Bam and its Cultural Landscape
Factors affecting the property in 2005*
- Earthquake
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
Earthquake
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2005
Total amount approved : 50,000 USD
| 2004 | Emergency Assistance request for Arg-e-Bam and Historic ... (Approved) | 50,000 USD |
Missions to the property until 2005**
Several UNESCO missions during 2004
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2005
Since the inscription of the property on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger, an International Steering Committee for the safeguarding of Bam (ISC) was established, including representatives from UNESCO, the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), ICOMOS and ICCROM. The first meeting of the International Steering Committee was held in Rome, on 28 September 2004, to review the short and long-term priority for the conservation of the property, and discuss the possible scope and objectives of an International Meeting to be organized in Rome with the support of the Italian Government. In the meantime, the UNESCO Teheran Cluster Office was able to mobilize the amount of US$ 500,000, through the Japan Funds-in-Trust with UNESCO, to provide technical assistance and training for the conservation and rehabilitation of the property.
The second session of the ISC took place at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre on 3 December 2004, in the presence of the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee. An observer from Italy attended the meeting to define the details of the International Meeting to be organized in Rome. The ISC defined the main areas for which project proposals needed to be prepared in view of the International Meeting, including the elaboration of a comprehensive Management Plan, the rehabilitation of the qanat system, and the development of a general policy for the treatment of the archaeological remains within and around the Arg-e-Bam Citadel.
A capacity-building Workshop on World Heritage Nominations was held in Bam from 20 to 21 January 2005, with the participation of a World Heritage Centre’s consultant. The visit provided an opportunity to review the pending issues related to the Nomination file of Bam and its Cultural Landscape. The following four main aspects were identified, from a World Heritage perspective, which would require attention by the State Party:
a) The Nomination documentation submitted in 2004 describes only a small portion of the property actually inscribed by the Committee, which took its decision based on a map prepared by the State Party following the recommendations of the ICOMOS expert that evaluated the property. The property described in the text of the Nomination submitted to the World Heritage Centre, in fact, refers to a 81-hectare site with multiple buffer zones and primarily oriented towards the City. The property actually inscribed by the Committee, on the other hand, is a cultural landscape of 2,300 hectares;
b) The final boundary of the site is not yet fixed, as the State Party is still considering the possibility of making minor adjustments to the boundary of the cultural landscape;
c) A Management Plan based on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property and reflecting the area actually inscribed has not been prepared;
d) The criteria and indicators for the possible removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger have not been defined.
In April 2005, the Italian authorities approved a contribution of US$ 300,000 in favour of the organization of the above-mentioned International Meeting on Bam and for the subsequent implementation of a conservation activity at the site. The Meeting shall take place in Rome, from 10 to 11 May 2005, with the participation of several international experts, and shall review the progress achieved in Bam and discuss several project proposals elaborated by the Iranian authorities, among which one to be implemented through Italian support.
