Construction is already rising in this region, which is very sensitive both ecologically and culturally. (Photo sent by the Committee for the Safeguarding of Sour)
For several weeks now, work on land in Sour, including one adjacent to the marine nature reserve, sparked an outcry among many activists who fear for the coastal site, whose buffer zone is already being impacted by excavation. However, the Committee for the Preservation of Sour warned of an additional danger in this so-called "Jiftalik" area and the nature reserve: The presence of archaeological sites not yet excavated, including one of the three Phoenician ports of this ancient city in southern Lebanon.
The association said that these invaluable treasures must be preserved at all costs and demanded, in a note sent to the concerned ministries, "the immediate cessation of the work" and "a thorough examination of the contracts, documents, and plans" with a recommended final decision being "the cancellation of the project in its current form." It also noted that this construction project was located on land belonging to the Lebanese state and reserved for military activities by the Ministry of Defense.
When questioned, a source from the Ministry of Culture replied that they had "taken up the matter," as had the Justice Ministry. At the time of publishing, we were unable to contact the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) to inquire about the risks involved.
A 'commercial' project
Regional activists were keen to highlight the dangers of this work, which only paused during the worst months of the last war between Israel and Hezbollah, namely between Sept. 23 and Nov. 27, 2024. Once the cease-fire came into effect, and while the city was still tending to its wounds, bulldozers resumed their work. A complaint lodged with the summary proceedings judge of Sour by Green Southerners, an ecological association, yielded results: Judge Yolla Ghotaimi ruled the cessation of work on March 14 and appointed an environmental expert to inspect the site.
However, the respite could be short-lived, and the risks were not limited to the environment, the committee said. In its note to decision-makers, it emphasized that this project was not exclusively for the army, as insinuated several times – notably by Hassan Dbouk, head of Sour's municipal council– even though it included an officers' club. Located on nearly 400,000 sq. meters, the project spans seven parcels, including one adjacent to the reserve. The construction was mainly commercial, the committee learned, which "renders the secrecy surrounding the documents and maps unjustified, under the pretext that the project concerns the Ministry of Defense."
Citing "rare reliable information," the committee added that "the Ministry of Defense would have signed a BOT type agreement" with a private company, granting it "the right to exploit these parcels by constructing around 150 shops, restaurants, apartments and commercial buildings, as well as an officers' club, exploitable over 28 years." Previously contacted, Defense Minister Michel Menassa did not respond to requests to comment.
"One of the most concerning aspects of the project is the request submitted to Sour's municipality for constructing a pedestrian bridge linking the project to the coastline of the nature reserve," continued the committee's note. This passage would be facing the strictly prohibited beach area, except for scientific research and environmental protection purposes.
The third port
Besides the fact that this project operated without an environmental impact study – which Environment Minister Tamara al-Zein confirmed as she was about to sign the request herself – it would not have been submitted to any institution concerned with heritage. To understand the heritage stakes of continuing this work, one must go back to 2000 when the International Association for the Preservation of Sour invited a multidisciplinary international team to study the seabeds in this part of the city, led by Honor Frost, a pioneer in underwater archaeology.
The studies uncovered the presence of the remains of three ancient Phoenician ports that characterized Sour before its conquest by Alexander the Great (332 BCE). The northern port was located at the current fishing port of Sour but was twice as large. The southern port was in the current Ras al-Jamal region and was called "Egyptian" because of its witness to relations between the Phoenicians and ancient Egypt. The third, known as Palea-Tyr, is primarily under the reserve, buried under layers of sand, and served as the point connecting the mainland to the island of Sour (which later became a peninsula). The remains of this port are feared to be at risk due to this project, warned Maha Shalabi, president of the Lebanese Committee for the Preservation of Sour.
"Uncovering the remains of these three ports would put Sour on the map of the world's most important heritage cities," she said. Yet in a 2007 article, following studies conducted in the early 2000s by Honor Frost's team, Christophe Morhange from the University of Aix-en-Provence, along with his co-author Nick Marrinier, proposed "modifications to Sour's master urban plan to better consider the richness of archaeological heritage and the natural environment, essential elements for a sustainable development of this rapidly growing metropolis in southern Lebanon."
Since then, the opposite path has been favored.
Infractions vs. actions taken
The committee also noted several violations: Concerning archaeology, the majority of parcels are listed in the national inventory of historic buildings – which imposes very strict constraints on all kinds of construction – while regarding the environment, the project encroaches on the buffer zone of the nature reserve.
Legally, the committee's indictment continues, the project violated several laws: The law on public property that requires state authorization for temporary occupation of public property; the antiquities law that requires DGA authorization for work on land listed in the national inventory; the protected areas law that prohibits encroachment on the buffer zone of reserves; the decree on environmental impact studies since no such study has been undertaken; Sour's master plan, which requires prior approval from the Ministry of Culture for any project in the region; the public procurement law, as the project was not submitted there; and the access to information law, as no one requesting to inspect the project's contracts and plans have had access so far.
The committee has also notified UNESCO of this ongoing project, as Sour remains listed as a World Heritage site. In 1999, the UNESCO World Heritage Center recommended avoiding further densification of Sour's old city, creating a buffer zone around the remains, per the 1972 Convention for listed sites, and conducting surveys and investigations well ahead of any construction operation. A petition was being circulated to allow heritage defenders to alert authorities to the risks of losing unique sites.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.