Decision 45 COM 7B.164

Meidan Emam, Esfahan (Iran (Islamic Republic of)) (C 115)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.144 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Notes the completion of the Conservation and Management Plan (CMP), and requests the State Party to submit the translated plan for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies prior to its adoption and implementation;
4. Commends the State Party on the completion of the first part of the Disaster Risk Management Plan (DRMP), and requests the State Party to provide information on the development of the next part of the DRMP, to prepare a detailed prioritised work plan to address the extreme and high priorities identified in the DRMP, and to submit these to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre for review by the Centre and the Advisory Bodies prior to its adoption and implementation;
5. Welcomes the Water System and Sewage System Reorganization Plan, and reiterates its request that the State Party submit a prioritised work programme for the implementation of this plan to the World Heritage Centre as soon as possible, for review by the Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
6. Notes the submission of a paper on pedestrian access routes, and reiterates its request that the State Party submit to the World Heritage Centre the final plan towards the development of spatial structures for motorised and pedestrian access to the property, which should focus on resolving historical alterations that enabled access and circulation for motorized vehicles and are detrimental to the conservation of heritage values, and on improving pedestrian movement in and around the property, for review by the Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
7. Requests the State Party to provide detailed information on the conservation work for the EmamMosque dome, including the mortars being used and the structural causes of the dome’s deformation, as well as on proposed actions to address the conservation of the Portico of Qaysariyyeh, which could be supported by a Heritage Impact Assessment carried out in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context;
8. Further requests the State Party to add advice in the Conservation and Management Plan to counter future problematic changes to the property;
9. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, 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 47th session.