Historic Centre of Bukhara

• Ground Transport Infrastructure (Roads)
• High impact research / monitoring activities
• Housing, Development (Use of new building material and methods, inappropriate restoration and reconstruction methods; utilities or service infrastructure)
• Management deficiency (Lack of coordination with regard to the conservation and restoration activities carried out as part of the State Programme; Lack of on-going routine maintenance and varying state of conservation of monuments)
• Managements systems/Management Plan (Lack of a proper conservation and management plan; Lack of guidelines for rehabilitation of housing and lack of integration of Management Plan with City Master Plan and HUL Recommendation)
• Archaeological excavation and rebuilding on the Shakhristan Market site
• Implications of the Project of Detailed Planning of Historical Centre of Bukhara Development (PDP)
• Recent hotel constructions which would negatively affect the integrity of the property (issue resolved)
• Heavy traffic, pollution and poor sewerage system (issue resolved)
• Others: Degradation of traditional houses

Total amount provided: 2016: USD 30,670 from the UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust project for the Application of the UNESCO Recommendation on Historic Urban landscape (HUL, 2011) at the World Heritage properties ‘Historic Centre of Bukhara’ and ‘Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures’; 2019: USD 43,115 UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust project “Building capacity in managing World Heritage properties, interconnection of development and heritage preservation in Uzbekistan and Central Asia”

A joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission visited the property in January 2020; the mission report is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/602/documents/ and was translated into Russian and shared with local stakeholders. Subsequently, on 27 January 2020 and 9 January 2021, the State Party submitted state of conservation reports, available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/602/documents/ which provide the following information:

• The city of Bukhara is undergoing rapid urban transformation, and urban heritage is an important asset for the development of the city through sustainable tourism. Important legal and institutional measures have been adopted to protect cultural heritage and control development. There is moratorium on construction and development within the property and its buffer zone until the Master Plan and the Management Plan have been reviewed by the Advisory Bodies and adequate management systems, conservation, Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) processes and development policies and protocols are in place;
• The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a Roadmap for implementation of Committee Decision 43 COM 7B.78. The Interagency Task Force responsible for the implementation of the Roadmap has been expanded to include national and international experts and will become an International Advisory Committee (IAC) for World Heritage properties in Uzbekistan (see below). In addition, at the local level, a Public Advisory Council has been created to control conservation and construction activities. A Steering Committee comprising specialists in the field of cultural heritage has also been appointed by the Hokim of the City of Bukhara to monitor the implementation of requirements for the preservation of cultural heritage, implementation of the Management Plan;
• Planning tools are being revised and updated and new tools prepared for the effective protection of the property. A new city Master Plan has been developed, and the Project of Detailed Planning (PDP) of 2017 has been suspended and is being revised. Elements of cultural heritage damaged through the initial implementation of the PDP have been stabilized and protective measures have been taken. A Management Plan has been prepared through an inclusive process and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies. The Management Plan will be integrated to the Master Plan according to the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) and having regard to the recommendations of the 2018 Advisory mission and the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission. Draft guidelines for restoration methods and materials have been developed and sent to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
• Major restoration projects and new constructions are planned in the property, including works to Kalon Mosque, Abdulaziz Khan Madrassah, Amir Alimkhan Madrassah, Mir Arab Madrassah and various elements within Ark Citadel, and the construction of a new Shakhristan Market. Documentation for these and other projects has been submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies. Works are proceeding for those projects that have received positive technical reviews and other projects have been revised with updated documents to be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review;
• The State Party is establishing an International Advisory Committee (IAC) for cultural World Heritage properties in Uzbekistan. Progress has been made, including liaison with the World Heritage Centre, identification of potential members and budget allocation, with a first meeting expected in 2021 to ensure follow-up of the Committee decisions and Reactive Monitoring mission recommendations;
• The UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust project “Building capacity in managing World Heritage properties, interconnection of development and heritage preservation in Uzbekistan and Central Asia” has been progressing and an online training workshop took place in May 2021.

The State Party has made progress in addressing the Committee’s decisions and threats to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property. However, the 2020 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission concluded that the property remains threatened by the poor physical condition of some major monuments and vernacular buildings, by inappropriate conservation approaches and by tourism development pressures, which may result in inappropriate structures. Improved communication among the authorities at the national, regional, and municipal levels as well as public awareness and sensitisation are crucial in the implementation of policies for the preservation of the property.

There have been significant regulatory and institutional changes and improved management planning. The current moratorium on construction and development, pending the finalization of key management documents and other conservation/design guidelines is welcome. There has been progress with preparing an Integrated Management Plan and Master Plan for the City. However, additional work is required to integrate the approach of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) and to ensure the adequate recognition of the property’s World Heritage status within the Master Plan and a better process for Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA), in accordance with Decision 42 COM 7A.4. The moratorium should remain in place until the Master Plan for the City and the integrated Management Plan for the property have been finalised, following submission to the World Heritage Centre and positive review by ICOMOS. Additional guidelines are required for development, new infrastructure and alterations to existing dwellings. A programme should be instigated at the earliest opportunity for further training and capacity building about the HUL approach.

ICOMOS has provided technical reviews of conservation projects proposed at Shakhristan Bazaar, Kalon Mosque, Abdulazzizkhan Madrassah, Amir Alimkhan Madrassah, Mir Arab Madrassah, within the Ark Citadel and for Khoja Kalon Hauz, all of which identify the need for changes to achieve good conservation outcomes. All major conservation projects at the property should be based on thorough research and evaluation and guided by comprehensive site-specific conservation plans and adequate documentation. It is recommended that the Committee support this more sensitive approach to conservation, based on a detailed analysis of structural stability, and traditional materials and techniques. The immediate stabilisation of the Abdulazzizkhan Madrassah is an urgent priority, to be followed by its long-term conservation. For major projects, HIAs should be prepared in accordance with the 2011 ICOMOS Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessment for Cultural World Heritage Properties, and detailed project documentation should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review. In response to third-party information, the State Party has provided assurances that the developer of a proposed hotel on Gavkushon Street will prepare detailed documentation, including an HIA, which will be provided to the World Heritage Centre for review.

Vernacular buildings are highly important yet largely unprotected elements of the property and remain subject to threats ranging from demolition to inappropriate alteration. The 2016 Reactive Monitoring mission already noted that there was insufficient control over development in mahallas, especially concerning individual traditional houses not listed under national protection, and emphasized that adequate legal protection should be granted to all attributes of the property, including the traditional houses. There is a continuing need for stronger legal protection and planning codes for cultural heritage and appropriate incentives for building owners.

The 2020 mission suggested that the existing Interagency Task Force for the Historic Centre of Bukhara could become the basis for a National Interagency Task Force, comprising representatives of regulatory authorities and appropriately skilled and experienced experts, with access to relevant international expertise. This approach is being expanded through the establishment of the International Advisory Committee (IAC) for World Heritage properties in Uzbekistan, which should oversee the conservation of the property, the protection of its OUV and the implementation of Committee decisions and mission recommendations.