As we look to the future with a mix of hope and various fears and disappointments, the news about dinosaurs in Lebanon has turned the jokes of the Lebanese people into reality. The meteorites, disasters, and dinosaurs that we expected, given that we are stuck in a land of calamities, have become a truth, albeit with a significant time difference. "Dinosaurs really arrived," but 125 million years ago.
Footprints of dinosaurs, dating back to approximately 125 million years, were discovered in Ghoushta, according to an official letter sent by the Directorate General of Antiquities in the Ministry of Culture to Mount Lebanon Governor Muhammad Makawi. The letter announced the discovery of a geological landmark of a dinosaur trail in properties in the Ghoushta area, stretching over more than 500 meters, specifically from the Jurassic period, which is about 125 million years ago.
Upon learning of this discovery, Mount Lebanon Governor Judge Muhammad Makawi contacted municipalities and security forces, requesting the officials to coordinate to protect the discovered site and prevent any encroachments in the area, pending further investigation into all details and historical facts related to the event. He mentioned in a conversation with MTV that he would visit the site in the next couple of days to inspect it closely.
Ghoushta Mayor Ziad Shlefon clarified that the announced artifacts are located in property number 7, which was requested to be protected and with no permits to be issued for work inside. He pointed out that it is a large property with a significant slope, and currently, the municipality itself is prohibited from entering it.
However, he noted in our interview that he had no additional information about the discovery, stating: "No one has come from the Directorate of Antiquities, and no one has contacted us, and we are still waiting for any follow-up from the concerned parties so we can understand the reality of the discovered artifacts."
What the mayor said was taken to the Director General of Antiquities, Sarkis Khoury, who initially refused to talk, stating that he could not comment without permission from the Ministry of Culture, downplaying the importance of the topic. He considered that this discovery is not new but rather old, saying, "All that happened today is a request for the protection of the site by security forces to preserve it."
If those directly responsible for the matter and entrusted with such responsibilities do not grasp the significance and details of the discovery, then surely we will not either. However, in countries around the world, regardless of the size of the discovery, it is treated with great importance, and there is a swift search for ways to capitalize on it, especially in terms of tourism. Yet in Lebanon, a country filled with crises and searching for opportunities from any place it can find, should it not be the duty of those who are guardians of its heritage to act promptly upon learning of a geological treasure, rather than wasting time and shifting responsibilities?
A truth must be told, even the dinosaurs were not spared... they left behind a memory... "and glowed!"
