Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region

• Management systems / management plan (Need to adjust the boundaries of the remaining components; Need to finalize an integrated conservation and management plan for the property; Need to establish a monitoring system; Need to adopt and implement the proposed new regulations for the buffer zones of the Firuzabad and Bishapur components; Need to identify areas of archaeological sensitivity)
• Other Threats: Several serial components at risk of collapse or in a condition of serious deterioration

The Statement of Outstanding Universal Value was adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019) (Decision 43 COM 8B.54). On 1 December 2020, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1568/documents/ and provides updates on progress made in relation to the issues identified in Decision 43 COM 7B.65, as follows:

• The State Party has reviewed archaeological data for the components of Firuzabad in order to include them into a single boundary and buffer zone, in line with the World Heritage Committee’s request. The State Party has indicated that this can be achieved by incorporating the course of the Tangab river, and a revised map has been provided along with proposed regulations for the buffer zone. The regulations include overarching provisions and specific regulations for construction in Atashkade Village and Khevid-e Mobaraki Village, including height limits, architectural designs, roof forms and surface treatments. For Kei-zarreen Village and Motahari Town, there are additional regulations concerning uses for tourism, agriculture, military camping, dumping and extraction of sand, gravel and stone. The requested redefinition of the boundaries of the two components within the Bishapur region have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Regarding attributes in poor condition, the State Party reports on technical investigations and conservation works completed for the fortress of Qaleh Dokhtar, including emergency measures and improvements to the paths for visitors. Restoration of the fortifications and removal of vegetation are planned for 2021;
• The State Party has provided information from the Geophysical Survey and Archaeological Documentation project developed to identify likely structures in the farmed areas of Goor City (Ardashir Khurreh). A five-year project was launched and started carrying out magnetometer and photogrammetry surveys of two sites of more than 10,000 square metres each and incorporating the results into a GIS system;
• Information was provided concerning plans to develop the property’s monitoring strategy along with the Management Plan and the risk preparedness and disaster mitigation plans. These elements will form a single project that will be conducted in 2021. This work focuses on threats, condition and risks.

The State Party has made progress towards the implementation of the World Heritage Committee’s previous decisions. The updated information provided regarding the urgent conservation work and planned programme of documentation and conservation of Qaleh Dokhtar is welcomed, complementing the information provided by the State Party in its 2019 state of conservation report concerning the immediate structural works to Sarbazkhane and the towers at the northern end of the fortification of the Royal Citadel. There is no mention of progress in relation to the recommended work to address post-excavation problems at Bishapur City, but this should be included in the programme of urgent works. A systematic overview of conservation works, with indicative priorities, timeframes and resourcing is needed, underscoring the need for a finalised and effective management plan and a monitoring programme for all attributes. These will assist with the determination of priorities and resourcing requirements.

At the time of inscription of this property, the Committee requested the State Party to adjust the boundaries of the components by providing a single boundary for the five Firuzabad components and for the two Bishapur components, as the boundaries in the nomination file were considered too tightly drawn to demonstrate the relationships between these sites and their landscape settings. The information provided by the State Party outlines an important documentation work and proposed adjustments to the Firuzabad components in response to the Committee’s request. These adjustments and the proposed regulations for the buffer zone should be formalized by submitting a minor boundary modification proposal to the World Heritage Centre, including maps and the regulations for the buffer zone, to be prepared in compliance with paragraphs 163-164 and Annex 11 of the Operational Guidelines. It is noted that work required in relation to the Bishapur components has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but should resume in 2021.

In 2019, the State Party reported that the integrated management plan was close to being finalised; however, it is yet to be provided to the Centre and the Advisory Bodies, and thus the status of this essential document is uncertain. The State Party reports that a project will be conducted in 2021 to develop aspects of the management plan and the risk preparedness and disaster mitigation plans and the monitoring system. This work is very important; however, the full integrated conservation and management plan is also an urgent necessity in order to effectively manage this complex serial property.