Decision 46 COM 7B.42

Itchan Kala (Uzbekistan) (C 543)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 45 COM 7B.49 adopted at its extended 45th session (Riyadh, 2023),
3. Welcomes the completion of the Management Plan and an increase in staff for the current management team with a view to creating a distinct “Itchan Kala World Heritage Management Unit”;
4. Notes that work on the revision of the Project of Detailed Planning of Historical Centre of Khiva (PDP) is still ongoing to allow it to control more effectively the outer town of Dishan Kala, as the proposed buffer zone, as well as the property, urges the State Party to prioritise the completion of the revised PDP, and reiterates its requests to the State Party to initiate dialogue with the Advisory Bodies as soon as possible to facilitate this process;
5. Also notes that conservation and monitoring activities undertaken by the Cultural Heritage Department of the Khorezm Region in January 2024 have set out clearly some of the key conservation issues affecting this property and the approaches to address some of them;
6. Expresses concern over the lack of expertise to undertake the regular maintenance of mud walls, which is a fundamental issue for the property and its immediate setting, and requests the State Party to define a training programme to address this issue, in association with the Advisory Bodies;
7. Welcomes the new generic approaches being developed and considered for conservation, including:
   1. Guidance to ensure termite control in new and existing buildings,
   2. Research to develop a detailed programme of whole-building termite investigation/ monitoring to bring this activity up to international standards,
   3. Considering the provision of sanitation and water system infrastructure for all houses in order to control salination and damp in walls, which can lead to irreversible damage to tiling;
8. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, at the initial stage of development, the details of the programme for the provision of sanitation and water infrastructure for all houses in relation to archaeological and stability considerations, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
9. Acknowledges the detailed supplementary information provided for the conservation of the Juma Mosque, which will be subject to a further ICOMOS Technical Review;
10. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2025, 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 48th session.