Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam

a) Political instability;

b) Inclination of the Minaret;

c) Lack of Management Plan;

d) Illicit excavations and looting.

• Lack of legal protection
• Lack of an effective monuments protection agency
• Lack of adequate protection and conservation personnel
• Lack of a comprehensive Management Plan

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/1286  

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/1286

Total amount provided to the property: USD 845,000 provided by the Government of Italy and USD 138,000 by the Government of Switzerland. 

At the time of drafting the present document, no progress report on the implementation of the corrective measures has been submitted by the State Party to the World Heritage Centre as requested by the World Heritage Committee at its 35th session (Decision 35 COM 7A.24).

However, the State Party noted in a progress report submitted in May 2011 its concern that despite the efforts being made to the conservation of the property, it may not be able to complete the required corrective measures due to the time required for an appropriate planning and implementation. In light of the absence of a feasible long-term solution for the stabilization of the Minaret, the State Party indicated that the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger by 2011 would be unrealistic.

a) Hydrology study based on stereoscopic imagery

Due to the security situation in the Jam area, it was not possible to dispatch a UNESCO international expert mission to the property, as intended to follow-up the UNESCO/Italy and Switzerland Funds-In-Trust projects. Nevertheless, the following activities were carried out by the World Heritage Centre in close cooperation with the Aachen Conservation and Documentation Centre (ACDC) in line with the corrective measures identified by the World Heritage Committee.

Regarding the interpretation of satellite stereo images of the Jam area, the data obtained from the stereoscopic image in correlation with geological data allows understanding the complete geometric details, including the archaeological remains on site.

A preliminary study on the hydrology of the River Jam and Hari for the purpose of establishing a hydrological system to safeguard the property with a long-term perspective. Based on the simulation of the water flow drawn from the stereoscopic data, this study gives a better understanding on the peak water flow, flow velocity and the cross section of the River Jam and Hari. It shall allow identifying appropriate protection measures to monitor flooding and prevent further erosion.

Expert studies on the leaning of the minaret have been conducted in 2010 at the request of the World Heritage Centre and the final reports are expected to provide additional indications as to the reasons for the inclination and whether this leaning is still increasing.

b) Replacement of wooden stairs and emergency surface restorations of the upper minaret

The Department of Historical Monuments of the Ministry of Culture and Information envisaged commencing emergency restorations of the upper parts of the minaret in late 2011. No information as to whether these measures have started is available.

In addition, a preparatory mission focused on the elaboration of a budget and work plan for the replacement of the wooden stairs inside the Minaret of Jam was carried out by an Afghan official in October 2011. An Emergency Assistance Request, submitted to conduct this replacement, is under evaluation.

c) Other developments

Furthermore, the World Heritage Centre plans to organize the 3rd Expert Working Group Meeting for Jam and Herat, in Turin, Italy, tentatively in September 2012. This meeting will aim at assessing the progress made through the implementation of the various UNESCO activities, to define future strategies for the conservation of the property and to adopt recommendations for achieving the desired state of conservation.  

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies note the continued technical and financial support and commitment of the international community, notably through the implementation of the UNESCO/Italy and Switzerland Funds-In-Trust projects. However, they observe that no further information was made available by the State Party on the state of conservation of the property in 2012, including information on the progress made in the implementation of the corrective measures.

They further note that the previously proposed time frame for implementing the corrective measures cannot be achieved and needs to be updated, so as to gradually attain the Desired state of conservation for removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger.