Libya floods devastate cultural heritage in Derna and ancient Cyrene

Torrential rains and Cyclone Daniel caused catastrophic flooding in Libya starting September 10, 2023, collapsing two dams near Derna and killing over 5,000 people, with 10,000 missing. The ancient city of Derna, founded on the Greek colony Darnis and once capital of Cyrenaica, suffered severe damage to its historic center, including the Al Sahaba mosque and the UNESCO-listed archaeological site of Cyrene. A road collapsed between Shahat and Susa near Cyrene, and it remains unclear if the site itself was affected. Libya's cultural heritage was already vulnerable after the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi and subsequent division of the country. In 2015, ISIS expansion along the coast threatened cultural spaces. In 2016, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee placed five Libyan sites, including Cyrene, on the List of World Heritage in Danger.