The Italian Ambassador to Libya, Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi, opened the inauguration event of the Aelia Arisuth Tomb in Girgaresh held on the occasion of the restoration of the hypogeum and of the wall paintings. Speakers included the President of Libya’s Department of Antiquities (DoA), Mohamed Faraj Mohamed al Faloos, and Prof. Luisa Musso, President of the Fondazione Mediterraneo Antico (MedA) (Ancient Mediterranean Foundation) and Director of the Archaeological Mission.
Also known as the “Tomb of Mithra’s Worshippers”, the complex is one of the most representative monuments of ancient Oea (the ancient name of Tripoli), located in the Girgarish oasis. Its restoration was the result of joint work between Italian and Libyan archaeologists and was made possible thanks to the support of the Italian Embassy in Tripoli, the valuable contribution of Prof. Bashir O. Galgham, and the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the MedA Foundation.
The event was held in the presence of important members of the country’s political and cultural scene, as well as international guests, who had the possibility to learn about the various restoration phases throughout the years, illustrated in a dedicated photo exhibition. Though a guided tour, the participants had the opportunity to admire the original beauty of the archaeological site, now returned to the public in its ancient splendour.
The event is an important milestone marking a further step forward that the Italian Embassy is taking, together with its Libyan partners, to strengthen cultural cooperation between the two countries. As Ambassador Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi said, “the restoration of this archaeological site is a concrete demonstration of the Italian efforts to preserve and enhance the Mediterranean common heritage, in a world region that now has the highest number of archaeological missions accredited by Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation also active in the most important sites of Libya.