Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape

• Concern over the situation prevailing in Diyarbakir (issue resolved)
• Buildings and development
• Ground transport infrastructure (roads)
• Water infrastructure
• Impacts of tourism/visitor/recreation
• Management system/Management Plan

On 4 December 2018, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1488/documents/ and addresses the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee as follows:

• Concerning the works for the rehabilitation of Suiriçi District (Sur), a comprehensive and integrated Urban Design Project was planned and in 2016 relevant provisions were added to the implementation provisions of the existing urban conservation plan. This includes news roads, road widening and reconstruction projects in the buffer zone, both in Sur and outside the walls of the citadel;
• The 2012 Urban Conservation Plan was amended in 2016 and approved by the Regional Council for Conservation of Cultural Properties to allow for the removal of heavily damaged buildings in Sur;
• In line with the general provisions of the Urban Conservation Plan, an “Operational Plan” was prepared with the approval of the Conservation Council;
• In 2017, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization commissioned an Urban Design Guide for Sur to provide guidance for new buildings to be constructed;
• A scientific Commission for Diyarbakir City Walls was established, which is tasked with assessing planned interventions to the walls, including the materials to be used and the techniques to be applied. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism conducted a study to examine and analyze Diyarbakir City walls and bastions;
• Tigris River Rehabilitation Project Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) report and Preliminary Cultural HIA report on the Landscaping Project for Areas Outside Diyarbakir City Walls are completed;
• Two more projects are planned for the Tigris Valley which affect the Hevsel Garden directly: the Tigris Valley Project and Tigris Valley Eastern Suriçi Landscaping Project;
• Içkale Amida Mound and Artuqid Palace archaeological excavation works started in September 2018. Excavations are planned to continue in a systematic manner.

The State Party has invited the joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission requested by the Committee (41 COM 7B.50) and stated that the World Heritage Centre will be informed about the feasible dates to carry out this mission as soon as possible.

The State Party submitted numerous documents as annexes. Many of these, including an HIA for the Landscaping Project for Areas Outside Diyarbakir City Walls, the 2014 Master Plan Implementation Guide for Suriçi Area in Sur District of the Province of Diyarbakır and the 2017 Sur Urban Design Guide were submitted in Turkish in conformity with Decision 41 COM 7B.50.

In its report, the State Party provided information on the rehabilitation of Suriçi District including the Urban Conservation Plan and its Operational Plan, as well as the Urban Design Plan. Although the information and the visualization concerning the works completed in the property and its buffer zone have been provided, it is regrettable that the reconstruction works have started before the Reactive Monitoring mission has taken place. The carrying out of the mission has become a matter of utmost urgency considering that no details of the urban rehabilitation projects have been submitted by the State Party, and that the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS receive numerous third parties information.

Regarding the HIA report on the Tigris River Rehabilitation Project submitted by the State Party in February 2019, the World Heritage Centre has requested the State Party to provide in one of the working languages, the project documentation on which the HIA is based, in order to comprehensively examine the HIA report. Upon reception, the Advisory Bodies will carry out a technical review. It is recommended that no work proceeds on this project until this review process has been completed.

However, the Tigris Valley Project and Tigris Valley Eastern Suriçi Landscaping Project have not yet been assessed through HIAs and the revised version of the Conservation Plan in 2016 has not been submitted for review by the Advisory Bodies.

The State Party should be requested to halt the reconstruction and rehabilitation projects in progress or under planification in the property and its buffer zone which may have an impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property until such time as a Reactive Monitoring mission has visited the property and its conclusions are known. It is also recommended that the State Party continue to revert to the 2012 Conservation Plan until such time as the 2016 revisions have been reviewed by the Advisory Bodies. The State Party should also be requested to submit the projects documentation and results of all HIAs, including a section on the potential impact of the projects on the OUV of the property, in a working language of the World Heritage Convention (English or French).

Given that the State of Emergency in the area has ended, it is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to determine as soon as possible the appropriate dates for a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to assess the overall state of conservation of the property.