Last week, UNIFIL Sector West Commander Brigadier General Stefano Lagorio inaugurated a project funded by the UN mission’s Italian peacekeepers to rehabilitate a major Lebanese archeological site in Tyre, south Lebanon.
Implemented at the request of local authorities, the project, which included – among other things – installation of solar-powered spotlights and maintenance of existing photovoltaic cells for better lighting, aimed to preserve the historically significant Al-Mina Archeological Site.
The UNIFIL support was extended to all three locations of the archeological site. The work commenced on 26 October 2021 and continued for nearly three weeks.
The Al-Mina site, which is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprises important archaeological ruins, a great part of which are submerged. The most noteworthy structures are the vestiges of the Roman baths, the two palestras, the arena, the colonnaded Roman road, the residential quarter, as well as the remains of the cathedral built in 1127 by the Venetians and some of the walls of the ancient Crusader castle.
UNIFIL peacekeepers have long been supporting its rehabilitation, starting in 2010 with the construction of a walkway in the palestra area. In 2019, they launched a project to construct staging areas at the site.
Between their core operational duties, UNIFIL peacekeepers regularly implement projects in the mission’s area of operations as requested by and for the benefit of host communities.