Decision 40 COM 7B.44

Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta (Pakistan) (C 143)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/16/40.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 39 COM 7B.70, adopted at its 39th session (Bonn, 2015),
3. Regrets that the State Party has not submitted a state of conservation report, as requested by the World Heritage Committee;
4. Expresses its concern that only few of the recommendations made by the Reactive Monitoring missions of 2006 and 2012 have been implemented so far, including structural monitoring and soil investigation for the Jam Nizzamuddin Mausoleum and its emergency stabilisation work;
5. Also expresses its deep concern at the severely deteriorated state of conservation of the property, noting that encroachment, vandalism, and deteriorated monuments are affecting its integrity and pose significant threats to its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
6. Endorses the recommendations made by the 2016 Reactive Monitoring mission in order to address the pressing issues of site management and monument conservation at the property, and requests the State Party to fully implement, as a matter of urgency, these recommendations, and particularly:
   1. to establish a regular trash removal system and remove the graffiti,
   2. to establish regular inspections of the property, including overnight, in order to prevent inappropriate uses and unsanctioned vehicular access, and to record and report on all activities on site,
   3. to complete the remaining stretch of the barrier wall marking the boundaries of the World Heritage property;
7. Also requests the State Party to:
   1. Install, as a matter of urgency, at least 3 weather stations within the property (one of each monument group of the Samma, Akhund/Tarkhan, and Mughal periods),
   2. Install crack monitors on cracks that cause structural concerns in the principal monuments. All locations should be photographed before and after the installation of the monitor and a regimen of monitoring should be implemented, beginning aggressively (every three months) and slowing down (to annual monitoring) if no change is recorded. If change is noted, more frequent (monthly) monitoring should be undertaken,
   3. Undertake a soil investigation/geo-physical survey on the surroundings of the Mausolem of Jam Nizzamuddin, on the basis of which an intervention plan should be elaborated, also using data from crack monitors,
   4. Stabilize all the elements that are about to fall, including Jamia Majid, Jam Nizzamuddin and a number of other monument groups. Prior to commencing work on each monument, the State Party should develop:
      1. detailed condition mapping and documentation,
      2. a characterization of original building fabric (e.g. stone and brick masonry, mortar, plaster, tile and glaze),
      3. a history of interventions to understand the series of subsequent work on each building and how these may affect the development of successful interventions,
      4. a list of compatible intervention materials, which must be informed by analysis of original fabric mentioned above,
      5. specifications for interventions that include instructions for fabrication of intervention materials and their application and implementation,
      6. a monitoring and maintenance plan to be implemented once the interventions are complete,
   5. Establish a procedure to document fallen original fabric and store it carefully in appropriate storehouses. This procedure should include the following steps:
      1. photograph materials as found in situ,
      2. label and photograph individual elements,
      3. store materials in a dedicated storehouse/magazine,
      4. create and maintain an inventory of all collected items,
   6. Document, as a matter of emergency, the existing architectural surface decoration—such as the remaining glazed tiles—which constitute an important part of the attributes of OUV, yet are for the most part already lost, and establish a condition report to be accompanied of damage assessment,
   7. Resume the conservation work at the Sultan Ibrahim mausoleum, taking into account its critical state both at the structural and surface level, especially with regard to the domes and architectural surface decoration,
   8. Immediately establish a Management Plan, including a systematic monitoring system and a plan for capacity building of the staff of the Government of Sindh’s Department of Archaeology, without waiting for the finalization of the Master Plan;
8. Further requests the State Party to finalize the Master Plan for the property and to submit it to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2017, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
9. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2017, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017, with a view to considering, in the case of confirmation of the ascertained or potential danger to the Outstanding Universal Value, the possible inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.