Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk, Archaeological Site of Ancient Ishanapura

• Management systems/ management plan (Need to clarify the attributes of the Outstanding Universal Value with regard to the boundaries of the temples zone and the buffer zone; Need to augment the Conservation Plan, to refine the Management Plan and to complement the monitoring program)
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation (Need to address a number of tourism-related issues: revise the Tourism Management Plan, prepare a visitor code of conduct, prepare an interpretation and presentation plan for the Kampoon Thom Museum, improve signage, improve the visitor display and interpretation information at the Sambor Prei Kuk Visitor Centre, etc.)
• Illegal activities (Need to continue implementing careful looting control)
• Other factors (Risk of collapse of some temples; Need to avoid herbicides in fighting weeds and replace them by masonry- and environment-friendly methods)

N/A

On 8 December 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, of which an executive summary is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1532/documents/. The report presents progress with several conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions, as follows:

• Over the last two years, activities have focused on site maintenance, conservation, restoration, archaeological investigations, improvements to the exhibitions, capacity building, and the finalisation of the Conservation Manual;
• Site maintenance works are detailed in the report and include ongoing vegetation management, tree removal and the updating of interpretation signs;
• Conservation and restoration works include:

• Emergency works to several octagonal towers;
• Removal of accumulated soil in the Prasat Yeay Poan Group;
• Restoration of a tower and Mandapa in the Prasat Yeay Poan Group, which had collapsed during the 2006 rainy season;
• Restoration of towers in the Prasat Tao Group, the Prasat Sambor Group, the Robang Romeas group and the Srei Krup Leak Group;
• Conservation of towers with high-level risks in the Prasat Sambor Group;
• Restoration of Prasat Ashram Maha Russei, including consolidation of a damaged sandstone mandapa;

• Restoration projects are accompanied by archaeological excavations where required;
• Five archaeological surveys have been completed in the ancient, moated city area (buffer zone), resulting in new sites being added to the inventory;
• Ongoing research has deepened the understanding of the water management infrastructure of the moated city and main temple complexes;
• Training programmes have been provided for local communities and university students;
• Various visits by experts and official delegations are also mentioned.

The State Party has made commendable further progress towards carrying out the urgent conservation works for this property through prioritising structures and areas considered to be facing the most significant risks. The 2017 Risk Map has been used to organise the conservation and restoration works programme. The State Party has provided descriptions and photographs of the work and should be commended for its use of risk assessments in prioritising required conservation work and for the documentation of outcomes. The work undertaken since December 2020 has extended to the Robang Fomeas and Srei Krup Leak groups, which has enabled the route for visitors to be extended into these areas since 2022. Weed removal, pruning or the removal of trees and tree roots that pose a high risk to the temples and other structures remain key activities to safeguard the property’s attributes, and a timetable has been developed. The finalisation of the Conservation Manual should also be welcomed.

It should also be appreciated that, after an interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Party has reactivated its training and education programmes, which aimed among others at raising awareness for the local community, providing training for archaeology and conservation students, supporting scientific researchers, staff exchanges, and providing on-the-job training for local community members.

Concerning the carrying capacity assessment requested by the World Heritage Committee, the State Party’s report notes that current post-COVID visitor levels do not pose a risk to the carrying capacity of the property (i.e. the temple zone). The carrying capacity has been assessed to be 20 visitors maximum for each temple, and an upper limit of 8,000 visitors per day to the property has been set. However, given that visitors are not evenly spread throughout the site or the day, continued refinement of the carrying capacity assessment should be encouraged, especially in light of changes to visitor routes, as the property’s state of conservation improves. Consequently, the Tourism Management Plan should also be revisited as necessary.

The State Party reports that looting has been prevented at the property for more than 20 years and that the Heritage Protection Police and the Tourism Police Units are making ongoing efforts to that effect. Furthermore, awareness-raising training with the local community also contributes to the prevention of looting, and efforts are also consistently deployed to safeguard and display any discovered artefacts to enhance the understanding of the site.

Overall, the State Party has made commendable progress towards addressing the Committee’s recommendations on elements of the management system. The archaeological surveys and research on artefacts of the moated city area in the buffer zone are noted, and these surveys contribute to the work required to deepen the interpretation of the site and consider the long-term possibility of extending the property boundaries, which the World Heritage Committee recommended at the time of inscription. These longer-term possibilities understandably await the completion of the more urgent tasks outlined in the State Party’s report. Therefore, it is recommended that the Committee support the priorities established by the State Party to fully document the property, consolidate all the components of the management system, implement the sustainable tourism plan, and carry out the most urgent and ongoing conservation actions for the property and its buffer zone.