Post-conflict Risks to Built Heritage Through the Lens of the Libyan City of Benghazi

The enduring destructive consequences of recent conflicts across the Arab region have engendered an unprecedented surge in urban destruction, exposing the vulnerability of its cultural heritage. The built heritage damaged by conflicts faces compounded threats from post-conflict dynamics. The region’s pre-conflict heritage landscape, marked by economic fragility, prolonged neglect, inadequate heritage management, and the global deficient policy strategies for post-conflict heritage recovery, contributes to its exposed state during the transitional period between war and peace. Following a mixed methods approach, this study uses the case study of Benghazi historic centre damaged during the War of Dignity (2014–2017) to identify the risks posed to post-conflict built heritage. It leverages the UNESCO’s classification of damage to cultural heritage during the conflict to link the inferred damage to the drivers of risks to built heritage in post-conflict scenarios. This research will provide valuable insights for devising strategies to safeguard and recover post-conflict built heritage in analogous scenarios in a landscape where this topic remains largely unexplored.