Historic Town of Zabid

• Serious degradation of the city’s heritage (many houses and the ancient souq are in an alarming deterioration state);
• Large percentage of the city's houses replaced by inappropriate concrete buildings;
• Large sections of the city’s open spaces have been privatized, either illegally or informally and more than 30% of these built-up;
• Lack of conservation measures and supportive development

• Serious deterioration of the built heritage (a high percentage of the residential houses being replaced by concrete and multi-storey buildings);
• The remaining  houses in the city are rapidly deteriorating, due to the prevailing low income of the inhabitants;
• Since the souq activities have been transferred outside the city, the ancient souq is almost empty and free from any type of activity and the shops are falling apart;
• The traditional economic role of the city has vanished;
• The city in general, is lacking any conservation and rehabilitation strategies.

Adopted 2011; See page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4357

Adopted 2007; see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/1282

Total amount granted: USD 14,000 from the Italian Funds-in-Trust and the France-UNESCO Co-operation Agreement.

The State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property on 2 February 2013. The report provides succinct information on the actions implemented to date and includes the Conservation Management Plan for Zabid/Tihama, prepared under the German International Assistance project in March 2012.

a)         Regulatory measures

The State Party reports that adoption of conservation and protection regulatory measures has continued. A draft Law of protection of historic sites, monuments, cities and their urban and cultural heritage has been submitted to the Parliament and is expected to be issued officially in 2013. In addition, high level meetings have been held to reactivate the conservation processes for Zabid and Sana’a. It notes that a Cabinet meeting was held in February 2013 to discuss conservation issues at Zabid leading to the issuing of several decrees. There is no additional information on the specific content of the issued decrees or on the mechanisms for their implementation. The Higher Ministerial Coordination Committee for Zabid has also continued meetings and identified the challenges being faced for the implementation and follow-up of corrective measures. Budgets have been allocated to support the operational costs of staff contracted to address issues pertaining to illegal construction and daily monitoring within the property.

b)         Conservation of the historic town

Two documents were submitted by the State Party: An Urban Conservation and Development Plan, prepared in 2011, distributed in Arabic and English, and a Conservation Management Plan completed in March 2012. The information and revisions provided by the local community were integrated into the final document. No indication has been given on the current status of its implementation. As regards the submission of maps indicating the boundaries of the property and proposed buffer zone, the State Party indicates that it has submitted the data to the National Commission for UNESCO in December 2012. However, this data was not received at the World Heritage Centre, nor is it annexed as announced to the Conservation Plan.

As for stopping new construction of poor quality and ensuring that no further degradation of protected heritage buildings occur, the State Party reports that limited progress has been achieved given the existing political situation. On 8 January 2013, the Cabinet adopted decree no. 9 regarding the protection of the Historic Town of Zabid, which will force action to ensure the removal of illegal construction. In regard to approval of contractors for carrying out emergency conservation works, the State Party reports that the General Organisation for the Protection of Historic Cities in Yemen (GOPHCY) has continued with the listing of qualified contractors and specialists and capacity building on conservation methods is foreseen prior to their approval for implementing works.

Draft guidelines for new construction and for restoration have been prepared by GOPHCY but they will need to be updated and approved. No timeframe for this action has been indicated.

The State Party also reports that the Zabid Urban development community forum was established with the support of GOPHCY and of the German International Cooperation (GIZ). The objectives of the forum shall contribute effectively to the conservation and protection of the property but it needs the support from involved authorities and organisations to ensure the sustained implementation of its recommendations. 

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies note that efforts have been made by the State Party in implementing the corrective measures for the property notwithstanding the prevailing political conditions. They recommend that the World Heritage Committee welcome the efforts made to ensure broad participation in conservation endeavours. They are of the view that support should be granted for the continuation of these processes. They note however that significant action and resources are still needed to ensure that all measures are comprehensively implemented within the adopted timeframe. In particular, they note the importance of approving and enforcing the Law of Protection of historic sites, monuments, cities and their urban and cultural heritage, which is a crucial measure to ensure sustained actions for the conservation and management of the property. They also underscore that adopting and enforcing other regulatory measures, and having the adequate number of staff, will be essential to adequately control building activities and implement the corrective measures for the property.