Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information.

i
ii
iii
iv
v
vi
vii
viii
ix
x

Ephesus

Türkiye
Factors affecting the property in 2017*
  • Ground transport infrastructure
  • Legal framework
  • Management systems/ management plan
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
Threats identified at the time of inscription of the property in 2015:
  • Insufficient legislative protection of the buffer zone
  • Incomplete Management Plan
  • Need to assess the management planning proposals, including visitor management, infrastructure, landscaping, and transport/coach park
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2017
Requests approved: 0
Total amount approved : 0 USD
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2017

On 2 December 2016, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1018/documents/, informing that:

  • Progress has been made to achieve the highest level of legislative protection for the entire buffer zone, and it is anticipated this would be completed by the end of 2016;
  • The normal cycle for revising the management plan is every 5 years after approval, with the next cycle to be completed in 2019. It also advises that registration of the conservation status of the entire buffer zone, due for completion at the end of 2016, will enable studies to commence for revising the management plan;
  • There are no major restoration, alteration and/or new construction projects which may affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) either within the property or buffer zone;
  • With regard to the cable car project, a range of options for the alignment have been considered, many have been rejected by the regional conservation council, because of their impact on the property. An alignment outside the property and buffer zone is being considered for approval by the Ministry for Forestry and Water Affairs, which has instructed the relevant company that a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) will be undertaken for the project in accordance with the ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage properties (2011). Project details and the HIA will be provided to ICOMOS when available.
Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2017

The reported progress in achieving legislative protection for the entire buffer zone, and the commitment to revise the management plan are welcome. It is however recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide confirmation of this legislative protection.

However, the lengthy delay in revising the management plan is unfortunate. These revisions are to include the research and conservation programmes for the overall property, with provision for findings to be integrated into future management, education and interpretation, as well as the extension of the monitoring system to relate to the inventory/database of the property.  The earliest possible revision of the management plan should be encouraged, and the date of completion confirmed.

Information about the cable car project is also welcomed, in particular the choice of an alignment outside of the property and buffer zone.  It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to submit the details of the project and the results of the HIA, as soon as they are available, to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, and before any irrevocable decisions are taken about this project.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2017
41 COM 7B.51
Ephesus (Turkey) (C 1018rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
  2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 8B.37 and 40 COM 8B.50, adopted at its 39th (Bonn, 2015) and 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) sessions respectively,
  3. Requests the State Party to confirm that the legislative protection sought for the entire buffer zone has been achieved;
  4. Recommends that the State Party take into account the matters raised in Decision 39 COM 8B.37 in the earliest possible revision of the management plan, and also requests the State Party to confirm the planned date for completion of this revision and to submit the revised version of the management plan to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, as soon as it becomes available;
  5. Further requests the State Party to submit details about the cable car project as well as the results of the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of this project to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, as soon as they become available, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, well before any irrevocable decisions are taken about the construction of the cable car;
  6. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2018, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019.
Draft Decision: 41 COM 7B.51

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
  2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 8B.37 and 40 COM 8B.50, adopted at its 39th (Bonn, 2015) and 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) sessions respectively,
  3. Requests the State Party to confirm that the legislative protection sought for the entire buffer zone has been achieved;
  4. Recommends that the State Party take into account the matters raised in Decision 39 COM 8B.37 in the earliest possible revision of the management plan, and also requests the State Party to confirm the planned date for completion of this revision and to submit the revised version of the management plan to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, as soon as it becomes available;
  5. Further requests the State Party to submit details about the cable car project as well as the results of the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of this project to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, as soon as they become available, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, well before any irrevocable decisions are taken about the construction of the cable car;
  6. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2018, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019.
Report year: 2017
Türkiye
Date of Inscription: 2015
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (iii)(iv)(vi)
Documents examined by the Committee
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2016) .pdf
arrow_circle_right 41COM (2017)
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.


top