Decision 44 COM 7A.22

Crac des chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (Syrian Arab Republic) (C 1229)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decisions 43 COM 7A.35 and 43 COM 7A.37, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Taking into account Decision 44 COM 7A.24 on the World Heritage properties of the Syrian Arab Republic,
4. Welcomes the cancellation of the Cable Car project at Qal’at Salah El-Din by the State Party, and notes the intention to create tourism trails around the site;
5. Also welcomes the works carried out by the State Party, through its Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums of Syria (DGAM), in the framework of the International Assistance requests approved in February 2019 for the Crac des Chevaliers and in March 2020 for Qal’at Salah El-Din, which will contribute to the development of a conservation Management Plan and Master Plan for the property and its surroundings; and encourages the State Party to include a Risk Management Plan for the property and its buffer zone;
6. Reminds the State Party of its obligations to submit to the World Heritage Centre, for review by ICOMOS, information on the proposed creation of tourism trails around the castle at Qal’at Salah El-Din and any proposed reconstruction or restoration project within the property and its buffer zone, in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
7. Calls again on all States Parties to support emergency safeguarding and recovery measures, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund;
8. Takes note with satisfaction of the initiation by the State Party, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies of a process for the elaboration of a set of corrective measures and the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);
9. Reiterates the need for the invited joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to be carried out as soon as the situation allows, in order to proceed with a comprehensive assessment of the state of conservation of the property;
10. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, 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 45th session;
11. Decides to retain the Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (Syrian Arab Republic) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.