Meidan Emam, Esfahan

• Commercial development (issue resolved)
• Underground transportation infrastructure
• Housing
• Urban sewerage and water infrastructure
• Disaster Risk Management (anti-earthquake structural consolidation)

Total amount granted:5,710 Euros (France/UNESCO Cooperation Agreement)

On 1 December 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/115/documents. The report presents the State Party’s progress with several conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions, as follows:

• The State Party is elaborating the Conservation and Management Plan (CMP) towards 2026, the outline of which was attached to the report. A final version of the outline is expected to be submitted in the months following the submission of the state of conservation report;
• A draft outline of the Disaster Risk Management Plan (DRMP) is being elaborated, covering the whole heritage areas and the built structures therein, including the evaluation of spatial structures, water-related risks and sewage systems, as well as other existing risks such as anti-earthquake measures for the Ali Qapu Edifice and structural issues of several built components. The DRMP will be submitted as part of the CMP. The State Party confirmed that there has been no major operation with potential impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property.

The State Party's efforts to address the recommendation of the Committee concerning the elaboration of a Conservation and Management Plan (CMP) and addressing disaster risk reduction through the elaboration of a distinct Disaster Risk Management Plan (DRMP) are appreciated, although the final drafts are yet to be completed, despite being in the finalisation phase since 2016.

The outline of the CMP identifies the processes being undertaken to develop the plan and a range of some 182 objectives, plans, strategies, policies or measures to address specific areas of the plan. It is hoped that the final draft provides elaboration of the short-, medium- and long-term prioritising of actions to be taken in this complex management environment.

In response to the Committee’s request in its last Decision, the State Party provided details of the stabilisation work conducted to the Ali Qapu edifice, while confirming that specific anti-earthquake measures will be planned and implemented for the architectural structures within the property. It is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request for the submission of plans for restoration and intervention with potential impacts on the OUV of the property for review by the Advisory Bodies, prior to their implementation and finalisation.

The DRMP outline submitted by the State Party adopts the ABC method developed jointly by ICCROM, the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) and the Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) and foresees a sequential approach to identifying and establishing action items according to potential risks and threats, covering the whole area of the Meidan and its four main monuments. While the outline seems to include major and necessary elements for the DRMP, it may be good to also include the actual organization plan to address emergency situations on the ground, such as an organizational chart, work sharing and the roles of different stakeholders, including the inhabitants, at the stage of immediate response.

The investigation and reorganization of the property’s water and sewage systems, including its buffer zones, and the proposed implementation using a phased approach should be noted, but it is recommended that the Committee reiterates its request that the programme be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

Following its previous recommendation, the Committee may also wish to reiterate its request that the State Party submit research and analyses on the property’s spatial structure, leading to the actual implementation of a possible reorganization of motorized and pedestrian circuits around the property.