Political Turmoil Benefits Black Market in Antiquities

SALERNO, ITALY—Antiquities from Egypt, Syria, and Libya are being targeted for sale on the black market, according to Mounir Bouchenaki, Special Advisor to the Director General of UNESCO and Director General of its Arab Center for World Heritage. “Unauthorized excavations are being carried out in sites that no longer have the same security measures and protection they had in previous years, prior to the political turbulence,” he said. Bouchenaki then called on the International Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, the International Council of Museums, and the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage for assistance with protecting the cultural heritage of these vulnerable regions.