Article 1
For the purposes of this Law, the following words and expressions shall have the meanings assigned to them below, unless the context indicates otherwise:
1. Cultural heritage: All evidence left by humankind or nature that has archaeological, historical, scientific, social or symbolic value, whether tangible or intangible, immovable or movable, discovered or found within Libya and forming part of its civilizational identity.
2. Archaeological heritage: Immovable and movable antiquities dating from prehistoric and ancient historical periods, including archaeological sites, archaeological buildings, and finds discovered on land or underwater.
3. Immovable archaeological heritage: Any fixed structure or architectural or archaeological remains above ground, below ground or beneath territorial waters, possessing archaeological, scientific or artistic value, including archaeological cities, fortresses, walls, tombs, caves, and their associated architectural elements.
4. Archaeological sites: Geographical areas containing visible or buried material evidence of human activity across the ages, including settlements, engineering structures, excavation sites, and artificial mounds.
5. Archaeological buildings: Any building or architectural structure distinguished by its historical, artistic or scientific significance and bearing witness to a civilization, event or architectural development.
6. Archaeological excavations: Systematic scientific excavation operations at archaeological or potential archaeological sites, undertaken to uncover antiquities, document their context and study them.
7. Movable archaeological heritage: Any movable material object, discovered through excavation or by chance, that constitutes evidence of ancient human activity, such as tools, vessels, statues, coins, manuscripts, and artistic finds.
8. Underwater heritage: Antiquities, sites and structures that have been submerged for a period conferring archaeological value upon them, including the remains of submerged cities and ports, shipwrecks, and finds discovered in the marine environment.
9. Historical cultural heritage: Immovable and movable historical heritage assets dating from later historical periods, including old towns, historic quarters, historic buildings, and movable objects of historical or cultural value.
10. Historic towns and quarters: Urban entities with a distinctive historical character, comprising buildings, landmarks, and associated human activities, and forming part of the community's cultural and social identity.
11. Historic urban fabric: An integrated urban entity characterized by a unified architectural character and the harmony of its constituent buildings, urban spaces and artistic elements.
12. Historic area: An area with an integrated historical character whose balance depends on the interrelationship of its urban and functional elements and associated human activities.
13. Historic general plan: The urban layout of historic towns as it existed in earlier periods, reflecting the patterns of life and spatial organization of that era.
14. Historic landmark: A prominent structure or urban entity possessing historical, cultural or architectural value and symbolizing the identity of a place.
15. Memorials: Structures erected to commemorate a religious, political, social or cultural event and distinguished by a particular architectural and symbolic character.
16. Protected setting: The spatial area surrounding old towns, historic quarters, historic buildings or immovable antiquities, which forms part of their spatial context.
17. Movable historical cultural heritage: Movable historical objects of historical, scientific or cultural value, such as documents, photographs, furniture, tools, weapons, coins, and works of art.
18. Historic conservation: The measures necessary to preserve the form, character and historical authenticity of historical heritage assets, ensure their continued use and maintenance, and prevent and limit deterioration.
19. Levels of historic conservation:
• Conservation: Protecting form, character and authenticity.
• Restoration: Recovering the form and details of a historical heritage asset as they existed at a specified period.
• Reconstruction: Reproducing the form of a building or a missing part of it on the basis of reliable evidence and sources that ensure the greatest possible scientific accuracy.
• Rehabilitation: Repairs or alterations that enable contemporary use while preserving historical features.
• Adaptive use: Changing the function of a historic building while preserving its identity.
20. Natural heritage: Landscapes, biodiversity, and geological, physical, biological and physiographic formations of scientific, historical or documentary value, including cultural landscapes and natural history collections.
21. Museums: Permanent, non-profit scientific and cultural institutions that collect, conserve, document and display collections relating to human and natural heritage.
22. Documents: Any written, recorded or visual material, regardless of medium or form, that has historical, scientific, cultural or documentary value and constitutes a source or evidence for documenting events, transactions or knowledge.
23. Authenticity: The retention, by an element, site, building or area of heritage value, of its distinctive tangible and intangible characteristics and values, reflecting its identity and cultural significance in accordance with its nature, cultural context and historical development. In assessing authenticity, account shall be taken, according to the nature and context of the heritage, of form and design, materials and elements, use and function, traditions and techniques, location and surroundings, character and identity, and other relevant characteristics and values.
24. Adaptive reuse: Reusing a historic building or site for a new function compatible with its heritage characteristics and values, while preserving its authenticity and valuable elements and limiting interventions to the minimum necessary.