AfricaTopSuccess They make Africa
The imposing ancient Greek site of Cyrene in Libya, classified since 2016 by UNESCO as world heritage in danger, is at risk of collapse after the devastating floods which hit the east of the country, according to testimonies and an archaeologist.
“It is a gigantic site and the largest Greek colony, a city built between the end of the 7th and the beginning of the 6th century BC”, explains to AFP Vincent Michel, head of the French archaeological mission in Libya.
Its first inhabitants came from Thera, today’s island of Santorini, and settled there for its fertile land and abundant water.
According to Claudia Gazzini, Libya specialist for the International Crisis Group, who visited Cyrene in recent days, the site is still largely flooded and has suffered several collapses.
“We have a downhill road, Sharaa el Wadi, lined with ancient walls, which connected the upper part of the site to the lower part and through which rainwater circulated but blocks of stone fell, blocking the flow of water,” she explains to AFP from Benghazi.
