State of Conservation (SOC)

Requests Approved: 0 (from1993-2002)
Total Amount Ap proved: 92,600USD

September 2001: World Heritage Centre reactive monitoring mission; October 2003, February-March and November 2004: three expert missions in the framework of the implementation of activities for training assistance to set up a workshop-school specializing in traditional building skills at the Kasbah of Algiers.

a) Natural erosion;

b) Poor upkeep of the dwelling places;

c) Loss of traditional conservation techniques;

d) Uncontrolled land use;

e) Existing but non-operational safeguarding plan;

f) Lack of coordination of activities. 

As requested by the Committee in paragraph 6 of its decision 29 COM 7B.44, the State Party transmitted, on 31 January 2007, a report on safeguarding and enhancement actions for the Kasbah of Algiers. This report reviews the actions undertaken in 2003 and 2006 as follows:

a) The restoration project for the Citadel of Algiers, sponsored by the President of the Algerian Republic, received significant funding which enabled the Ministry of Culture to proceed to a limited international consultation.

b) A specific architectural Office, chaired by the Director of Cultural Heritage, was set up, notably to draw up the specifications required to launch the restoration operation for the Citadel of Algiers.

c) Priority actions were defined with a view to the implementation of the first phase of the Permanent Plan for the Safeguarding and Enhancement of the Protected Areas (PPSMV), including emergency and diagnostic measures. A recapitulation of all these interventions was prepared in March 2006 by the local authorities concerning:

(i) The condition of the built structures following the 2003 earthquake, and operations for the evaluation and rehousing of the populations in order to undertake the emergency work;

(ii) Progress achieved on the restoration projects for the listed historic monuments;

(iii) Interventions on the various road works, outdoors development features and sanitation.

This phase will be updated and submitted by the architectural Office on 14 June 2007 to the contracting authority.

Phases 2 (historical and typological analysis) and 3 (final draft of the plan: presentation report, regulations, annexes and typological manual) of the project are well under way. The time needed for updating and standardising the plan is evaluated at 15 months, as from 15 November 2007.

In the framework of an International Assistance request under the World Heritage Fund, a Documentation and information centre was to be set up in an old building of the Kasbah. The report of the State Party makes no mention of this centre or possible activities that could be undertaken there.

However, this report is too brief to provide an accurate picture of the state of conservation of the property and to enable a precise evaluation of the current situation.