Picasso raffle to save ancient city announced at Newsmaker

The president of an international association discussed efforts to save the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre, Lebanon from the ravages of time and damage from hostility in the region at a June 12 Newsmaker.

Tyre, located on the southern coast of Lebanon, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and faces some risks of degradation.

Dr. Maha El-Khalil Chalabi of Lebanon, president of the International Association to Save Tyre, said one of the more novel fundraising efforts to restore and protect Tyre is an online tombola, or raffle, for a Picasso painting valued $1 million. The group is selling 50,000 for $130 each.

Chalab was accompanied by Esther Coopersmith, president of the American Committee for Tyre, a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and a former U.S. Delegate to the United Nations.