalbeck and its great heritage.” The protesters said that UNESCO had confirmed the architects’ findings regarding damage. “UNESCO considered that the internal cleaning ... was ... very aggressive and destroyed the first layer of stone. Despite the fact that the cleaning was bad and despite the deformation, we were surprised ... that a decision was taken to continue work at the Temple of Jupiter, and now it will [start on] the six pillars,” he said. “Scaffolding is already in place, without taking the opinion of the municipal council and without holding those who deformed the inscription and stone accountable.” One of the activists, who did not disclose his identity, likened the flawed restoration process to what destruction of historical sites by Daesh (ISIS) at Syria’s historical Palmyra, which dates from a slightly earlier period. “There are members of Daesh here that have destroyed Baalbeck’s heritage in the Temple of Bacchus and others,” the activist told The Daily Star. “They will destroy the inscriptions on the six columns soon.” The ancient site, built over two centuries, is considered one of the best examples of imperial Roman architecture and is home to some of the tallest Corinthian columns in the world and some of the largest Roman temples ever built. Parts are remarkably well-preserved with unique, intricate stone carvings and engravings.