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Archaeological Site of Carthage

Tunisia
Factors affecting the property in 2011*
  • Housing
  • Legal framework
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2011

Total amount provided to the property: International Safeguarding Campaign, 1973-1989

International Assistance: requests for the property until 2011
Requests approved: 7 (from 1980-2001)
Total amount approved : 213,315 USD
Missions to the property until 2011**

N/A. However, 5 expert missions between 1997 and 2002 for the Protection and Enhancement Plan

Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2011

Since some time, information has reached the World Heritage Centre about successive declassifications of parts of Carthage Archaeological Park. As requests for clarification were not conclusive, the State Party was requested to provide a report to be presented to the World Heritage Committee. This report was submitted on 29 January 2011. It recalls the importance of the site of Carthage to the State Party and the increase in resources used for conservation, including increased funding for its maintenance and restoration and strengthening of the management structure of the property.

The report indicates that the State Party has adopted a policy for land-use control in the archaeological area, including land acquisition, but also the downgrading of certain parcels – deemed without impact on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property - in peripheral areas or those with high-density urbanization.

The State Party has launched a major restoration and enhancement programme, particularly in the quarter of the Maalga cisterns, the Punic ports, the park of the Antonine Baths, Bysra Hill, the Tophet, and the Roman villas. A protocol for servicing and maintenance covering the entire site has also been established with sufficient manpower and equipment.

The report also states that the management plan initiated for many years is progressing despite delays due to a volume of new data which has emerged in recent years, and to archaeological investigations necessary for the establishment of a reliable delineation of the perimeter of the property. Nevertheless, the report gives no indication of progress or timetable for its completion.

a) Retrospective Inventory

Since 2006, as part of the Retrospective Inventory, letters are sent annually to the Tunisian authorities, requesting a clarification of the boundaries of the World Heritage property at the time of its inscription. Moreover, the link between the perimeter of the World Heritage property and that of the "Archaeological Park of Carthage-Sidi Bou Said" established in 1985 also needs to be clarified. Establishing a buffer zone to preserve the integrity of the property seems necessary, considering the many developments in the city of Carthage.

b) Statement of Outstanding Universal Value

In the framework of the second cycle of Periodic Reporting in the Arab States in which Tunisia actively participated, the retrospective statement of Outstanding Universal Value of the Archaeological Site of Carthage was drafted and adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010, Decision 34 COM 8 E). The conclusions of Section 2 of the Periodic Reporting Questionnaire indicate that the integrity and authenticity of the property have been affected by a number of negative factors, but that measures have been taken and the state of conservation of the property has not suffered any significant impact.

c) New information

On 15 March 2011, the State Party informed the World Heritage Centre that a decree-law was enacted on 10 March 2011 by the Provisional Government of Tunisia, "cancelling all abusive declassifications which have occurred in regard to the original classification scheme”. On 30 March 2011, the State Party submitted to the World Heritage Centre a map indicating the boundaries of the Archaeological Park as requested within the framework of the Retrospective Inventory. However, some information is still required in order to transmit this map to the Advisory Bodies for evaluation.

Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2011

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies appreciate the efforts of the State Party for the preservation of the property and congratulate it on having cancelled the declassification decrees of recent years. They nevertheless wish to underscore the impact that these declassifications may have had and by the unregulated urban development that potentially affected the integrity of the property, as well as by the lack of progress in completing the Plan for the protection and enhancement of the property (management plan). They recommend in particular the urgent establishment of a buffer zone to preserve the integrity.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2011
35 COM 7B.59
Archaeological Site of Carthage (Tunisia) (C 37)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-11/35.COM/7B,

2. Takes note of the report submitted by the State Party and the information provided on the state of conservation of the property;

3. Welcomes the cancellation of the decrees of declassification within the Archaeological Park of Carthage-Sidi Bou Said;

4. Encourages the State Party to submit a minor boundary modification in order to define a sufficient buffer zone to preserve the integrity of the property, and to indicate the legal framework of protection;

5. Urges the State Party to complete, adopt and implement the Plan for the Protection and Enhancement of the property initiated since 1996;

6. Requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to assess the state of conservation of the property and the progress regarding the Plan for its protection and enhancement;

7. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2012, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above recommendations for consideration by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th session in 2012.

Draft Decision: 35 COM 7B.59

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-11/35.COM/7B,

2. Takesnote of the report submitted by the State Party and the information provided on the state of conservation of the property;

3. Welcomes the cancellation of the decrees of declassification within the Archaeological Park of Carthage-Sidi Bou Said;

4. Encourages the State Party to submit a minor boundary modification in order to define a sufficient buffer zone to preserve the integrity of the property, and to indicate the legal framework of protection;

5. Urges the State Party to complete, adopt and implement the Plan for the Protection and Enhancement of the property initiated since 1996;

6. Requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to assess the state of conservation of the property and the progress regarding the Plan for its protection and enhancement;

7. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1February 2012, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above recommendations for consideration by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th session in 2012.

Report year: 2011
Tunisia
Date of Inscription: 1979
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (ii)(iii)(vi)
Documents examined by the Committee
arrow_circle_right 35COM (2011)
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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