4K digital animation, 00:7:39.

Exploited addresses the extraction and consumption of the Lebanese Cedar (Cedrus libani) by various civilizations throughout history. The deforestation of Mount Lebanon’s Cedar forests dates back to the ancient Canaanites, who felled and sold the Cedars to neighboring populations. In Egypt and Mesopotamia, Lebanese Cedars were used for building palaces, temples, ships, furniture, and tombs, and their resin was used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes, including mummification. In the Lebanese highlands, deforestation continued under early settlements of Druze and Maronites, who cleared forests to make way for homesteads and farms. Further deforestation of the tree took place at the hands of the Ottoman and British Empires, who used Lebanese Cedar timber for the construction of railroads and other infrastructure. Today, the protection of the most visited Cedrus libani forests—Shouf Biosphere and Cedars of God—effectively functions as a form of “greenwashing” for the factional leaders who proclaimed themselves the stewards of the land in the aftermath of the Lebanese Civil War.

A Resource Coveted Across Civilizations

At the start of the Holocene, Cedrus Libani populated the mountains of the eastern Mediterranean coast, thriving in dense forests that covered Mount Lebanon and beyond. Its remarkable biological properties, including resistance to decay and insect invasion, made it an invaluable resource for early civilizations. For thousands of years, the Cedar was traded as timber, used to build temples, palaces, ships, and homes, and its resin served medicinal, ceremonial, and preservation purposes. Yet, this relentless commodification has left the Lebanese Cedar nearly deforested in its native habitat, reduced to fragmented groves now confined to nature reserves.

Early Trade and Exploitation

The earliest recorded mass -felling of the Cedar forests can be traced to the Phoenicians, a thalassocratic civilization that flourished along the eastern Mediterranean coast. Renowned for establishing some of the first city-states and maritime trade networks, the Phoenicians capitalized on the Cedar as a valuable commodity. Timber from the Cedars was shipped across the Mediterranean to modern-day Morocco, Spain, and beyond. While this trade facilitated the growth of Phoenician “city-states”, it marked the beginning of the Cedar’s systematic depletion and exploitation, turning a once-abundant forest into a resource for human ambition.

In Mesopotamia, the Neo-Assyrian Empire continued the Cedar’s legacy of exploitation. Under King Ashurnasirpal II, Cedar wood became synonymous with architectural grandeur, used to construct monumental palaces and terraced buildings. Inscribed texts from the time celebrated the use of Cedrus libani in crafting furniture, sculptures, and decorative reliefs, revealing how deeply integrated the Cedar was in Mesopotamian art and culture.

Egypt further expanded the Cedar’s use, employing it for both practical and ritualistic purposes. Following their conquest of Phoenician territories, the Egyptians gained direct access to Cedar forests, using the wood to build temples and shrines. The Cedar's resin played a critical role in mummification, with its antibacterial and antifungal properties preserving corpses for millennia. This sacred association underscored the Cedar’s importance in Egyptian society while accelerating its depletion.

Deforestation in Local Settlements

In the Lebanese highlands, Druze and Christian communities perpetuated the Cedar’s exploitation. During the establishment of villages and agricultural homesteads, vast tracts of Cedar forests were cleared to make way for settlements. The wood was used as fuel to heat homes, preserve food, and construct houses. These domestic uses, though smaller in scale than imperial projects, compounded the damage, further fragmenting the Cedar's habitat.

Imperial Deforestation: Ottomans and the British Empire

The Cedar's exploitation reached industrial proportions during the Ottoman Empire. In the early 20th century, Ottoman sultans ordered large-scale deforestation of Cedar forests to construct train networks, including the Hejaz Railway, which connected Damascus to Medina. Cedar timber was used not only to lay the tracks but also to fuel trains and machinery. The Ottomans’ deforestation efforts extended to the Aleppo-Baghdad Railroad, further decimating Cedar populations in Lebanon.Under the British Mandate of Palestine, imperialist ambitions continued the Cedar’s destruction. The British used the tree extensively in the construction of the Haifa-Beirut-Tripoli Railway, a strategic network of trade and military infrastructure. Despite symbolic gestures, such as Queen Victoria’s commissioning of a protective stone wall around the Cedars of God Forest, British policies prioritized resource extraction over ecological preservation, cementing their dominance in the region at the cost of the Cedar’s and indigenous population survival.

Post-Civil War Greenwashing and Political Exploitation

The Lebanese Cedar’s exploitation did not end with the departure of colonial powers. In the aftermath of the Lebanese Civil War, the tree became a tool for greenwashing political and humanitarian crimes . Walid Jumblatt, a prominent Druze politician and warlord, monopolized control over the Shouf Cedar Forest, founding the Shouf Biosphere under the guise of ecological conservation. While the preserve is one of Lebanon’s largest nature reserves, its establishment was riddled with contradictions. Landmines were planted around the Cedars to restrict access, transforming conservation efforts into a mechanism of isolation and military control. Similarly, far-right Christian politician Sethrida Geagea proclaimed herself the protector of the Cedars of God Forest. Her conservation efforts, however, were widely criticized as attempts to obscure the crimes of her husband, Samir Geagea, against Lebanese and Palestinian civilians. These actions were selective, favoring Christian communities while marginalizing others. In one of the most egregious examples of exploitation, Geagea ordered the flattening of a hill within the Cedars of God Forest to construct a stage for the Cedars International Festival, a music event themed around the tree. This destruction left the landscape barren, incapable of hosting Cedars or other plant species.

The Cedar’s Struggle for Survival

Today, efforts to protect Lebanon’s remaining Cedars often mask deeper political motives. The Shouf Biosphere and the Cedars of God Forest, two of the most visited Cedar preserves, function as sites of tourism and economic development rather than genuine ecological restoration. Unregulated access and human activity in these reserves further threaten the Cedar’s ability to regenerate. Despite their designation as protected areas, these forests continue to face challenges from climate change, habitat fragmentation, and invasive species.

The Cedar’s struggle for survival is emblematic of broader ecological and social crises. From its role as a sacred symbol to a commodity for imperial expansion, the tree’s history reflects industrialized humanity’s proclivity towards profit and expansionism at the expense of landscape preservation.nature. The Lebanese Cedar, once a thriving giant of the Mediterranean, now endures as a fragmented survivor, trapped refracting in cycles of exploitation.

The story of the Lebanese Cedar is one of resilience and tragedy. For millennia, the tree has been revered as a symbol of strength, eternity, and cultural identity. Yet, this reverence has been accompanied by relentless extraction and destruction kept out of popular view and storytelling. From ancient empires to modern-day Lebanon, the Cedar has been used as a tool of trade, a political emblem, and a means of consolidating dominance.

This project was made possible with generous support from The Arab Fund for Art & Culture Fine Arts Grant (2020).

“Screens Series: EcoRove” is curated by Ian Wallace, Curatorial Assistant.