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Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape

Türkiye
Factors affecting the property in 2017*
  • Civil unrest
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
Concern over the situation prevailing in Diyarbakir
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2017
Requests approved: 0
Total amount approved : 0 USD
Missions to the property until 2017**
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2017

On 27 June 2016, the World Heritage Centre sent to the State Party the information received from third parties regarding the state of conservation of the property, in particular regarding the destruction in the Surici District, within the buffer zone of the property.

On 1 February 2017, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1488/documents/ and addresses the recommendations made by the World Heritage Committee in its Decisions 39 COM 8B.32 and 40 COM 7B.60, and provided information on the state of conservation on Surici District as follows:

  • The restoration process of the City Walls and the Inner Castle are under protection with specific regulations and all construction and conservation work at the Buffer Zone 1 (Surici District) will only be applied upon the Regional Council for Conservation of Cultural Heritage;
  • Activities have been conducted in order to raise awareness about the protection of the historical and cultural richness of the property;
  • The Site Management Scientific Commission has started work on the determination and improvement of the hydraulic system, agricultural activities as well as soil and water quality in the Hevsel Gardens;
  • A task force, which was established in 2016 to assess the damage to the property and its monuments, concluded that there exist no major damages to the property in areas such as Diyarbakir Fortress, Iç Kale (the citadel) and Hevsel Gardens;
  • Temporary conservation measures such as the placement of concrete blocks in front of the walls and bastions, which were undertaken for security reasons in line with a decision by the Diyarbakir Regional Board of Conservation of Cultural Heritage, have caused no damage. The blocks will be removed at a later stage;
  • In Surici District, documentation, project work and restoration related to the damaged monuments is still ongoing under the supervision of a newly created scientific commission and the Site Manager. It will be completed as soon as the security situation allows it.

In the report, the State Party identifies several other current conservation issues, which may have an impact on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), such as the amendment to the law regarding the repair of non-movable cultural properties under private ownership, and the urban design project for Cevatpaşa Neighbourhood Iç Kale Valley.

Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2017

According to information received from third parties on the situation, the World Heritage property and its buffer zone have been exposed to widespread attacks and consequent security operations in the past two years. As such, it has been reported that the historic structures of the property, and in particular a number of historic buildings and monuments in the buffer zone suffered serious damages.

In its report, the State Party provided information on the state of conservation on Surici District within the buffer zone, which included emergency measures to address damages. It is encouraged that the State Party continue the work related to rehabilitation of the Surici District.

The security situation in Diyarbakir remains challenging for heritage preservation. Notwithstanding these difficulties, some progress has been made with small-scale conservation initiatives. The State Party’s initiatives in ensuring that the OUV of the property - including authenticity and integrity - is sustained, are to be noted.

It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to continue to take all possible measures to safeguard the property to prevent further damage, and to submit a Master Plan for restoration and rehabilitation activities for all buildings within the property, which should include information and documentation on technics and materials. It is also recommended that the Committee request the State Party to carry out Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) for urban design projects such as “Urban Design Project for Cevatpaşa Neighborhood Iç Kale Valley”, which may threaten the OUV of the property, in conformity with the ICOMOS Guidelines on HIAs for World Heritage cultural properties.

It is further recommended that the Committee request the State Party to invite, when the situation allows, a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to evaluate the nature and extent of any threats and propose appropriate measures to be taken.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2017
41 COM 7B.50
Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape (Turkey) (C 1488)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
  2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 8B.32 and 40 COM 7B.60, adopted at its 39th (Bonn, 2015) and 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) sessions respectively,
  3. Acknowledges the efforts made by the State Party to implement the recommendations made by the Committee in previous Decisions, as well as the initiatives taken by the State Party to protect the property and its buffer zone and underlines the importance of preventing any further damage to the property;
  4. Encourages the State Party to continue with work related to rehabilitation of Surici District within the buffer zone,
  5. Requests the State Party to initiate the elaboration of a Master Plan for restoration and rehabilitation activities within the property, which should include information and documentation on techniques and materials;
  6. Also requests the State Party, to carry out Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) for urban design projects such as “Urban Design Project for Cevatpaşa Neighborhood Iç Kale Valley”, which may threaten the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, in conformity with the ICOMOS Guidelines on HIAs for World Heritage cultural properties;
  7. Further requests the State Party to invite, when the situation allows, a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to evaluate the nature and extent of any threats and to propose appropriate measures to be taken;
  8. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2018, a 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.50

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
  2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 8B.32 and 40 COM 7B.60, adopted at its 39th (Bonn, 2015) and 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) sessions respectively,
  3. Acknowledges the efforts made by the State Party to implement the recommendations made by the Committee in previous Decisions, as well as the initiatives taken by the State Party to protect the property and its buffer zone and underlines the importance of preventing any further damage to the property;
  4. Encourages the State Party to continue with work related to rehabilitation of Surici District within the buffer zone,
  5. Requests the State Party to initiate the elaboration of a Master Plan for restoration and rehabilitation activities within the property, which should include information and documentation on techniques and materials;
  6. Also requests the State Party, to carry out Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) for urban design projects such as “Urban Design Project for Cevatpaşa Neighborhood Iç Kale Valley”, which may threaten the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, in conformity with the ICOMOS Guidelines on HIAs for World Heritage cultural properties;
  7. Further requests the State Party to invite, when the situation allows, a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to evaluate the nature and extent of any threats and to propose appropriate measures to be taken;
  8. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2018, a 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: (iv)
Documents examined by the Committee
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2017) .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.


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