Libye, patrimoine révélé

Through a selection of photographs and videos, this exhibition highlights the long-term scientific work carried out by the French Archaeological Mission in Libya (MAFL) in close collaboration with Libyan authorities, and showcases the diversity of the sites studied, the periods explored, and the issues of preservation and restoration.

For nearly fifty years, the French Archaeological Mission in Libya has been exploring and promoting a heritage that spans from prehistory to the medieval period across the entire Libyan territory. The exhibition illustrates and documents this work.

Among the sites presented:

Măsak, the first preventive archaeology campaign ever carried out in Libya, from 2001 to 2005, in the oil concession NC191, in the heart of the Sahara.

Bu Njem and the Syrtic region, the focus of two missions: one concentrated on the study of Roman fortification lines and on the ancient fort (now Bu Njem), the other conducted in five valleys of the Syrtic area.

Leptis Magna, a site founded by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC that reached its apogee under the Roman Empire thanks to flourishing trade and the patronage of Septimius Severus, an emperor native to the city.

Abu Tamsa, a rock shelter in Cyrenaica, occupied between the 7th and 5th millennia BC by small groups of pastoralist hunter-gatherers.

Apollonia, a port founded in the 7th century BC, whose existence is attested for more than a millennium, from the Archaic period to Late Antiquity.

Latrun, located on the coast east of Apollonia, offering insight into the evolution of ancient villages in Cyrenaica, from the Hellenistic period to their abandonment following the Arab conquest.

The region of western Marmarica, a little-known area where 56 archaeological sites have been identified, showing traces of human activity from prehistory to the present day.

Surt, situated in the center of coastal Libya, in the desert separating Tripolitania from Cyrenaica, was the first Islamic site excavated in Libya, in 1963.

The underwater excavations of the port of Apollonia, now partly submerged, revealing submerged architectural remains in the Mediterranean.

Underwater excavations at Leptis Magna and Sabratha.

The illicit trafficking of archaeological goods, which threatens Libya’s heritage, has accelerated since 2011, driven by strong international demand.