Italy builds the 'digital fortress' of Lebanon's memory

Italy puts its technology and its scientific network at the service of the memory of Lebanon: the 'Archiving Lebanon's Heritage' digital platform was activated today at the National Library of Beirut live worldwide, a participatory archive open to anyone in the world who holds historical testimony from the country of cedars.

This was announced by the Heritage International Institute (Hii), the Italian institute for the protection of cultural heritage in the world, and the General Directorate of Antiquities (Dga) of the Lebanese Ministry of Culture, promoters of the initiative, which implements the scientific cooperation agreements signed between the two institutions in Parma.

The ceremony was attended by the Lebanese Minister of Culture, Ghassan Salame, the director of the DGA, Sarkis Khuri, the Italian ambassador to Beirut, Fabrizio Marcelli, and the president of the HII, Sergio Iovino.

Conflicts, Iovino said, "can wound the stone of monuments, but they cannot erase the identity of a people if they decide to guard it".

The platform, multilingual and accessible from any device, guides the user in uploading photos, letters, maps, recordings and videos, sorted into three categories: tangible, intangible and natural heritage, from cedar forests to the Qadisha Valley. Donors remain the owners of the materials and decide the level of confidentiality. Each file is stored in the Dariah-It federated digital infrastructure, coordinated by the Cnr, to guarantee long-term security and conservation.

Full 3D mapping of the archaeological site of Faqra is also planned. In twelve months, in Rome, an international gala will reward the most significant contributions with three awards, one for each pillar of the project.