Israeli Architect Warns Albania against Damaging Heritage

An ongoing road development project in southern Albania could threaten archaeological heritage sites, a member of the International Council of Monuments and Sites, ICMS, has warned.

Besar Likmeta

Tirana

The theater of Butrint | Photo courtesy of the Butrint Foundation

Giora Solar, an Israeli perseveration architect who led a joint fact-finding mission with UNESCO last year aimed at identifying the impact a road expansion would have on Albania’s Butrint Archeological Park, said ongoing road developments along the coast could have a detrimental affect on heritage sites.

“Butrint was the subject of our mission, but at the same time there could be other cultural or natural sites, affected by the coastal project, which are not under international monitoring, and therefore not mentioned - but potentially put at risk.” he said.

In 2007, Albania commenced a large-scale development project of its southern coastal areas, building new roads to connect coastal villages in the Southern Riviera. The aim was to make the villages more accessible and provide better transport links for tourists.

Last year, Solar’s joint fact-finding mission with UNESCO and ICOMOS, looked at the impact one road expansion had on the Butrint Park. The findings of the report showed that the ruin would not be damaged by the road expansion but the surrounding land could be affected.