Decision 45 COM 7B.57

Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape (Türkiye) (C 1488)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 8B.32, 41 COM 7B.50, 43 COM 7B.90 and 44 COM 7B.56 adopted at its 39th (Bonn, 2015), 41st (Krakow, 2017), 43rd (Baku, 2019) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
3. Expresses its solidarity with the State Party of Türkiye and its people for the devastating effects of the earthquakes that took place in February 2023, assures the State Party of the availability of the Convention assistance mechanism to support affected World Heritage properties and invites the State Party to call upon them;
4. Welcomes the facilitation by the State Party of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, as requested in its previous decisions, notes the conclusions and recommendations contained in its report, and requests the State Party to implement them, as appropriate;
5. Expresses its appreciation to the State Party for the exemplary research and restoration approach to the works on the City Walls in recent years;
6. Expresses its concern that the State Party has not halted all projects that could affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and reiterates its request to the State Party to halt all projects that could affect the OUV of the property, including further demolitions and developments in its buffer zone;
7. Also expresses its concern about the changes brought about by the implementation of projects in the property and its buffer zone since its inscription, which have eroded its OUV, in particular:
   1. In the functioning and morphology of the Hevsel Gardens, an integral part of the property and an essential attribute underpinning the property’s OUV,
   2. The implementation of construction, landscaping and infrastructural projects in immediate setting of the Ten-Eyed Bridge and the Tigris riverbanks, both within the property and its buffer zone,
   3. The large-scale demolition, which has also led to a virtual destruction of the social relationship of the traditional local communities with the Hevsel Gardens and despite this being a fundamental relationship that contributed to the integrity of the World Heritage property at the time of inscription,
   4. The construction of the Vehicle Road and Touristic Tour Route around the inner periphery of the City Walls;
8. Further reiterates its request to the State Party to:
   1. Carry out independent Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) for urban design, landscape and infrastructural projects, as well as construction and restoration projects which may have an impact on the OUV of the property and its setting, in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage context,
   2. Ensure that all projects are guided by suitable professional archaeological and conservation oversight, which should be fully integrated into all works to ensure good practice and effective outcomes,
   3. Submit details of such projects and the associated HIAs to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to any decision on their implementation which may be difficult to reverse;
9. Notes that the Management Plan for the property is still not fully implemented and has resulted in a range of disparate projects, some of which have and continue to undermine the OUV of the property and urges the State Party to:
   1. Fully review the management system of the property,
   2. Examine whether current legislation and management regulations can effectively protect the property and its buffer zone,
   3. Revise the Management Plan and ensure the participation of local authorities, organisations and communities, including scientists and agricultural groups, in the management and decision-making processes,
   4. Submit the revised Management Plan to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to its adoption;
10. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 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 46th session, considering that the urgent conservation needs of this property require a broad mobilization to preserve its Outstanding Universal Value, including the possible inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger.