UNESCO warned that 640 heritage buildings, several museums including the National Museum, Sursock Museum and the AUB Archaeological Museum, and cultural and religious sites and galleries were subject to damages following the Beirut Port explosion.

In this regard, UNESCO announced that it will lead an international initiative to restore and rebuild Beirut’s heritage, and will seek the help of first-class cultural organizations and experts in Lebanon and abroad.

Prior to the UNESCO initiative, the Directorate General of Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture formed a committee of specialists and experts in cooperation with the Order of Engineers and Architects and the Beirut Municipality and under the supervision of the Beirut Governor. The committee will be responsible for restoring museums and heritage houses, most of which are located in the historical neighborhoods such as Gemmayzeh, Achrafieh, Tabaris, Mar Mikhael, Karantina, Zekak Al Blat, Medawar and Mina Al Hosn.

The committee includes a large group of professors and alumni of the Lebanese University - Faculty of Fine Arts & Architecture, who began to hand over the initial survey files to contractors in preparation for laying the foundations for the damaged houses and eliminating the danger threatening their owners, namely with the approaching winter season.

On the other hand, a group of professors and students of the Department of Archeology in the Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences at the Lebanese University volunteered with colleagues from Saint Joseph University (USJ), American University of Beirut (AUB) and Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) to help with technical services, with the support of the “International Council of Museums” (ICOM) and “Blue Shield International”.