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
March 4, 2023
The US Committee of the Blue Shield (USBCS) expresses its profound sorrow at the great loss of life, now numbering more than 50,000 victims, due to the earthquake of February 6 and severe aftershocks in the region [...]
March 1, 2023
Roughly one year from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces that they will invest $7 million towards efforts to protect Ukrainian cultural heritage through the [...]
February 20, 2023
The U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield is holding a meeting that is free and open to the public on March 9-10, in the Lecture Hall of the S. Dillon Ripley Center located at the Smithsonian Institution. [...]
