SHAHAT, Libya: In eastern Libya, a small group of passionate archaeologists are striving to safeguard the ancient ruins of Cyrene and Apollonia — sites first targeted by jihadist groups, then ravaged by Storm Daniel.
The UNESCO-listed ruins were once at the heart of a unique network of Greek colonies in North Africa.
“Breathtaking,” tour guide Hamdi Al-Kailani said, surveying the imposing Temple of Zeus at Cyrene. The monument, he added, is slightly bigger than the Parthenon in Athens.
While calm reigns there today, Cyrene — much like other sites across eastern Libya — was the target of looting by jihadists, including the Daesh group, when the country descended into chaos following the fall of longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
With state institutions largely absent, local experts and aficionados had to improvise.
