Under The Scales Of Law And Cooperation: An Evaluative Analysis Of Algerian Archaeological Heritage Legislation And International Partnerships
Auteurs : Boury Asma . Rezki Nabila .
Résumé
Algeria possesses one of the most archaeologically dense landscapes in the Mediterranean and Saharan worlds, encompassing Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Ottoman, and prehistoric sites of global significance. Yet the legislative framework governing their protection and valorization has historically been reactive, fragmented, and insufficiently aligned with contemporary international standards. This paper undertakes a historical, comparative, and evaluative-analytic examination of Algerian archaeological heritage legislation from independence in 1962 through 2026, with particular attention to the landmark Law 98-04 and the role of international technical partnerships in shaping institutional capacity. Drawing on colonial legislative instruments (1913–1941), post-independence transitional decrees, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) mission documentation—specifically Alexandre Lézin's 1964 advisory field mission—and comparative analysis with French preventive archaeology law (Law 2001-44), the paper identifies three structural deficits: the absence of preventive archaeology in the national legal code, chronic institutional fragmentation between heritage bodies, and insufficient protection of urban historic ensembles against development pressure. the institutionalization of preventive archaeology funding mechanisms, and the expansion of co-custodianship frameworks are advanced as pathways toward a more resilient heritage governance system.
Mots clés
: Algerian heritage legislation; Archaeological Law; preventive archaeology; UNESCO technical cooperation; archaeological cultural resource management.
