ICOMOS considers that this road could have a negative impact on the ‘magic’ view of the UNESCO World Heritage site
TIRANA, August 5 – UNESCO and ICOMOS have denounced an already finished extension to the Ksamil road as damaging the Butrint archeological park, a UNESCO World Heritage site since the early 1990s. In a letter to the Albanian Ambassador to UNESCO, the leading world heritage organizations request information by the Albanian authorities on the road’s condition and its impact on the Butrint park boundaries. Back in August 2010, when the Ksamil-Butrint road was under reconstruction, the UN cultural organization demanded the suspension of extension works because of running counter to the park’s management plan. The letter to Albania’s Ambassador to UNESCO Besiana Kadare, also unveils the concern over Butrint’s boundaries after the road’s construction and the environmental impact the extension of the road might have on the park.
“ICOMOS considers that this road could have a negative impact on the ‘magic’ view of the UNESCO World Heritage site,” says the report, asking Albanian authorities to compile a map, clearly defining Butrint new boundaries after the road extension and the buffer zone which could be efficiently used on the preservation of the park. Requesting detailed information and pictures on the road’s conditions, signs and pavements and lighting, ICOMOS says the road’s consequences can be reduced though the park’s management plan.
Representatives of the Albanian Forum for the Protection of Heritage who had also appealed to the Albanian government to suspend extension works, say they will undertake legal action against officials in charge of the Butrint Park and the Institute of Monuments of Culture for allowing the reconstruction.
ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, is a global non-governmental organization associated with UNESCO. Its mission is to promote the conservation, protection, use and enhancement of monuments, building complexes and sites.
Butrint park
Inhabited since prehistoric times, Butrint has been the site of a Greek colony, a Roman city and a bishopric. Following a period of prosperity under Byzantine administration, then a brief occupation by the Venetians, the city was abandoned in the late middle Ages after marshes formed in the area. The present archaeological site is a repository of ruins representing each period in the city’s development.
Excavations carried out by Albanian and foreign expeditions continue shedding light on the ancient settlement. In 1992, Butrint was designated as a World Heritage Site – a status that identifies cultural and natural sites of outstanding universal value.
The National Park was established in 2000 affording Butrint full protection within Albanian law. The original 26 sq km of the park boundaries were in 2005 expanded to 86 sq km. The amphitheatre, dating from the 3rd century BC, bears witness to the cultural riches of the city the stone banks of seating, of which 23 rows have been preserved, would have held an audience of 1,500. The theatre is situated at the foot of the acropolis, close by two temples, one of which is dedicated to Asclepios, the Greek god of medicine, who was worshipped by the city’s inhabitants.
Excavations have brought the light to many objects – plates, vases, ceramic candlesticks – as well as sculptures including a remarkable ‘Goddess of Butrint’ which seems to completely embody, in the perfection of its features, the Greek ideal of physical beauty.
