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State of Conservation (SOC)

Abu Mena (2004)

Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds
International Assistance granted to the property

Requests Approved: 0 (from2001-2001)
Total Amount Ap proved: 7,000USD

2001   Technical advice on ground water related problems at the World ...   7,000  USD
Missions**
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports

Agriculture Pressure; Lack of monitoring system; Lack of institution co-ordination

Corrective Measures
Current conservation issues

At the request of the Egyptian Authorities, in September 2002, a World Heritage expert hydrologist carried out a mission to the World Heritage property of Abu Mena in order to evaluate the solutions proposed by the Supreme Council of Antiquities to counter the negative impact on the property of the rising level of groundwater. The mission had produced some recommendations, endorsed by the World Heritage Committee at its 27th session, including:

a) The establishment, within the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), of a Cultural Planning Unit (CPU) responsible for liaising with other Governmental Agencies to coordinate, plan and control the impact of development projects on cultural heritage sites;

b) The review of the proposed engineering measures, taking into account the existing land reclamation activities and agricultural practices, to ensure that they are sustainable and cost-effective;

c) The development of an Action Plan for Abu Mena, including provisions for a monitoring system with appropriate indicators and benchmarks, in consultation with all institutions involved, in particular with the Groundwater Research Institute, local authorities and farmers.

The Secretariat received from the State Party, with an accompanying letter dated 27 February 2004, an undated report on the state of conservation of the site (in Arabic). According to this report, the property of Abu Mena faced a new rise in the groundwater level, which led to further sliding of the soil in unexcavated areas, as well as near the cistern of the Cathedral and the eastern part of the tomb of Abu Mena. Most of the lower parts of the site have been filled by small lakes, which now surround the warehouse of the Antiquities Department as well as the rest house of the German Archaeological Mission. The draining trenches excavated around the site have been deepened, in co-operation with the Egyptian authority in charge of the water supply, so as to reduce the level of the ground water and enable the access to the site for archaeologists and visitors.

The report submitted by the State Party did not provide information on the implementation of the recommendations made by the Committee at its 27th session.

Conclusion
Decision

  • Adopted

  • Draft Decision

28COM15A.17
Link to the decision

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Takes note of the information provided by the State Party, and expresses its concerns over the deterioration of the property caused by rising groundwater levels and other threats;

2. Commends the State Party for the efforts made in order to solve the problems related to the rising ground water in the area;

3. Reiterates, however, the urgency to adopt more long-term and sustainable measures in coordination with the relevant national institutions and in accordance with the recommendations contained in the UNESCO Mission Report of September 2002;

4. Requests the State Party, in consultation with the institutions concerned and, if necessary, requesting assistance from the World Heritage Fund, to develop an Action Plan including provision for a monitoring system with appropriate indicators and benchmarks;

5. Further requests the State Party to submit, by 1 February 2005, a report on the progress of these recommendations for examination by the Committee at its 29th session in 2005;

6. Decides to retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

28COM15C.2
Link to the decision

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Following examination of state of conservation reports of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger (WHC-04/28.COM/15A Rev),

