It never crossed Ahmed Issa’s mind while playing with his friends among Shahat’s Greek monuments in eastern Libya, that he would stand at the same place after a quarter of a century, introducing students to that remarkable archaeological site from ancient times.

It never crossed Ahmed Issa’s mind while playing with his friends among Shahat’s Greek monuments in eastern Libya, that he would stand at the same place after a quarter of a century, introducing students to that remarkable archaeological site from ancient times.

In March 2012, archaeology professor Ahmed Issa Faraj went back to his hometown for a leave from his academic studies in England in order to establish, along with some employees of Antiquities Monitoring Bureau and tour guides, a team whose purpose was to educate students about the importance of the heritage and archaeology of Shahat – 215 km east of Benghazi – which had been built by Greek adventurers in 631 B.C., calling it Cyrene.

Childhood memories of the team’s founder played a role in taking this initiative. “When I was a kid,” recalled Ahmad, “my father – an archaeological restorer – used to take me with him to restoration operations, which led me as a kid to ask many questions about these deaf rock tourists that came to visit and take memorial photos. I had not found the right answers until I finished my archeology studies.”

The idea of educating students about the value of archeological heritage is based on involving the local community in sharing the responsibility for protecting these monuments; a concept perceived by Ahmed as absent from the archeological scene of Libya. “In Libya, we are sitting at the back seat in regards to involving the community in taking responsibility, if there is a front seat at all”, Ahmad said.

“The fundamental reason behind the declined concern for archeology is the gap between the Department of Antiquities (the highest body concerned with Libyan archeology) and its branches on one hand and the community on the other,” he explained.

Unique idea

When the project was first presented, the educational body in the city voiced some concerns. Ramadan Ikhwany, Director of School Activities Office in the area, said, “We had our concerns; our office was under establishment with no staff to operate it and our students were having their first semester exams.”

Holding a detailed file on the project, Ramadan added, “We were concerned that the students would not respond with the program. Libyan students receive minor attention for athletic and artistic activities, so would they care for a novel activity like archeology?”

Finally, however, the officials welcomed the project since it represented a “unique idea” according to Ramadan.

Outdoor lessons

The implementation phase started immediately, and the school activities office prepared a precise timetable that included seven schools. The training targeted 600 students in a way that would not conflict with their exams, while Sadaqa Sports Club provided school buses to transport the students during field visits.

The project came to light in mid-May. The team moved between schools for a period of a month in order to display simplified presentations that combined knowledge with entertainment. Through these presentations, the students were introduced to the images of negligence and acts of vandalism of archaeological sites, such as writing on the walls, random construction operations and litter. The tour guides also accompanied students to educational as well entertaining site visits.

Ahmed says that the students who crowded into class rooms and school buses have demonstrated an “unusual” interaction and teachers as well as academic officials showed a great deal of cooperation. “It’s a wonderful feeling to contribute to the protection of monuments and achieve an indescribable success”, Ahmed added.

Ramadan underlined the importance of these lessons on a personal level saying, “We used to view our sites as featureless without temples, markets or streets. Now, we are aware of the greatness of its successive civilizations.”

Partnership

High school student Mohammed Boujila, who specialized in life science, is the son of this city and is strongly bound to its archeological sites, among which he has spent his life. “I have always feared that the writings on the walls by visitors during the revolution would remain. They have distorted something inside me but the lecturer has assured me they can be removed.”

Mohammed expressed his excitement about the information he came to know on the importance of some rare archaeological sites located just a few kilometers away from his residence. “If it had not been for the professor, I would not have been aware that the Temple of Zeus located in my city is the second largest temple of the ancient world”, he explained.

“Before these lectures, I used to believe that monuments were the masterpiece of the city, but now I believe that the survival of the city is bound by protecting them. Moreover, these monuments are a national treasure that would replace oil,” Mohammed replied to a question whether he believed himself to be a partner in protecting the monuments at the end of the lectures.

Influenced enough, Mohammed, a student of medicine, has exerted remarkable efforts to move to archeology. He believes “the future lies in studying Archeology.”

Ministerial decree

The producers of this successfully executed project, according to its beneficiaries, have been able to convince the city education sector’s officials of its importance. Those officials find it beneficial and are looking forward to repeating it this year.

“We will expand the project,” Ramadan said, “to include primary and middle schools and we are planning to hold the academic year’s closing ceremony at the Archaeological Theater instead of a closed classroom as we usually do.”

Ramadan hopes that the Ministry of Education would adopt the project, saying, “What we have done has greatly influenced the ministry and I expect a ministerial decree to include some sections about antiquities in the curricula.”

“We met with the new director of the Ministry’s School Activity and he expressed his willingness to include the project in the Ministry’s activities of all state schools,” he added.

The new academic year students no longer perceive the Greek statues as mere deaf rocks. This is the message that Ahmad intended to deliver and today he leaves to finish his academic studies while Ramadan and his colleagues prepare for the school activities for a new course through which new students are introduced to the significance of the land they live on.