From September 2021 until September 2023, ASOR led a project—with support by the U.S. Department of State—to expand community outreach for heritage protection in Libya and to extend our efforts regionally to Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. This work strengthened ties between local communities and their national heritage authorities, fostered new connections between heritage practitioners across the region, and empowered community-led heritage protection efforts. The results and partnerships achieved through this work have provided the foundation for continued collaboration in recent years.

Over the past two years, ASOR has led a transformative initiative in Tunisia and Morocco to protect and promote the religious and ethnic cultural heritage of North Africa. From September 1, 2021, to September 30, 2023, the “Heritage Advocacy in North Africa” project not only met but regularly exceeded our objectives—impacting over 675 heritage sites and training nearly 1,000 individuals.

ASOR CHI was delighted to participate in this year’s Arab Network of Civil Society Organizations to Safeguard Cultural Heritage (ANSCH) Conference on May 28–29. As part of the conference, ASOR spoke on the various free resources available through ASOR for civil society organizations in the region. This material includes tutorials for cultural heritage surveys, funding through Shepard Urgent Action Grants, and the ability of civil society organizations and conservation projects to join the ASOR community as affiliates.

ASOR was honored to welcome our Libyan colleagues, Dr. Mohammed Faraj Mohammed Al-Fallos (Chairman, Board of Directors, Department of Antiquities), Ambassador Ashraf Mohammed Eletaeb (Director, Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Mr. Rabi’i Yousef Milad (Advisor, Department of International Law and Treaties, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and Dr. Ahmad Emrage (University of Benghazi and Member, Board of Directors, Department of Antiquities) to our office in Alexandria on April 14 for a presentation on ASOR’s Cultural Heritage Initiatives and a productive discussion on past and future collaborations to protect, preserve, and promote Libyan cultural heritage.

For many, the name Tatooine evokes the arid landscape of the desert planet that plays such an important role in the “Star Wars” universe. However, the iconic places and landscapes of this fictional world are built upon the very real history, culture, and environment of Tunisia’s Tataouine Governorate. Since October 2024, ASOR and its partners at the Douiret Women’s Association (Wakry Association) have been working to preserve Ksar Douiret, one of the most iconic ksars, or fortified villages, in Tataouine Governorate, with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.