Summary of the interventions
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2005
29 COM 7A.23
Bam and its Cultural Landscape (Iran (Islamic Republic of))
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-05/29 COM/7A,
2. Recalling its Decisions 28 COM 14B.55 and 28 COM 14B.56, adopted at its 28th session (Suzhou, 2004),
3. Requests the State Party of Islamic Republic of Iran, in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre, to address the issues identified during the workshop held in Bam in January 2005, and in particular:
a) to develop a management plan, reflecting the extent and values of the World Heritage property, in close coordination and integration with other existing planning frameworks and all concerned institutions and stakeholders;
b) to prepare an up-dated version of the nomination file so as to match the perimeter and the outstanding universal value of the World Heritage property, and including the above-mentioned management plan, and submit it to the World Heritage Centre;
4. Requests the World Heritage Centre, in cooperation with ICOMOS and the State Party, to define the criteria for the possible removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger and present them in its report on the state of conservation of the property for the examination by the Committee at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006);
5. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2006, a progress report on the implementation of the above recommendations, as well as on the state of conservation of the property for examination by the Committee at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006);6. Decides to retain Bam and its Cultural Landscape (Islamic Republic of Iran) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
29 COM 8C.2
New World Heritage List in Danger
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined the of state of conservation reports of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger (WHC-05/29.COM/7A and WHC-05/29.COM/7A.Add),
2. Decides to maintain the following properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger:
- Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam (Afghanistan)(Decision 29 COM 7A.20)
- Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley (Afghanistan)(Decision 29 COM 7A.21)
- Tipasa (Algeria) (Decision 29 COM 7A.16)
- Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower (Azerbaijan) (Decision 29 COM 7A.28)
- Royal Palaces of Abomey (Benin) (Decision 29 COM 7A.13)
- Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park (Central African Republic)(Decision 29 COM 7A.1)
- Comoé National Park (Côte d'Ivoire) (Decision 29 COM 7A.2)
- Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (Côte d'Ivoire/Guinea) (Decision 29 COM 7A.3)
- Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Democratic Rep. of the Congo) (Decision 29 COM 7A.5)
- Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Democratic Rep. of the Congo) (Decision 29 COM 7A.5)
- Virunga National Park (Democratic Rep. of the Congo) (Decision 29 COM 7A.5)
- Garamba National Park (Democratic Rep. of the Congo) (Decision 29 COM 7A.5)
- Salonga National Park (Democratic Rep. of the Congo) (Decision 29 COM 7A.5)
- Abu Mena (Egypt) (Decision 29 COM 7A.17)
- Simien National Park (Ethiopia) (Decision 29 COM 7A.4)
- Cologne Cathedral (Germany) (Decision 28 COM 7A.29)
- Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras) (Decision 29 COM 7A.12)
- Group of Monuments at Hampi (India) (Decision 29 COM 7A.22)
- Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (India) (Decision 29 COM 7A.9)
- Bam and its Cultural Landscape (Islamic Republic of Iran) (Decision 29 COM 7A.23)
- Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (Iraq) (Decision 29 COM 7A.18)
- Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls (Jerusalem) (Decision 29 COM 7A.31)
- Kathmandu Valley (Nepal ) (Decision 29 COM 7A.24)
- Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger) (Decision 29 COM 7A.6)
- Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore (Pakistan) (Decision 29 COM 7A.25)
- Chan Chan Archaeological Zone (Peru) (Decision 29 COM 7A.30)
- Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras (Philippines) (Decision 29 COM 7A.26)
- Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (Senegal) (Decision 29 COM 7A.7)
- Ichkeul National Park (Tunisia) (Decision 29 COM 7A.8)
- Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara (United Republic of Tanzania) (Decision 28 COM 7A.15)
- Everglades National Park (United States of America) (Decision 29 COM 7A.10)
- Historic Town of Zabid (Yemen) (Decision 29 COM 7A.19)
Draft Decision: 29 COM 7A.23
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-05/29 COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 28 COM 14B.55 and 28 COM 14B.56, adopted at its 28th session (Suzhou, 2004),
3. Requests the State Party, in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre, to address the issues identified during the Workshop held in Bam in January 2005, and in particular:
a) to develop a Management Plan, reflecting the extent and values of the World Heritage property, in close coordination and integration with other existing planning framework and all concerned institutions and stakeholders;
b) to prepare an up-dated version of the Nomination File so as to match the perimeter and the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage property, and including the above-mentioned Management Plan, and submit it to the World Heritage Centre;
4. Requests the World Heritage Centre, in cooperation with ICOMOS and the State party, to define the criteria for the possible removal of the property from the World Heritage List in Danger and present them in its report on the state of conservation of the property for the consideration of the Committee at its 30th session in 2006;
5. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2006, a progress report on the implementation of the above recommendations, as well as on the state of conservation of the property for examination by the Committee at its 30th session in 2006;
6. Decides to retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Exports
* :
The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).
** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.
