State of Conservation (SOC)

a) Master Plans for Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens approved and implemented;

b) Foundations of the water tanks of the hydraulic works at Shalamar Gardens protected and consolidated as archaeological relics;

c) External walls of Shalamar Gardens and Lahore Fort preserved and protected;

d) Boundaries of the core and buffer zones of Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens redefined and extended;

e) Encroachments and urban pressure adequately controlled;

f) Safeguarding programme with corresponding timeframe and financial resources elaborated.

Total amount provided to the property: USD 975,000, Norwegian Funds in Trust, Japanese Funds-in-Trust, Getty Foundation, United States Embassy in Pakistan

Requests Approved: 0 (from1981-2000)
Total Amount Ap proved: 121,000USD

October 2000: World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission; April 2001 and June 2003: UNESCO experts advisory missions; November 2005: World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission; February 2009: UNESCO Tehran Office/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission 

a) Demolition of two of the tanks and partial demolition of a third tank of the hydraulic works of the Shalamar Gardens;

b) Encroachments and urban pressure;

c) Inadequate management mechanisms (including incomplete legislation, lack of financial resources);

d) Lack of definition of boundaries of the Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens.

a) Implementation of Master Plans for Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens;

b) Consolidation and adequate protection of the foundations of the demolished water tanks and preservation of the remaining third tank of the hydraulic works at Shalamar Gardens, as well as overall preservation of the hydraulic works as archaeological relics;

c) Protection and preservation measures for the external walls of Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens;

d) Redefinition of boundaries of the core and buffer zones of Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens and submission of proposal for extension to the World Heritage Committee, taking into account the recommendations to include the Badshahi Masjid (Royal Mosque) and Tomb of Ranjit Sing, proposed following the 2003 and 2005 missions;

e) Removal of encroachments and control of urban pressures, including removal of parking for busses in the immediate vicinity of Lahore Fort;

f) Prioritisation for allocation and use of available resources according to the management objectives determined in the Master Plans.

On 1 February 2011, a report on the state of conservation of the Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore (Pakistan) was submitted by the State Party. The report gives an overview of the state of conservation of the property, and information on the implementation of the corrective measures identified by the World Heritage Committee.

The report also addresses issues raised by the World Heritage Committee during its 34th session including ensuring “effective control of encroachments around the Shalamar Gardens”, developing a draft Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (SOUV) for submission to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2011, and redefiningthe boundaries of the property and its buffer zone, and considering the extension of the property to include the Royal Mosque (Badshahi Masjid) and the Tomb of Ranjit Sing.

Concerning the overall state of conservation of the property, the report describes a series of key conservation works being undertaken in the framework of a “Five Year Program for Preservation and Restoration of Lahore Fort” and a “Five Year Program for Preservation and Restoration of Shalamar Gardens”. 19 projects being undertaken in the current year are described, involving a State expenditure of 70 million rupees (around USD 824.500).

Among the corrective measures mentioned above, a), b) & c) have been achieved. Progress with regard to corrective measures d) (boundary definition) and e) (urban encroachments), as well as the requests made by the World Heritage Committee in its Decision 34 COM 7A.25 (Brasilia, 2010) are reported on below.

a) Statement of Outstanding Universal Value

As part of the Periodic Reporting process, the Sate Party submitted a draft SOUV on 1 February 2011. It has been forwarded to ICOMOS for review for eventual submission to the World Heritage Committee for approval in 2012

b) Boundaries and buffer zone

The State Party has defined the property’s boundaries and buffer zone, and these have been notified by the Government of Punjab, although not yet been formally submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review. With regard to the possible inclusion of the Badshahi Mosque and the Tomb of Ranjit Sing, the State Party is of the view that they could be nominated separately in the future.

c) Appropriate solutions to urban pressures and encroachments

The State Party reports having made substantial progress on this issue by working together with all relevant stakeholders, as well as through the application of relevant legislation. Activities mentioned in the State Party report (provision of alternative parking, improved property access, compensation mechanisms for displaced house-holders, prohibition on new construction, etc.) could lead to a sustainable solution to reduce the urban pressures and encroachments.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies are of the view that the State Party has taken positive steps to comply with the corrective measures mentioned above, thus moving towards fulfilling the requirements under the Desired State of Conservation. A mission to the property would allow ascertaining if all conditions have been met for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

They would however urge the State Party to formally submit to the World Heritage Centre a proposal for defining the boundaries of the property and the proposal for the establishment of a buffer zone, for the approval of the World Heritage Committee. In regard to the possible extension to include the Badshahi Mosque and Tomb of Ranjit Sing, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies concur that these sites may be considered as possible separate future nominations.