Shafaq News- Beirut<\/p>\n
Israel’s military
\ncampaign in Lebanon has extended beyond civilian casualties and damage to
\ninfrastructure to affect dozens of archaeological sites, historic villages,
\nplaces of worship, and other cultural landmarks, according to a Lebanese
\nMinistry of Culture report documenting the conflict’s impact on the country’s
\ncultural, environmental, and intangible heritage.<\/p>\n
Nearly 55 historic
\ntowns and villages in southern Lebanon were destroyed or severely damaged after
\nthe conflict began in 2023 and intensified between 2024 and 2026, with the
\ndestruction extending to traditional homes, religious shrines, churches,
\nmosques, schools, hospitals, administrative buildings, historic markets,
\nfarmland, and centers housing civil records and personal documents, which the
\nministry described as a “direct and systematic” campaign aimed at
\nerasing Lebanon’s cultural identity, historical landscape, and collective
\nmemory.<\/p>\n
Protected Cultural
\nSites<\/p>\n
Among the affected
\nlandmarks are several sites protected under the 1954 Hague Convention for the
\nProtection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Second
\nProtocol. They include the ancient city of Tyre and the Al-Bass archaeological site,
\nboth UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as Shamaa Castle, Beaufort Castle
\n(Qalaat Al-Shaqif), and Tebnine Castle, which are included on UNESCO’s
\nTentative List for possible World Heritage inscription. The archaeological
\nsites of Umm al-Amad and Shaqra Castle were also listed among the damaged
\nlocations, alongside the Gouraud Barracks, the Roman wall in Baalbek, the
\nhistoric Qubbat Duris, the landmark Palmyra Hotel, and the Al-Manshiya
\nbuilding.<\/p>\n
Places of Worship and
\nHistoric Landmarks<\/p>\n
The conflict also
\naffected churches, mosques, traditional markets, and historic buildings across
\nsouthern Lebanon. Historic Maronite, Orthodox, and Catholic churches in Yaroun,
\nDardghaya, Sarda, Deir Mimas, Alma Al-Shaab, Nabatieh, Qlayaa, and Khiam were
\nlisted among the damaged sites, along with a Maronite monastery near Baalbek’s
\nUNESCO-listed archaeological complex.<\/p>\n
Historic mosques
\ninclude the Prophet Shuayb Mosque in Blida, the Kfartebnit Mosque in Nabatieh,
\nthe Tyre Debba Mosque, Ainata’s heritage mosque, the old mosque in Nabatieh El
\nTahta, the Great Mosque of Bint Jbeil, the historic Al-Bayad neighborhood mosque
\nin Nabatieh, the Prophet Muhaibib Mosque and shrine in Mays Al-Jabal, and the
\nProphet Mundhir Mosque in Markaba.<\/p>\n
Traditional markets in
\nNabatieh \u2014including the Spice Market and the Ottoman Market\u2014 as well as the
\nmarket of Bint Jbeil also sustained damage. Around 120 historic buildings
\nacross Nabatieh were affected, including parts of the city’s old Serail, the
\napproximately 150-year-old Shaheen House, and stone houses in Harouf that are
\nmore than a century old.<\/p>\n
Historic Villages and
\nNatural Landscapes<\/p>\n
The affected areas
\nalso include dozens of historic villages across the districts of Bint Jbeil,
\nMarjayoun, Tyre, and Hasbaya, including Aita Al-Shaab, Maroun Al-Ras, Yaroun,
\nRmeish, Khiam, Kfarkela, Mays Al-Jabal, Naqoura, Shamaa, Alma Al-Shaab,
\nAl-Bustan, Al-Bazourieh, Al-Wazzani, and Al-Majidiyah.<\/p>\n
The report also
\nrecords extensive losses to Lebanon’s natural environment. Centuries-old olive
\ngroves were uprooted across the districts of Tyre, Bint Jbeil, and Nabatieh,
\nwhile fig, grape, and carob orchards were destroyed. The ministry further
\naffirmed that ancient olive, oak, and carob trees were stolen from woodlands in
\nHasbaya and Bint Jbeil, and accused Israel of deliberately burning and clearing
\noak forests and leveling historic agricultural terraces, altering landscapes
\nthat had been preserved for generations.<\/p>\n
Intangible Cultural
\nHeritage<\/p>\n
Beyond the loss of
\nmonuments and cultural sites, the report warns that the conflict has also
\ndisrupted Lebanon’s intangible cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
According to the
\nministry, the destruction of villages, markets, churches, mosques, cemeteries,
\nand public spaces has erased important “places of memory” where
\ntraditions and social practices were maintained. It also cautioned that
\nassaults on areas associated with traditional crafts threaten the continuity of
\nartisanal skills and community traditions, while the displacement of residents
\nfrom southern Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley, and Beirut’s southern suburbs has
\ninterrupted the transmission of customs and traditional knowledge between
\ngenerations.<\/p>\n