The floods that killed more than 5,000 people in Libya in early September damaged the ruins of Cyrene, a 2,600-year-old Greek settlement in the mountains above the devastated city of Derna. At Cyrene, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, earth and stones were washed away by the waters. Among the impacts so far observed at Cyrene by local authorities is the mud and rubble now occupying the site’s baths. Despite the damage, the deluge of water also revealed a previously unknown Roman drainage system, one Boufja says is a distinctive discovery for the city. Cyrene, known locally as Shahhat, is one of Libya’s leading archeological sites.
