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
June 3, 2026
Following the severe storms and flooding in Central Texas in July 2025, the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute-Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative (MCI-SCRI), with the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab at the Virginia Museum of Natural History (CHML) and [...]
June 2, 2026
In partnership with the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute-Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative (MCI-SCRI) and with the support of the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, Cultural Emergency Response (CER) launched their “Supporting Heritage at Risk” manual. It encompasses [...]
May 27, 2026
The U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield was saddened to learn of the severe damage to and destruction of cultural property and institutions in Kyiv following Russia's recent missile strikes. The Art Newspaper reported on the [...]

