Old City of Jerusalem: return of the technical mission’s experts

The technical mission sent by the Director-General of UNESCO to the Old City of Jerusalem, which is inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, completed its technical assessment on the works conducted on the pathway to the Haram el-Sharif.

This mission, conducted by Francesco Bandarin, Director of the World Heritage Centre, took place from 27 February to 2 March 2007. It was composed of Mounir Bouchenaki, Director-General of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), Michael Petzet, President of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and Veronique Dauge of the World Heritage Centre.

The objective of the mission was to assess the nature of the activities underway concerning the Mughrabi Pathway, the access structure to the Mughrabi Gate of the Haram es-Sharif from the Western Wall Plaza.

Other than the numerous contacts and interactions with all the concerned parties, the mission was able to accomplish a complete visit of the Old City of Jerusalem and all the different worksites.

The mission report, currently under preparation, will be presented to the Director-General of UNESCO in the upcoming days. Thereafter, it will be made available to the Organization's Governing Bodies as well as the World Heritage Committee.