Rooted in History, Committed to Preservation

From above, the shoreline of Al Mansouri unfolds as a meeting place between sea and sand, where the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean gently cross one of Lebanon’s most important natural landscapes. Beneath this striking beauty lies one of the Eastern Mediterranean’s most significant nesting grounds for endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles—a place whose future was transformed by the dedication of one remarkable woman.

This Photo Friday is dedicated to the memory of Mona Khalil, founder of the Orange House Project, who tragically lost her life after being critically injured in an attack on her home in June 2026. For more than twenty-five years, Mona devoted herself to protecting the fragile ecosystems of Lebanon’s southern coast, proving that the conservation of heritage extends far beyond monuments to include the landscapes, species, and communities that give places their meaning.

What began with a chance encounter in 1999-watching a sea turtle emerge from the sea to lay her eggs on Al Mansouri beach-became a lifelong mission. Mona transformed her family’s seaside home into the Orange House, a unique centre for environmental conservation, ecological education, scientific monitoring, and responsible ecotourism. Each nesting season, volunteers from Lebanon and around the world gathered there to patrol the beaches at night, protect vulnerable nests, monitor hatchlings, and introduce visitors to the extraordinary biodiversity of the Lebanese coast.

Her work demonstrated that conservation is ultimately an act of hope. The Orange House became far more than a field station; it became a place where people learned that protecting nature also means protecting memory, identity, and the future. Through her tireless efforts, generations of young environmentalists discovered that stewardship begins with care for one’s own landscape.

For ICOMOS, whose mission is to safeguard cultural heritage, Mona’s legacy is a powerful reminder that cultural and natural heritage are inseparable. Coastal landscapes such as those around Tyre tell stories shaped not only by archaeology and history, but also by living ecosystems that have sustained communities for millennia. Preserving these places requires protecting both the traces of the past and the life that continues to flourish within them.

As we look at this aerial view of the coast, we remember not only its beauty, but also the person who dedicated her life to ensuring that future generations would continue to witness sea turtles returning to these shores.

May Mona Khalil’s legacy continue to inspire all those who believe that protecting heritage-whether cultural or natural-is ultimately an act of protecting humanity itself.