2. Decides to maintain the following properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger:

  • Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam, Afghanistan (Decision 28 COM 15A.21)
  • Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan (Decision 28 COM 15A.22)
  • Butrint, Albania (Decision 28 COM 15A.28)
  • Tipasa, Algeria (Decision 28 COM 15A.16)
  • Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower, Azerbaijan (Decision 28 COM 15A.29)
  • Royal Palaces of Abomey, Benin (Decision 28 COM 15A.14)
  • Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park, Central African Republic (Decision 28 COM 15A.1)
  • Comoé National Park, Côte d'Ivoire (Decision 28 COM 15A.2 )
  • Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, Côte d'Ivoire/Guinea (Decision 28 COM 15A.5)
  • Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Democratic Rep. of the Congo (Decision 28 COM 15A.3)
  • Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Rep. of the Congo (Decision 28 COM 15A.3)
  • Virunga National Park, Democratic Rep. of the Congo (Decision 28 COM 15A.3)
  • Garamba National Park, Democratic Rep. of the Congo (Decision 28 COM 15A.3)
  • Salonga National Park, Democratic Rep. of the Congo (Decision 28 COM 15A.3)
  • Sangay National Park, Ecuador (Decision 28 COM 15A.12)
  • Abu Mena, Egypt (Decision 28 COM 15A.17)
  • Simien National Park, Ethiopia
  • (Decision 28 COM 15A.4)
  • Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras (Decision 28 COM 15A.13)
  • Group of Monuments at Hampi, India (Decision 28 COM 15A.24)
  • Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, India (Decision 28 COM 15A.10)
  • Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat), Iraq (Decision 28 COM 15A.18)
  • Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, Jerusalem (Decision 28 COM 15A.31)
  • Timbuktu, Mali (Decision 28 COM 15A. 15)
  • Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (Decision 28 COM 15A.25)
  • Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves, Niger (Decision 28 COM 15A.6)
  • Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore, Pakistan (Decision 28 COM 15A.26)
  • Chan Chan Archaelogical Zone, Peru (Decision 28 COM 15A.30)
  • Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, Philippines (Decision 28 COM 15A.27)
  • Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary, Senegal (Decision 28 COM 15A.7 )
  • Ichkeul National Park, Tunisia (Decision 28 COM 15A.9)
  • Everglades National Park, United States of America (Decision 28 COM 15A.11)
  • Historic Town of Zabid, Yemen (Decision 28 COM 15A.20)

Draft Decision:28 COM 15A.17

 The World Heritage Committee,

 1.     Takes note of the information provided by the State Party, and expresses its concerns over the deterioration of the property caused by rising groundwater levels and other threats;

 2.     Commends the State Party for the efforts made in order to solve the problems related to the rising ground water in the area;

 3.     Reiterates, however, the urgency to adopt more long-term and sustainable measures in coordination with the relevant national institutions and in accordance with the recommendations contained in the UNESCO Mission Report of September 2002;

 4.     Requests the State Party, in consultation with the institutions concerned and, if necessary, requesting assistance from the World Heritage Fund, to develop an Action Plan including provision for a monitoring system with appropriate indicators and benchmarks;

 5.     Further requests the State Party to submit, by 1 February 2005, a report on the progress of these recommendations for examination by the Committee at its 29th session in 2005;

 6.     Decides to retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Abu Mena
State Party:
Egypt
Date of Inscription: 1979
Nomination records (Year): 1979
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (iv)
Danger List: Yes
Exports
Word File
SOC Reports (year)
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
1992
Threats*
  • Land conversion
  • Water
  • Management systems/ management plan
  • Other Threats:
Documents
WHC-04/28.COM/15A.Rev
Other Documents:
View inscribed site documents, nomination file, reports, decisions, ...
SOC ID: 1378
Inscription on the Danger List
Year: 2001
Threats to the Site:

A land-reclamation programme for the agricultural development of the region, funded by the World Bank, has caused in the past ten years a dramatic raise of the water table. The local soil, which is exclusively clay, is hard and capable of supporting buildings when in a dry state, but becomes semi-liquid with excess water. The destruction of numerous cisterns, disseminated around the city, has entailed the collapse of several overlying structures. Huge underground cavities have opened in the north-western region of the town. The risk of collapse is so high that the authorities were forced to fill with sand the bases of some of the most endangered buildings, including the crypt of Abu Mena with the tomb of the Saint, and close them to the public. A large banked road, moreover, was executed to enable movement within the site.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities is trying to counteract this phenomenon by digging trenches, and has enlarged the listed area in the hope of lowering the pressure of the irrigation. These measures, however, have proved to be insufficient, taking into account the scale of the problem and the limited resources available.


* : 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.