Emergency Consolidation of The Lido Secondo Lighthouse in Mogadishu

Mogadishu, capital of the eponymous Sultanate in the 9th-13th centuries, was an important port controlling the Indian Ocean gold trade for many centuries while also serving as an important hub in the medieval Silk Road maritime trade, a commercial crossroad still active today. 

Thanks to this long history, there continue to be many historical buildings in the old city. The Lido Secondo Lighthouse, a 30-metre-high stone tower erected on the edge of Mogadishu’s Old Port during the Italian colonial period in the early 1900s, is a prominent maritime landmark. Since it was abandoned some 20 years ago when trade dried up, the lighthouse has suffered from neglect and of the impact of natural disasters. It experienced a partial collapse in May 2023. 

The aim of this project is to rescue this symbolic building as a contribution to revitalizing the local economy and developing tourism. The first step is to implement emergency stabilization of the structure, followed by documenting and assessing the damage digitally. The mid-term goal of the program is to help the national authorities prepare a conservation management plan for this site and other local heritage. Finally, a capacity building component for national authorities and other stakeholders is included, so professionals can better identify, preserve, and protect similar cultural heritage sites. The ultimate goal is to prepare Somalia’s first site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.