New space at the Maritime Museum: the Melqart exhibition has opened.

The bronze statuette of Melqart-Reshef of Sciacca will return to gaze upon the sea from which it was recovered 70 years ago. Discovered in January 1955 along the coast between Selinunte and Capo San Marco, and passed from hand to hand for a long time until finally being handed over to the Italian State in a historic ruling on cultural heritage, the work—likely created between the 11th and 10th centuries BC—was previously exhibited at the Antonio Salinas Regional Museum in Palermo but will be on loan to Sciacca until March 15, 2026. The 36-centimeter-tall bronze statuette, of Syro-Palestinian manufacture, depicts a Canaanite deity whom scholars initially identified as Melqart, the tutelary deity of the Phoenician city of Tyre, and later as Reshef, a key Mediterranean deity in the Hyksos period of Ancient Egypt. The work's return to Sciacca is part of a major extraordinary maintenance and renovation project at the Maritime Museum, housed in the municipal Fazello Complex, with which the Archaeological Park signed an agreement last year.

A collaboration between institutions that will restore to the community of Sacca and visitors to the province of Agrigento a place that tells the millennia-old history of a sea that has been a crossroads of peoples, through amphorae, cannons, and artifacts fished from the depths of the sea. The inauguration of the new museum space and the Melqart-Reshef exhibition took place this morning, attended, among others, by the Regional Councilor for Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity, Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, and the director of the Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park, Roberto Sciarratta. "Sicily's great archaeological heritage looks to the sea as a precious treasure trove of its history," commented Regional Councilor Scarpinato. "Today we celebrate the reopening of this renovated and enhanced exhibition space, which once again places our connection to the Mediterranean at the center of attention. This is further enhanced by the display here, in the very place where it was discovered, of this exceptional Phoenician artifact, which bears direct testimony to our most remote roots. This initiative is not only an act of cultural valorization, but also reaffirms the Sicilian Region's policy of supporting the creation of a broad network among the island's cultural institutions."

"The Park," states Director Sciarratta, "has wholeheartedly supported this project to renovate a precious museum space, which will certainly now be able to better showcase an important piece of our history. This is even more true given the return, albeit temporary, of an asset deeply rooted in the area—the Melqart. Today is certainly a day of celebration, not only for Sciacca, but for the entire province." "Today marks a double milestone for Sciacca: a long-awaited return and a significant rebirth," said Mayor Termine. "The return is that of the Melqart statuette, a symbol of our city's identity, which has been talked about for decades. This morning, it is finally in Sciacca, thanks to the joint efforts of many, from various institutions, whom I thank, within Agrigento Capital of Culture. The rebirth concerns our city museums, entrusted by the Municipality of Sciacca to the Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park. This strategic choice represents a long-term investment in a reputable institution, a guarantee in every respect for the revitalization, valorization, and broader enjoyment of our historical and artistic heritage."

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