VII.34 Memphis and its Necropolis -- the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur (Egypt)
It was recalled that the Committee had been informed during its eighteenth session in Phuket of the very serious problems which threatened the site. Following an exchange of correspondence between the Director-General of UNESCO, the Government of Egypt and the World Heritage Committee, a UNESCO expert mission visited Egypt from 1 to 6 April 1995, at the invitation of the national authorities. Its terms of reference were to propose safeguarding measures for the World Heritage site of the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur, after studying with the Egyptian authorities the possibilities of adopting a new route for the motorway under construction, which at that time cut across the site, as well as for other threats.
The Committee was informed that after in-depth discussions and field visits, an agreement was reached with all parties concerned with regard to the choice of a new route for the motorway completely avoiding the World Heritage site, the suppression of the two refuse dumps, the halting of all new housing constructions at Kafr-el-Gabal and the suppression of numerous encroachments on the site and its buffer zone.
The UNESCO mission report was transmitted to the Bureau during its nineteenth session in July 1995.
Following the proposal of the Delegate of Germany, the Committee decided to write to the Egyptian authorities regarding this World Heritage site and that of Islamic Cairo. This text appears further in this report.