VII.71 Historic Town of Zabid (Yemen)
The World Heritage Bureau during its twentieth session was informed that renovations which were seriously threatening the authenticity and integrity of the Great Mosque of Zabid had been undertaken by the local authorities.
The Secretariat informed the Bureau at its twentieth extraordinary session that, since then, it had received the report of its expert stressing that the work is presently being carried out in a manner more in keeping with the traditional techniques; however, a water conveyance proj ect planned by the National Water and Sewerage Authority of Yemen and the German Ministry for Cooperation (BMZ) and financed by a German agency (KfW), could be a major hazard for the preservation of the monuments of the city. Following consultations with the Yemeni and German authorities the Secretariat received confirmation from the German Delegation that an agreement had been reached with the Yemeni authorities that the water project will integrate sewage provisions.
The Bureau thanked the Yemeni authorities for having adopted traditional methods more in conformity with the respect of authenticity for the work of the Great Mosque of Zabid and recommended that they consult as often as necessary the expert designated by UNESCO. It also congratulated the Yemeni and German authorities, the National Water and Sewerage Authority of Yemen, the German Ministry of Cooperation (BMZ) and the KfW for having decided last August to simultaneously implement the water supply and sanitation systems in Zabid and other historic cities in order to avoid any deterioration of their cultural monuments.