Decision 42 COM 7B.52

Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur (Egypt) (C 86)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.78, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Commends the State Party for the significant archaeological discoveries and related research at the Pyramid of Khufu and for the advancement of the Step Pyramid and Southern Tomb Risk Mitigation and Restoration Project at Saqqara, and requests it to submit detailed information thereon to the World Heritage Centre;
4. Welcomes the ongoing engagement of the State Party with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in the development of proposals for a Cairo Ring Road tunnel across the Giza Plateau;
5. Takes note of the submission by the State Party of an initial ‘archaeological assessment’ for the Cairo Ring Road Tunnel project and reiterates its request to the State Party to complete a comprehensive archaeological assessment, in the manner previously requested, incorporating results from remote sensing using ground penetrating radar, magnetic survey and other techniques, and to ensure that, following review by the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies, the final comprehensive ‘archaeological assessment report’ and the previous technical reports on traffic management and design details, inform the preparation of the engineering designs for the Ring Road Tunnel project, which should be subject to a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), following the ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage properties; and also reiterate its request to the State Party to submit the detailed engineering designs and HIA to World Heritage Centre for review;
6. Also takes note of the previous Committee Decision that work for the construction of the tunnel should only be progressed once all requested technical reports and subsequent HIAs have been positively reviewed by the Advisory Bodies and appropriate mitigation measures and procedures for monitoring have been agreed;
7. Noting that the legacy from the abandoned planned Ring Road of 1995 impacts adversely on the landscape and that the abandoned road has facilitated dumping, waste incineration, and large-scale sand extraction, also requests the State Party to provide additional information about actions being taken to address this impact;
8. Expresses concern over the information provided by the State Party on the Giza Pyramids Plateau Development Project, the Lighting and Security Project of the Giza Pyramids and the Memphis Site and Community Development Project and urges the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, as soon as possible and in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, a detailed document providing comprehensive information about the Giza Pyramids Plateau Development Project;
9. Further requests the State Party to continue its efforts to strengthen the protection and management of the property by:
   1. Reinforcing the overall co-ordination and management of the World Heritage property, and reinforcing the conservation of the property by the Ministry of Antiquities,
   2. Investigating national legislation specific to World Heritage properties,
   3. Defining a buffer zone and submitting a Minor Boundary Modification request;
10. Requests furthermore the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to evaluate the property’s state of conservation, the ongoing and planned projects and how they may affect the property’s Outstanding Universal Value;
11. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2019, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019.