Samarkand – Crossroad of Cultures

• Ground transport infrastructure (Large-scale development projects such as road building)
• Housing (Traditional housing and proposed demolition of mahalla residential areas)
• Management deficiency (Impact of urban landscaping programme on the authenticity and integrity of the property)
• Management Systems/Management Plan (Lack of strategic approach to urban conservation; Lack of implementation of the management plan and need to integrate with the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Recommendation)
• Major visitor accommodation and associated infrastructure (Proposed ‘Samarkand City Tourist Zone’)
• Others (Conservation of urban fabric)

Total amount granted: USD 50,000 from the UNESCO/Spain Funds-in-Trust; 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 of the Historic Centre of Bukhara and Samarkand; 2019: USD 43,115 UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust project for Building capacity in managing WH properties, interconnection of development and heritage preservation in Uzbekistan

A joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission visited the property in January 2020 (mission report available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/603/documents/). Subsequently, the State Party submitted state of conservation reports on 27 January 2020 and in January 2021, which are available at the link above and provide the following information:

• Samarkand is undergoing urban regeneration aimed at improving quality of life, supporting economic development and ensuring a healthy environment while achieving heritage conservation;
• The Tashkent Research and Design Institute for Urban Planning is finalizing the Master Plan, which addresses the 2020 mission recommendations, and embraces the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL), integrating social and economic development with urban heritage conservation, as well as the new Traffic Scheme and detailed planning for the historic centre and buffer zone. These documents will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review before final approval;
• There has been strong political support for the preservation of urban heritage through legislative changes that improve protection and responsibility, an updated inventory of protected buildings, the Project for Detailed Planning (PDP) and the cessation of demolition in residential areas. Development Control guidelines for the property and its buffer zone are in preparation. The Management Plan, which also follows the HUL approach, remains in progress, with assessments completed, an overall vision, objectives and actions drafted, and actions under discussion with the communities living in the affected mahallas;
• Streetscape improvement works include a new network of pedestrian streets;
• A digital model of the property and buffer zone has been completed. New boundaries for the buffer zone of the property are being determined, taking into consideration the recommendations of the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission, and a proposal for a minor boundary modification will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre;
• The Samarkand Provincial Government created a new touristic zone away from the historic centre and its buffer zone, adjacent to the Samarkand rowing canal, which is being developed as a venue for major projects related to the International Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2022, as well as the relocated multi-functional Samarkand City Tourist Zone. Current projects within the property include a new hotel to replace a former eleven-storey hotel, adaptive re-use of the existing structure of a former factory, and refurbishment of two existing hotels, involving the modification of façades without any change to footprint or height. The Hilton Hotel on Ibn Sina Boulevard, within the potential buffer zone extension, is under construction;
• 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 Prime Minister has signed a Decree establishing the Scientific Research Institute on Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan;
• Measures to increase awareness among local populations have been taken, such as the appointment of community inspectors, and public information materials were produced;
• The limited resources, both human and financial, of the Samarkand Department for Cultural Heritage remain a concern and the need for further capacity building remains;
• The implementation of 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.

Recent decisions by the State Party and its government agencies have addressed some significant threats to the Outstanding Universal value (OUV) of the property. The following initiatives and activities are all welcome: regulatory changes and continuing improvements to management planning and guidance documents; the cancellation of demolition of areas with private houses and development projects, including those named the Samarkand City, Jamshid Precinct, Namazgoh and proposed hotel sites near Spartak Stadium; a moratorium on demolition and development; the re-location of the Samarkand Touristic Zone; and a revision of the Traffic Scheme. A proposal for construction of an astronomical complex near the observatory Mirzo Ulughbek, within the property, has been subject to a technical review by ICOMOS, which has recommended that a different location should be pursued.

The 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission concluded that there are no major new threats to the attributes that contribute to the OUV of the property, including its authenticity and integrity, but that the property remains impacted adversely by intrusive urban development, including some illegal constructions and insensitive development. Reports of demolition within the property continue, especially in the mahalla precincts, and it is evident that significant buildings were damaged. The preparation of new Urban Design Guidelines, a Master Plan for the city and a new revised Management Plan for the property are all welcome, but additional work is needed to integrate the HUL approach within the Master Plan, and further training on HUL is required. Additional guidelines are needed for the mahalla residential precincts, covering conservation, the introduction of new infrastructure, and alterations and additions. The assurances from the State Party that the recommendations from the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission are being followed-up are welcome.

The overall moratorium on demolition and new development should remain and be more rigorously communicated and enforced until the integrated Master Plan for the City and the Management Plan for the property are finalised, following submission to the World Heritage Centre and review by the Advisory Bodies. However, the ‘Imari’ development, a large, illegally constructed residential project with an unacceptable visual impact on the property, should be removed or substantially modified.

The World Heritage Committee has previously approved the overall approach to the conservation of significant buildings, as set out in the draft Management Plan for the property. Consistent with this approach, the State Party should proceed in a measured manner through the preparation of an appropriate legal and management system and related conservation and development policies and guidelines that will facilitate a sensitive conservation approach, supported by the development of conservation plans for individual projects. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to submit a comprehensive programme of intended conservation projects to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies. Apart from urgent stabilisation works, conservation programmes should generally remain on hold until the proposed conservation and development policies and guidelines for the property are in place. In this regard, the Committee should recommend that the proposed physical conservation programme for Bibi Khanoum Ensemble and Mosque be undertaken in logical stages, with priority given to urgent stabilisation works, and guided by expert advice and a comprehensive site-specific conservation plan. It is also recommended that the Committee remind the State Party that any priority project within the property should be subject to a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), prepared in accordance with the 2011 ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage Properties, and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review.

The proposed International Advisory Committee (IAC) for World Heritage properties in Uzbekistan should include representatives of regulatory authorities and appropriately skilled and experienced experts, and should oversee the conservation of the property, the protection of its OUV and the implementation of the Committee’s decisions and of mission recommendations.

Despite the State Party’s assurance concerning social measures, including the appointment of local inspectors, the World Heritage Centre continues to receive third-party information concerning the demolition of or damage to historical monuments and other issues relating to the management of the property. Improved consultation and communication among the authorities at the national, regional and municipal levels regarding the State Party’s obligations for the preservation of the property, as well as towards the developers, general public and local communities, remain an important factor to improve the management of the property.