Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage

• Housing
• Major urban projects for the city and for the Bouregreg Valley and the lack of impact assessments in order to guarantee the visual integrity of the property and its surrounding areas

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On 31 January 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, a summary of which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1401/documents/.

A joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission to the property was undertaken from 8 to 11 May 2022. A summary of the mission report is also available at the above-mentioned web address.

The State Party report addresses a number of issues highlighted by the Committee at its previous sessions, as follows:

• All projects within the property or its buffer zone with a potential impact on Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), as well as the related impact studies, are being submitted to the World Heritage Centre in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
• Capacity building efforts initiated by the State Party and civil society have continued, notably in the form of technical workshops;
• New technical solutions to reinforce the dematerialisation effect of the Mohammed VI Tower have been integrated into the project;
• Technical and architectural solutions proposed to minimise the interference of the extension of the station with the historic wall and the Ibn Toumert garden shall be implemented. The future restoration project of the original station building will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre beforehand;
• A new governance structure to ensure better management of the property has been put in place. The Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat has launched the process of updating the Management Plan for the period 2022-2026. The urban areas of the inscribed perimeter are now covered by Special Development Plans (Plans d’Aménagement Spécial - PAS) and the legal protection of the buffer zone continues with a new PAS launched in November 2021. The decision-making processes have been improved and made more thorough to ensure heritage protection. Operations in the property or its buffer zone (whether for repair, restoration, rehabilitation, renovation or new construction) are required to apply for authorisation and undergo a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) or evaluation by the Inspectorate for Historic Monuments and Sites prior to project approval and implementation. During the implementation and operation phase, the project sites will be subject to impromptu visits by a Control Commission to ensure the conformity of the works with the authorised project and the maintenance of the state of conservation of the sites;

ICOMOS has provided technical reviews of the Bab Fes project in the property’s buffer zone, including the construction of an underground car park, the restoration and upgrading project for the Hotel Balima, located within the property boundaries, the construction of the Hotel Arsat Salama in the buffer zone, and most recently for the reconstruction of the Government’s General Secretariat building within the New City, part of the property.

The State Party is to be commended on the significant steps taken towards an improved management and decision-making processes for future restoration and development projects with a view to enhance the protection of the OUV and heritage attributes as well as for a number of restoration projects of very high quality which are welcomed and appreciated. The updated governance structure defines the role of each institution involved in the protection and conservation of the property. These measures are to be welcomed, as is the commitment of the State Party to ensure optimal management of the property, focused on the protection of the OUV, and its focus on capacity building.

The improved decision-making process in relation to restoration and development proposals is welcomed, as it adequately enables the assessment of development proposals ahead of taking decisions on execution. While the criteria defining which proposals require an HIA could, however, be further defined in the Management Plan, the two-phased HIA undertaken for the planning and reconstruction of the Government’s General Secretariat building is to be commended. The several capacity building efforts organized by the State Party are also welcomed.

The State Party has launched the process of updating the Management Plan for the 2022-2026 period, through the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders and the creation of specialized commissions. The participatory process is welcomed in that regard, as well as the intention to include social and environmental dimensions. These dimensions, however, are not yet reflected in the thematic work that has so far been commissioned. It is also still unclear whether the objectives defined by the Management Plan will be integrated in the active PASs. The updating of the Management Plan is an opportunity to identify clearly the OUV and attributes of the Historic City of Rabat, to integrate sustainable strategies, and to consider the property in relation to its wider setting (the contemporary city) as recommended by the approach contained in the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL Recommendation). The State Party should be invited to share further details on the updated Management Plan when available.

The State Party has provided a comprehensive overview of completed, on-going and planned restoration and development projects within the property and its buffer zone. While most projects were already submitted in previous state of conservation reports and some were subject to ICOMOS technical reviews, it is advised that additional information should be submitted on two newly-proposed projects: the upgrading of the Oudaïa Kasbah, which aims at revitalizing the historic fabric and improving the residential areas, and the landscaping and development of the interior spaces of the archaeological site of Chellah, including additional infrastructure and facilities.

The State Party has not yet submitted any specific additional information about the new technical solutions to reinforce the dematerialisation of the Mohammed VI Tower, which have been adopted by the contractors. For Rabat-Ville Railway Station, information on the restoration of the original part of the station, as requested by the World Heritage Committee, is yet to be received.