Letter from Minister of Culture to Director-General of UNESCO: Immediate and urgent intervention requested to prevent the destruction of Beaufort Castle
Minister of Culture Dr. Ghassan Salameh sent a letter to UNESCO Director-General Dr. Khaled El-Enany, requesting the organization's immediate and urgent intervention to engage with the relevant parties and activate all appropriate international mechanisms to prevent the destruction of the Beaufort Castle (Qalaat al-Chqif) site, following an extremely serious threat targeting this archaeological landmark. He stressed that silence or failure to act in the face of such a threat would open the door to violations whose consequences for cultural heritage protected under international law would be irreversible.
The letter stated:
Dear Director-General of UNESCO, Dr. Khaled El-Enany,
I am writing to you once again, less than ten days after my previous correspondence, to draw your kind attention to an extremely serious threat targeting Beaufort Castle. Israeli media outlets have circulated reports, which have also spread widely on social media in Lebanon, explicitly indicating the possibility of the destruction of this prominent cultural site. This raises grave concerns about the imminent risk of such an act being carried out.
Faced with this direct threat, Lebanon expresses its profound concern regarding the real danger of losing this symbolic historic monument, which embodies a collective memory and possesses heritage value of universal human significance. The destruction of this site would not only constitute an irreparable loss to Lebanon’s cultural heritage, but would also amount to an extremely serious assault on the cultural heritage of humanity as a whole.
The threat against Beaufort Castle constitutes a serious violation of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, its two Protocols, and the international obligations related to the enhanced protection of cultural property.
Beaufort Castle has been under the responsibility of Lebanon’s Ministry of Culture – Directorate General of Antiquities since 2000, following the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the site.
Since then, significant efforts have been undertaken in restoration, conservation, and rehabilitation in order to preserve this important historic monument and reopen it to the public, researchers, and visitors.
Following the outbreak of the war in 2024, UNESCO granted the site enhanced protection status, in recognition of its exceptional heritage value and the absolute commitment to its preservation.
Any attack on or destruction of this site would set an extremely dangerous precedent, undermining the legal standing of the international mechanisms established to protect cultural property during armed conflicts.
Beyond the physical damage that may result, any assault on this site would directly affect collective memory, cultural identity, and the deep historical ties that connect peoples to their heritage. The disappearance of Beaufort Castle would represent an irreversible loss for history and for future generations.
Accordingly, we call upon UNESCO to intervene immediately and urgently, engage with the relevant parties, and activate all appropriate international mechanisms to prevent the destruction of this site.
Silence or inaction in the face of such a threat would open the door to violations whose consequences for cultural heritage protected under international law would be impossible to remedy.
Lebanon reaffirms its deep commitment to the principles of international law and places its trust in the essential role played by UNESCO in defending humanity’s cultural heritage and preventing any act that would constitute a grave attack against cultural property enjoying enhanced protection.
We kindly urge you to give this matter the attention and urgency it deserves and to inform us of any measures you deem appropriate to prevent the commission of this crime against cultural heritage.
