Abu Mena

• Rise of the underground water table level and ensuing damage to the structures
• Impact on structures due to earth trembling and other forms of damage likely to result from the use of heavy earth-moving equipment (works completed)
• Lack of conservation plan, defining short-, medium-, and long-term objectives and establishing technical parameters (materials, techniques, etc.)
• Need for a management plan, to include research, presentation and interpretation, the role of stakeholders (e.g. the Mar Mena community), staffing, sponsorship, visitor facilities, access, etc.
• Encroachments within the property and inappropriate recent constructions
• Lack of engagement with local communities and other stakeholders
• Management activities
• Management systems/ management plan
• Failure to implement corrective measures

• A land-reclamation programme and irrigation scheme with no appropriate drainage mechanism for the agricultural development of the region has caused a dramatic rise in the water table
• The destruction of numerous cisterns, disseminated around the property, has entailed the collapse of several overlying structures. Huge underground cavities have opened in the north-western region of the property
• A large, banked road has been built to enable movement within the property

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/1279

Adopted, see page http://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/1279 but outdated and needs to be revised

On 31 January 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report and an executive summary of which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/90/documents/. Progress in a number of areas addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions and by the 2018 joint UNESCO/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Advisory mission is presented in the report, as follows:

• The Supreme Committee for the Management of World Heritage Sites has agreed upon tasks for each institutional stakeholder for the property’s improvement and maintenance;
• Community representatives have been involved in some management initiatives, and community groups, such as students, have participated in visits to the property;
• The Groundwater Level Reduction Project (GLRP) was due to be completed by the end of 2020, and the following actions have been implemented:
• Purchase of pumps for draining water from the property,
• Preparation of the site in advance of pump installation, which has included removing old pumps, improving generators, maintaining pipes, clearing banks to ensure water flow, cleaning out and examining existing wells, and commissioning new wells to be dug,
• Surveys have been carried out to understand groundwater movement. In addition, soil and water samples have been taken for analysis, water levels measured, and soil permeability measured to study leachate tracks,
• A study is being carried out regarding the potential use of solar energy to power the pumping system,
• The Ministry of Agriculture is preparing a study to consider changing to a drip irrigation system in the surrounding area to reduce groundwater flow;
• A Restoration and Conservation Plan was finalized and will be implemented following the completion of the GLRP. In the meantime, some interim restoration work on the Great Basilica and the Aramid Walls is taking place;
• A team from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has been formed to prepare the Management Plan, which would be integrated into the Sustainable Development Plan. The latter is a recently launched process that has involved a series of institutional meetings and site visits to prepare the plan. A progress report on its development was submitted as an annex to the State Party’s report;
• New property boundaries have been clarified and, once a ministerial decree has been issued to this effect, a request for a minor boundary modification will be submitted;
• The roads leading to the property have been upgraded, particularly the route from the airport, and street lighting around the Monastery has been improved;
• Informal constructions in and around the property have been removed to control land encroachment;
• The State Party would welcome a mission to the property to evaluate the possibility of removing Abu Mena from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Progress is being made in response to previous Committee Decisions and the recommendations of the 2018 mission. The establishment of the Supreme Committee for the Management of World Heritage Sites in Egypt has brought together all relevant institutions in a cross-sectoral approach to tackling issues at the property. The outcomes of this are seen in the ongoing implementation of the GLRP and the preparation of a Sustainable Development Plan.

However, it is of concern that current restoration work (on the Great Basilica and the Aramid Walls) is mentioned only very briefly in the Sustainable Development Plan progress report. It is therefore not clear what urgent or interim conservation measures are being carried out to accompany the changes in water levels that are occurring under the GLRP and if these measures are adequate, noting that a sustainable and long-term solution is needed. In particular, there are no reassurances that specific measures are being taken to protect the Mar Mena Tomb. This is concerning, given the difficulty in ensuring the property’s conservation under fluctuating environmental conditions, and previous delays in addressing critical conservation issues. An update on the State Party’s actions in that regard, and the Restoration and Conservation Plan that has been recently prepared, should be communicated to the World Heritage Centre as soon as possible.

Similar concerns arise over the fact that, while a team has been created to prepare the Management Plan, there is still no specific progress reported on this aspect, although it is noted that it will form part of the broader Sustainable Development Plan under development. This latter plan aims to ‘revive and maximise the benefit of the Abu Mena area to the local community, Egypt and the world’ and addresses issues related to ensuring the property’s conservation and increased visitor numbers. Emphasis on attracting tourism will inevitably lead to changes at the property and in use patterns, which need to be managed in advance so that visitation is consonant with conservation and the property’s role as a place of pilgrimage. The involvement of the religious community and local communities in the elaboration of the Management Plan and sustainable tourism strategy would be highly recommended.

Some recommendations of the 2018 mission have been acted on, while others, such as the completion of a boundary fence and a planting campaign to support water removal, remain unaddressed. In addition, some basic tools for the property’s management are still not in place, including the submission of revised boundaries for the property and its buffer zone, and the retrospective Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).

It should be noted that in 2007, the Committee adopted a Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) with the following indicators: a) consolidated structures; b) water table lowered and monitoring system established in and around the property; and c) Management Plan implemented. Of these, only point b) has been partially addressed at this stage, with some of the corrective measures carried out. Therefore, the future conservation of the property is not yet guaranteed. For this reason, it is recommended that the Committee retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Finally, regarding the fact that the State Party indicates that it would welcome a World Heritage Centre monitoring mission with a view to remove the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies consider that it may be premature for such Reactive Monitoring mission at this stage, but the modalities for an Advisory mission to assist the State Party in identifying a sustainable and long-term solution to lowering the water table and establishing a monitoring system in and around the property could indeed be discussed with the State Party.