Bahla Fort

a) Deterioration of the earthen structures of the Fort;

b) Use of inappropriate conservation techniques;

c) Urban pressure;

d) Lack of a management plan and appropriate legislation.

Total amount provided to the property: USD 25,000 (private funding).

On 2 March 2012, the State Party submitted a report which addresses the progress concerning the souq rehabilitation project, past and present restoration measures as well as the implementation of some of the recommendations of the 2009 World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM reactive monitoring mission.

a) Souq rehabilitation project

Based on the recommendations of the 2009 reactive monitoring mission, the proposed souq rehabilitation scheme was revisited by the State Party, and a largely revised project outline was submitted to the World Heritage Centre on 14 January 2011. While the revised proposal is far more consistent with cultural heritage objectives and addresses most of the issues identified during the reactive monitoring mission in 2009, it should be expanded to better describe the detailed project design and implementation schedule, address emergency actions for the rapidly decaying and disintegrating shop structures and consider the need for archaeological investigation. Given the rapid disintegration of a number of shops, the emergency actions should be given high priority. A governmental funding commitment to the souq rehabilitation seems an important prerequisite for further preparatory and emergency measures.

b) Management plan

The State Party reported that the final version of the Management plan was submitted in January 2011. ICOMOS provided comments on this version and requested the State Party to finalize the Management plan in the light of the comments and initiate its official approval by decree or equivalent promulgation. The finalization of the Management plan should be guided by considerations for the implementation of management strategies, the legal framework in which it would operate, as well as roles and responsibilities of the different authorities involved. It should also consider the wider landscape and community of the site by enlarging the buffer zone and incorporating capacity-building aspects and a monitoring mechanism for all measures, in particular “change control”.

c) Quality of bricks used in restoration

Based on a study of the quality achieved in different brick production methods with different ingredients, the bricks selection for restoration measures has been revised. Following the State Party’s report, preference is now given to air-dried bricks of clay, which have been mixed with straw and water for up to 15 days. The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies are of the view that long-term studies should be conducted to evaluate the aging characteristics of this and other compositions.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies indicate that the revised souq rehabilitation schemes is better suited to protect the historic souq structures while enhancing them for contemporary use. Detailed plans for the souq rehabilitation should now be developed and supported by the financial commitment of the respective government authorities. The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies further advise to base the detailed project design and implementation schedule on the results of a heritage impact and risk assessment of the proposed measures. The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies recommend that the Committee request the State Party to finalize the management plan, taking into consideration all comments provided by ICOMOS, and that it needs to be formally adopted, following its finalization. In addition, the State Party should be encouraged to continue its commitment to implementing the recommendations of the 2009 World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM reactive monitoring mission.