Decision 44 COM 7B.126

Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis (Egypt) (C 87)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7B.43 adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Welcomes the intention of the State Party to consider establishing a unit focused on preparing Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) and encourages the State Party to build upon the 2019 and 2021 HIA workshops in the framework of the capacity building initiative that the World Heritage Centre will implement with support from France during 2021;
4. Notes the findings and recommendations of the 2021 UNESCO Advisory mission and requests the State Party to implement its recommendations, and to prepare a unified and comprehensive Management Plan for the property, addressing risk preparedness and sustainable tourism;
5. Regrets that four sphinxes from the Karnak Temple were transferred to Tahrir Square in Cairo, without prior preparation of a HIA, and without notification of the World Heritage Centre in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and also requests the State Party to conduct an evaluation of the situation of the four sphinxes after six months, in accordance with the recommendations of the 2021 mission;
6. Reiterates its requests to the State Party to complete HIAs for proposed projects, following the 2011 ICOMOS Guidelines on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage Properties, prior to carrying out any further work within the property, which may affect it, and to submit these HIAs and relevant project documentation to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse;
7. Also notes information provided by the State Party regarding implementation of the recommendations of the 2017 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission, and urges the State Party to fully implement and report on the mission recommendations as a matter of urgency, and to advise whether technical support for the monitoring of the climatic conditions of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings is required;
8. Also regrets that the State Party has not fully complied with requests expressed by the Committee in its previous Decisions and considers that the continuing absence of the Management Plan, and pressures of tourism are exerting a growing impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and therefore also urges once again the State Party to expedite the finalization of the Management Plan, incorporating a Conservation Plan and a comprehensive Tourism Management Plan, and to revise the 2030 Masterplan for the property to integrate conservation of OUV across all projects within the property;
9. Also reiterates its previous requests for the State Party to provide:
   1. Comprehensive documentation on the lighting and security cameras project, with full details regarding its implementation,
   2. A detailed report on the completed underground water project, including design and implementation,
   3. A report on the flood channeling and Flood Emergency Plan established for the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens,
   4. Full details of restoration and rehabilitation works at the Temple of the Apt, the Temple of Medinet Habu, the Ramesseum, and the Temple of Seti I,
   5. Full details of works undertaken to facilitate access for the disabled at Karnak,
   6. Details of any other infrastructure, development or conservation projects proposed within property or its buffer zone prior to making any irreversible decisions or commencing works;
10. Further requests 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, assess implementation of the recommendations from the 2017 and 2021 missions, and review ongoing and planned projects and assess how they may affect the property’s OUV;
11. Encourages the State Party to continue the exchanges with ICOMOS and the World Heritage Centre to finalize the Retrospective Statement of OUV;
12. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 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 46th session.