Decision 47 COM 7B.131

Historic Areas of Istanbul (Türkiye)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Documents WHC/25/47.COM/7B.Add.2 and WHC/25/47.COM/7B.Add.2.Corr.3,
2. Recalling Decisions 42 COM 7B.31, 44 COM 7B.58, 45 COM 7B.58 [and 46 COM 7B.16] adopted at its 42nd (Manama, 2018), extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021), extended 45th (Riyadh, 2023) and 46th (New Delhi, 2024) sessions respectively,
3. Takes note of the results of the 2024 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission, as well as the conclusions and recommendations contained in its report, and requests the State Party to implement them in full;
4. Welcomes the efforts of the State Party to establish a robust and multi-level system of governance for the protection of heritage, but notes with concern that the processes and mechanisms that contribute to the effective management of World Heritage properties, as set out in the World Heritage Convention and its Operational Guidelines, are not being systematically followed, urges the State Party to adopt comprehensive national legislation for the protection of World Heritage and ensure that it takes precedence over other laws, and further urges the State Party to ensure full compliance with paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
5. Strongly encourages the State Party to ensure that the property is managed in a more coherent and participatory manner, recognising that such an approach is essential to safeguarding its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
6. Further welcomes the continued efforts of the State Party to update the Management Plan for the property, in particular the work undertaken to enable inclusion of the attributes that convey the OUV of the property, invites the State Party to use this process to consider establishing a buffer zone for the property through a Minor Boundary Modification, and also requests the State Party to submit the proposed outline of attributes, along with the draft updated Management Plan, to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to finalisation;
7. Further requests the State Party to provide regular and detailed updates on the development of the strategic plan for the conservation of wooden structures, in line with the Committee’s previous repeated requests, to define a unified strategy for the conservation of timber structures across the entire property, to develop comprehensive programmes offering technical and financial assistance to owners and investors and to submit the draft strategic to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to its finalisation;
8. Calls upon the State Party to submit the complete documentation of the Süleymaniye 2050 project and vision, including the revised Conservation Plan, Spatial Strategy Plan and Urban Design Guide, prior to finalisation and adoption, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines and notes that failure to adhere to this review process could jeopardise key attributes that convey the OUV of the property;
9. Further requests the State Party to provide technical information concerning the new construction underway in the garden of the Chora (Kariye), to confirm whether the three mosaics covered by mechanical curtains will remain covered outside prayer times, to provide design details regarding the visiting conditions for worshippers and visitors, including information about any proposed entrance fee, to develop a Master Plan for the entire Chora area, in accordance with the Committee’s previous repeated requests, and to submit these documents to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before they are finalised;
10. Requests furthermore the State Party to revise the Hagia Sophia Visitor Management Plan to align with the recommendations of the 2024 mission, to prepare an indoor temperature study to monitor air humidity over a period of at least one year, and to develop a Master Plan for the entire Hagia Sophia complex to regulate circulation, improve landscaping and create an archaeological garden for the recovered pieces, as repeatedly recommended by the Committee, and to submit these documents to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
11. Requests moreover the State Party to implement the ICOMOS Technical Review recommendations already provided for the Yedikule Fortress, the Abdi ĺpekçi Basketball Development Centre, the Kazliçeşme Yacht Marina and the Yenikapi Cruise Port, to suspend development of the cruise port until the Management Plan is finalised and to consider alternative locations, and to submit the revised Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for the Yedikule Gas House, and HIAs for the proposed Viewing Terrace and Multi-Purpose Complex in Zeytinburnu District and the Reconstruction of the Great Palace Mosaics Museum to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to any irreversible decisions;
12. Also notes the large number of development/reconstruction/restoration and infrastructure projects proposed or in progress at the property and regrets that, despite the Committee’s repeated requests, completed project documentation and associated HIAs continue not to be submitted to the World Heritage Centre in a timely manner and in accordance with paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and therefore also urges the State Party to conduct HIAs in accordance with Paragraph 118bis of the Operational Guidelines and based on the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context for all proposed projects that may have an impact on the OUV of the property, and to fully and consistently comply with the obligation under Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines to submit project documentation, including HIAs, to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before irreversible decisions are made;
13. Reiterates its previous multiple requests for the State Party to prepare a comprehensive roadmap, including short and long-term strategies covering all projects which may have an impact on the OUV of the property, in close cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, before any further irreversible decisions are taken, and requests moreover that the draft roadmap be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies no later than 1 February 2026;
14. Also requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property in 2026 in order to review and assess the level of implementation of the recommendations of the 2024 mission, with particular focus on the property’s legal framework and protection mechanisms, the state of conservation of the timber structures, including their protection and rehabilitation mechanisms, the state of conservation and visitor conditions of Hagia Sophia and the Chora, and whether the property is faced with threats that could have deleterious effects on its inherent characteristics;
15. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2026, 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 49th session.