Decision 45 COM 7B.50

Samarkand – Crossroad of Cultures (Uzbekistan) (C 603rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.40 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Welcomes the progress made to address previously identified threats to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property through regulatory change, capacity building, preparation of additional guidance documents, proposed conservation works, the revision of the traffic scheme, which no longer includes any expansion of the main transport routes within the property and buffer zone, and the relocation of the proposed new astronomical complex outside of the property and its buffer zone;
4. Also welcomes the establishment of the International Advisory Committee (IAC) for World Heritage properties in Uzbekistan and emphasizes that such a mechanism should continue, with the support of its experts, advising the national authorities on the conservation of the cultural heritage properties and implementation of the World Heritage Committee decisions and previous missions’ recommendations;
5. Notes that the State Party has prepared Urban Design Guidelines and submitted a Management Plan for the property, also notes that substantial revisions are required to incorporate the outcomes of the 2020 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission into the Management Plan and integrate the approach of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) within the Master Plan,
6. Requests that the overall moratorium on demolition and new development remain until the integrated Master Plan for the city, the further revised Management Plan for the property and the Urban Design Guidelines are finalised, submitted to the World Heritage Centre and positively reviewed by the Advisory Bodies;
7. Noting the progress accomplished to date, reiterates its previous request to the State Party to fully implement the recommendations of the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission;
8. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies and in accordance with the Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines:
   1. Detailed project documentation for proposed works to Chorsu Trade Dome, Koshhovuz, Shah-i-Zinda, Gori Amir, Registan, Samarqand Sherdor, Tillaqori and the Ulugbek complex,
   2. Details of proposed works to remove or modify the Imari building and to address the recommendations of the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission regarding the Hilton Hotel,
   3. The conservation plan and details of the proposed physical conservation programme for the Bibi Khanoum Ensemble and Mosque,
   4. Revised Samarkand Hotel Concept Design, which address the recommendations of the ICOMOS technical review;
9. Further notes the State Party’s advice that it will submit a proposal for a minor boundary modification to adjust the buffer zone, in accordance with Paragraph 164 and Annex 11 of the Operational Guidelines, and further requests that the proposal follows the recommendations of the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission and advice from the IAC, and aligns the buffer zone with the mahalla boundaries;
10. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, 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 47th session.