3 pilot sites selected for EU program on Algerian heritage

The Kasbah of Algiers, the Berber tomb of the Imedghacen and the National Museum of Antiquities were selected for pilot operations of the European Union support program dedicated to the cultural heritage in Algeria, project manager Matteo Malvani announced on Thursday Algiers.
The first phase of the on-site EU support programme for the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage in Algeria -which spans 72 months- will begin in the "first quarter 2015," said Matteo Malvani at the 19th Sila (International Book Fair of Algiers) at the stand of the EU.
For the head of the programme, Zoubir Ballalou, the choice of those sites is driven by the particularity of the "urban inhabited site" for the Kasbah of Algiers -an ancient city classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992.
While the Berber tomb of the Imedghacen (III century before J.C) was chosen for its location as "archaeological site in rural milieu" and the national museum of antiquities as "museum in urban milieu."
According to Matteo Malvani, the support program, co-funded by the EU at €21.5 million and Algeria at €2.5 million, aims for "strengthening the methodology of the inventory" of the cultural sites.
The inventories of the Algerian heritage sites are incomplete for some sites, and nonexistent for others, according to Algerian experts.
In addition to the archaeological sites and open museums, this first phase concerns the collections of the museums, mural paintings and intangible heritage, said the project manager.