The destruction of the Ancient Phoenician port in Minet el Hosn with the blessing of Lebanese Culture Minister Gaby Layoun did not go unnoticed as local and foreign media outlets have condemned the act and asked the minister for explanation.
Rhonda Parker from the Examiner posted a nice article rounding up the reactions from all parties involved. You can check it [Here]
The only party happy with the minister’s decision is the real estate company behind The Venus Towers that will are projected to be built on top of the ruins.
Thank you Najib for the coverage…
Here’s a shot from yesterday’s demonstration
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150877412302827&set=p.10150877412302827&type=1&theater
Hi Najib, thanks a lot for the support, on behalf of APLH.
cheers!
i really like how the after and i wont mind to have it built, since i cant see what do you want to preserve since there’s nothing in the before picture to preserve. i think the whole thing is political and its not about history or towers!!!
sometimes ignorance is bliss ya lala. I envy you…
Nothing to preserve?There was a whole Phoenician port,that’s what there was.It was an archaeological site which displayed the rich history and culture of Lebanon.Would you be this indifferent if they were to do the same to the Baalback ruins,since they’re nothing but a bunch of old rocks?This is Lebanon’s history we’re talking about and they’re doing nothing to preserve it.
Even for the sake of an argument, are you seriously comparing Baalback to this?
Bringing a howitzer to a fist fight doesn’t help you make your point.
sorry to say it but on contrary
bringing a howitzer is a way to prevent future atrocities.
if they were able to remove one classified site, it means that noone might stop some autorities to remove byblos or baalbeck or tyr. It is an unprecedent attack, it is a nuclear bomb launched on each and single archeological site
It is not an unprecedented attack, this has happened many times before in Beirut and again “nuclear bomb” is a little strong for the point you’re trying to make.
I understand what you’re saying but using extreme similes distorts your argument and your reasoning doesn’t come through.
For what it’s worth, I agree that it should be classified as a criminal act if it was indeed a Phoenician dry dock but comparing it to Hiroshima and using such a loaded word as atrocity is not the way to get your argument taken seriously.
And no-one is going to start building over Byblos or Baalbek.
At least not yet….
I do not think that you know that byblos’s site is under severe threat …
I cannot say more then that
As usual, more angry rants against FPM ministers based on false information, simply because they’re FPM ministers.
He already said a million times, that’s not a phoenician port, it’s a stretch of dirt.
The person who originally claimed the site was that of a phoenician port didn’t support that claim with the required archaeological findings that endorse these claims.
Excuse me but why are you bringing politics into this discussion? This is a site that was demolished with the approval of a CULTURE minister.
If your claims are correct, why didn’t he answer those protesting yet? why didn’t he make a decent press conference to explain all that?
How come the UNESCO insists it’s a phoenician port and he thinks it’s not?
Do you have any documents to back your claims? Because if not, you are doing far more harm than this so-called minister of culture.
he already did address them a million times: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTUZ9iU4BmE&list=UUJu-0vnWt0wFMQuLsjzwjRQ&index=9&feature=plcp
And what of UNESCO? Who said that they “insist” that this was a phoenician port? I mean who said UNESCO claimed it was a phoenician port other than anti-FPM propaganda websites(like yours)?
Check the below answers and stop coming up with stupid conspiracy theories.
There are more than 20 international experts and organizations who said it was a port. The least this minister could do is verify those reports not base his claims on a real estate expert.
Anonymous, as per this report, and contrary to what the minister says check who is the incompetent:
http://hummusforthought.com/2012/06/28/%E2%80%8Esave-beirut-heritage-releases-april-icomos-report-on-the-phoenician-site-of-minet-el-hosn-freng/
You know what?
Even most of FPM executives and intellectual are against what layyoun did as he is now trying to justify himself in front of them.
oh maybe your rank is not high enough to listen what i m listening
anonomous and Lala, information about the importance of the ‘before’ is available IN DROVES for free online. if you dont feel like reading it it’s not our problem and we’re not responsible for the laziness of people, and if you desperately want to turn it into a political debate, we have nothing to talk to you about because APLH is a non political organization who’s self-financed. we’re probably the only self financed NGO in lebanon and this keeps us non political and at the mercy of nobody. we were against Wardé when he allowed the demolition of the inja theater in tripoli and against layoun now. I hope I halped you refresh your memory. Josef H. APLH
ok so Hans Curvers persons became now a saint for the FPM, we – as FPM – can trust him and of course allow his report to be rewritten by petersen to get a new virginity? Right?
HANS CURVERS IS THE ONE THAT DESTROYED DOWNTOWN BEIRUT FROM 1994 TO 2005
He is the one that destroyed 80% of the phoenician tell, he is the one that destroyed a 4th century byzantin church to build of the hariri mosque, he is the one that destroyed the roman therm, he is the one that destroyed all the roman temples in DT, he is the one that destroyed all exceptionnal sites we found in DT!!!!
seems you do not know the case and spread lies
Layla and Anonymous,
Please don’t label us, or me.
We have asked for an independent third organization to dismiss or confirm what we are saying, and we didn’t receive any response. There are more than 20 international experts and organizations who said it was a port (I can give you names and references), and only Mr. Layoun and “his comitte” and the archaeologist of Venus towers who dismissed the importance of the site. I am really sorry to disappoint you, but it’s not personal with the minister of culture. Talking about other FPM ministers is irrelevant for this topic. Again this is not a political movement. Our movement is strictly cultural in order to preserve our heritage.
Again thank you Najib for spreading the word. I always liked blogbaladi. Now I like it more.
Lila,
Please let’s stay away from foul language and stick to the topic. Thank you for your understanding.
Dear Charles and Josef
Could you inform us more about why did Layoun allow them to go on?
Who are the Venus shareholders?
I see the picture I took for the press comm is circulating very well.
Bref, Venus is a subsidary of AWC. First info were saying the company was close to a druze leader close to Aoun, AE Talal Arslan but these info were wrong. AWC belongs to a certain Chammas.
Venus is financed by 4 banks among which there is the fenicia bank(not joke…), al mawared, I forgot which are the 2 remaining ones.
According to persistant rumors circulating, there was threats and “gifts” from this company against all those that were stating it is a port. However, as far I know, there were “gifts” to the lebanese autorities and not threats.
Hi Michel, I don’t have this info. I don’t know why Layoun did this, except what he openly says on TV. Maybe you can ask at the facebook group of the ALPH http://www.facebook.com/groups/aplh1764/
We have 6 further documents that were sent to us regarding the Phoenician Site that was destroyed Last Monday – http://tinyurl.com/cgu7lv9
The 6 documents are:
– Letter of resignation of the site’s director of excavation, Hisham Sayegh (Francais)
“The many centuries that have passed with their ancient wars, the Israeli invasions of Beirut and its numerous destruction have not destroyed Lebanon’s Archeology in such a devastating way as when you took the role of minister of culture.”
– Rock-cut slipways in Beirut by Prof. David Blackman sent to the university of Oxford.
– Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, par Pr. Dr. Jean-Yves Empereur (Francais)
– Dr. Kaliopi Baika’s letter to the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism
– Marguerite Yon, Lettre De Soutien (Francais)
– Attestation Beyrouth Sourisseau (Francais)
the construction of the project continues. the company is owned by the chamaas and a guy from the tahhan family