The latest war on Lebanon did not only destroy buildings and threaten lives; it also endangered part of our history, stretching back thousands of years, placing it directly in the path of destruction. As a result, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee added the city of Tyre to the List of World Heritage in Danger due to the damage it sustained during the war and the continuing threats facing it.
Tyre is one of the world’s most prominent historic cities. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984 because of its Phoenician, Roman, and Byzantine landmarks of exceptional cultural value. Today, however, it has been placed on a list that countries have long made significant efforts to keep their heritage sites off—perhaps one of the classifications no country wishes to see associated with its landmarks.
Tyre’s inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger does not mean that it has been removed from the World Heritage List. Rather, the designation aims to mobilize international support, develop urgent plans to protect the site, and secure the technical and financial assistance needed to preserve it, with the goal of addressing the threats and eventually removing it from the danger list.
