Videos of foreign tourists from the Phoenicia Archaeological Park, showing heavy machinery operating inside the protected area, have sparked strong reactions. Initially, the images were interpreted as illegal interventions by "treasure hunters".
According to the report broadcast by Albanian media, the excavations of recent days are not being carried out by private individuals, but by state crews carrying out works within the framework of the "Restoration and Strengthening of the Perimeter Wall" project, based on a decision of the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation from July 25, 2025. The Vlora Regional Directorate of Cultural Heritage is responsible for implementing the work.
The issue, however, does not focus on the existence of a relevant permit, but on the manner in which the interventions are carried out. The entry of heavy machinery into the center of such an important archaeological park raises serious concerns about the risk of damage to the exposed archaeological layers and structures that have been carefully uncovered over a decade with the exclusive use of light hand tools.
The situation became even more problematic when it was discovered that access to the work site was completely blocked, forcing journalists who wanted to investigate the case to walk for about half an hour to reach the construction site. There, archaeological remains were found exposed on the ground, while bulldozers had been positioned right in the center of the park.
At the same time, the Municipality of Finiki and other local bodies state that they had no information about the start of work on the site, which intensifies questions about the process.
Albanian archaeologists emphasize that such practices are "unacceptable" and are not applied in any state where elementary rules for the conservation and protection of monuments are observed. As they emphasize, the use of heavy machinery on sensitive archaeological layers may cause irreparable damage.
For his part, Albania's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Blendi Gonxhja, claims that the projects are approved and are being carried out in accordance with legal procedures, pointing out that specialized lifting machines are required to move fallen boulders weighing up to 4.8 tons, which, he claims, were misunderstood as illegal excavations.
At the same time, the Forum for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Albania denounces that such media should not enter a site of international importance, pointing out that corresponding interventions in archaeological sites are carried out only in the presence of archaeologists, which, as it states, did not happen in Phoenicia.
The Forum also notes that the company "JOGI shpk", which has undertaken the work according to the Ministry, has no recorded experience in restoration projects of ancient walls of such importance, while there is no published information about this specific project on the official website of the Institute of Cultural Heritage.
The reactions continue, with experts and organizations demanding full transparency, the presence of archaeologists in all phases of the work, and strict adherence to the rules for the protection of one of the most important archaeological sites in the region.
