Aphrodisias

• Need to revise the Management Plan 
• Lack of legal protection for the entirety of the buffer zone
• Need to integrate the local community into the management system for the property
• Slow implementation of the drainage rehabilitation plan within the walled city
• Lack of a fire response plan 
• Need to expand the patrols by the agricultural guards to include the quarry component and the whole of the buffer zone
• Need to conduct a full 3D inventory of the quarry faces in order to provide a baseline record of their condition
• Need to implement corrective conservation measures within the quarry component

N/A

On 30 November, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, an executive summary of which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1519/documents/. Progress on a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report, as follows:

• Studies were initiated to support the revision of the Management Plan;
• Biannual monitoring of the quarry component continued in 2022, with a team who surveyed the site using key indicators to measure the state of conservation of the quarry, including the quarry faces, the ancient graffiti and waste blocks. In particular, a new photogrammetric 3D model of the quarry faces was created and compared with 2018 data used as a baseline in order to detect any changes;
• Excavations are underway to document the ancient water system and inform the water drainage rehabilitation plan. Ancient drainage channels (in front of the Sebasteion Propylon and leading to the southwest) have been cleaned in preparation for their reuse in case of flooding. Additional excavation started in 2022 at the location of the first of two caissons planned for the lowest area of the site, in order to process flood water;
• A fire prevention plan has been prepared for the archaeological site, which includes a fire vulnerability and risk assessment, together with the identification of mitigation and risk preparedness actions. Actions currently being implemented include mobile water tanks, vegetation management, video surveillance and annual health and safety training.

While progress has been made on some of the Committee’s recommendations, it is of particular concern that two key issues have not been addressed and require further work:

• First, the Management Plan has not yet been sent to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies. The 2014-2018 Management Plan needed a substantial update, including revisions to reflect adjusted boundaries and protection measures, as well as current management and conservation conditions. This was first recommended by the Committee at the time of inscription and was requested as a priority following its review of the 2021 state of conservation report. However, this work is apparently still at a preliminary stage with studies to inform the Management Plan having only been initiated;
• Second, there seems to have been no progress on the issue of providing legal protection to the entire buffer zone. While the State Party reports that this will be reviewed by the Aydın Regional Council for Conservation of Cultural Properties, it seems that no developments have occurred since the last state of conservation report.

In other areas, the State Party can be commended for the progress made. For example, ongoing monitoring of the quarry component takes place biannually and has recorded results against key indicators going back to 2014, which show positive trends in the state of conservation. In addition, a second 3D model has been created for comparison to the 2018 baseline. The results seem to confirm that, overall, the state of conservation is sound, with no visible stability problems. Consequently, the remedial conservation measures recommended by the Committee do no longer appear to be necessary. However, construction activity close to the main quarries, where no visible change until 2022 had occurred, needs to be detailed by the State Party. It is noted that the fire prevention plan is now completed, with actions already being implemented at the archaeological site component; although this has not yet been submitted to the World Heritage Centre as requested.

Further progress has been made on the drainage rehabilitation plan, including excavations to understand and clean parts of the ancient water drainage system that could be reused, as well as excavations at the location of the first of two new caissons which will serve to help manage flood water. The emphasis on archaeological checks prior to any drainage work is commendable and the State Party should be encouraged to continue to implement the drainage plan. However, with regard to the related sewer and infrastructure works, which took place within the buffer zone, the situation has only been partially clarified. The State Party confirmed that this work was considered compulsory and was assessed by the Aydın Regional Conservation Council of Cultural Properties, under the supervision of the Museum Directorate. However, the way in which this assessment was carried out has not been addressed in the report submitted by the State Party. The State Party should ensure, in line with Paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines respectively, that any project assessment is based on a clear understanding of its potential impact on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and draws on the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context and that project proposals, which may have such an impact, are communicated to the World Heritage Centre, before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse.