During the 2011 Libyan Revolution a number of archaeological and cultural heritage sites suffered from looting. Most noteworthy was the theft of the Benghazi Treasure, a collection of 7700 gold, silver and bronze coins, jewelry and statuettes, from the main branch of Libya’s commercial bank in Benghazi.
For reports of the joint Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS) and International Military Cultural Resources Work Group (IMCuRWG) Mission to Libya, with links to photo documentation see:
- Civil-Military Assessment Mission for Libyan Heritage by Blue Shield and IMCuRWG – September 2011
- 2nd Civil-Military Assessment Mission for Libyan Heritage – November 2011
- USCBS statement on Libya “Protection of Important Libyan (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) Cultural Heritage Sites” – March 2011
- Blue Shield statement on Libya – March 2011
Latest News & Alerts
October 20, 2025
Many thanks to all who attended last week's webinar, "How Does the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Protect Cultural Property?"! The U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield would especially like to thank Sharon Nicastro [...]
October 10, 2025
📣 Announcing our upcoming webinars! Join us this fall for two fascinating talks on various aspects of cultural property protection: 🔹 Wednesday, October 15 @ 1:30 EDT: "How Does the International Committee of the Red Cross [...]
September 22, 2025
Recent attacks on Gaza City have left archaeologists fearful about the loss of irreplaceable artifacts, reports The New York Times. A delay in airstrikes enabled local experts and the international community to coordinate efforts and relocate [...]
