Graphite paintings cover the walls of a Greek runway in the Libyan city of Shehat, or Qurena, Libya, which has been devastated. Today, neglect and sabotage are taking place and the local population is illegally appropriated.
The souvenir shops and deserted cafes on the mountain road leading to the 2,600-year-old site are all that remains of the ticket that this was an important tourist destination. Archaeological sites in Libya have been looted since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The site of Shehat, or Qurna, is one of five sites in Libya listed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Other sites include the ruins of the city of Leptis Magna, the Great Lebda, the Roman and the Sabratha site, both in western Libya. Besides the site, which lies about 200 kilometers east of Benghazi, the eastern part of the country is located Apollonia only 20 kilometers away.
With the departure of tourists and the Archaeologists' interest in budget deficits, saboteurs smashed columns with graffiti and looted antiquities. Some of the treasures are no longer in existence, including head or statue objects listed in manuals issued in 2011.
Archaeologist Ahmed Hussein said: "There are a lot of artifacts that have been smuggled in by thousands. He added that the Antiquities Authority records artifacts because of its inability to prevent theft, a process that helped restore some pieces in Europe.
Protection of the site was better before 2011, but the site's excavation actually dates back to the period of Italian rule, as it is still possible to see the equipment of the colonists. The last Italian left the country in 1943 after the defeat of their army when the area became under British administration.
A farmer named Ismail Miftah, who lives near the site of Shehat, has been devastated in recent years. Ordinary people do not appreciate the ancient heritage.