Your homeland is calling.
To the millions of Lebanese across the globe: your homeland is calling.
Lebanon's cultural and natural heritage is under immediate threat of destruction from war. But war cannot erase what the world unites to protect. War may shatter the stones, but together we will make our heritage immortal. Your memories are Lebanon's shield.
In a historic and unprecedented joint initiative, the Heritage International Institute (HII) and the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) of Lebanon are launching a groundbreaking, world-first digital rescue operation to safeguard every facet of the nation’s identity.
Born from the Cooperation Agreement signed between our two institutions during the international summit in Parma, HII and DGA have united their expertise into a single, powerful alliance.
Cultural and natural heritage is an essential resource for understanding history, identities and the relationship between communities and territories. This international call invites contributions to create an open, permanent and participatory digital archive for collective memory, research, education and the transmission of knowledge to future generations.
Project documents
The three pillars of our heritage
Every document shared becomes part of a global archive developed through the HII and DGA collaboration. Written documents, oral testimonies, photographs and audiovisual recordings are all vital. No memory is too small.
Tangible heritage
- Historical monuments
- Traditional buildings and architecture
- Historic centres and old towns
- Archaeological sites
- Places of worship
- Castles and fortifications
- Industrial heritage
- Works of art
- Historical archives and libraries
- Geographical maps and cartography
- Historical photographs
- Family archives and private collections
- Objects of historical interest and artefacts
- Administrative and community documents
- Traditional work tools
Intangible heritage
- Oral traditions and expressions: stories, folktales, legends, local memories, proverbs, dialects, local and minority languages, oral testimonies and interviews.
- Performing arts: traditional music, folk songs, traditional dances such as Dabke, folk theatre and community performances.
- Social practices, rituals and festive events: local festivals, religious celebrations, traditional ceremonies, community events and historical commemorations.
- Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe: agricultural knowledge, environmental knowledge, seasonal calendars and traditional management of natural resources.
- Traditional craftsmanship: craft techniques, historical trades, traditional tools, technologies and transmission of professional knowledge.
Natural heritage
- Sacred cedar forests and ancient trees
- Biosphere reserves and protected areas
- Protected valleys, including the Holy Qadisha Valley
- Historical and natural rivers
- Agricultural stone terraces and historic cultural landscapes
- Ancient caves and geological formations
- Unique local biodiversity and wildlife ecosystems
- Traditional environmental and climate descriptions
Digital heritage
The initiative also accepts materials already in digital form: archives, websites, blogs, photos, audio and video recordings, digital maps, social content with historical or community significance and digital memory projects.
Accepted materials
- Documents, letters, diaries, manuscripts, registers, maps, drawings, publications and archival materials.
- Photographs, historical photographs, contemporary photographs, family collections and digitized images.
- Audio, interviews, oral testimonies, songs, traditional music, environmental recordings and local memory stories.
- Video, documentaries, historical footage, traditional events, rituals, craft techniques, testimonies, landscapes and natural environments.
Share the story behind your material
Wherever possible, each contribution should include useful documentation details such as title, description, place, date, creator or owner, historical-cultural context, heritage classification and rights or permissions.
Contributors are invited to briefly introduce themselves and explain who they are, their connection to Lebanon, what they are sharing, where and when the material comes from, and why it matters to their family or community.
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