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
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