Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi

• Construction of a new mosque
• Newly developed Master Plan
• Conservation and Management Plan

On 29 February 2014, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report and an executive summary, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1103/documents. The report contains detailed information addressing the conservation issues raised by the Committee at its previous sessions, as follows:

• Plans and drawings of the Mosque for 2000 prayers have been provided illustrating the layout of the construction, infrastructural details for water and sewage, as well as its architectural design which is maintained in a regional style. The plans also show that the minarets are at a height of 33.1 metres and the height of the dome at 31.5 metres. In 2013, the construction was initially planned at 38.5 metres in height for the minarets and 31.5 metres for the dome.
• The report also contains recommendations prepared by a Round Table held in December 2013 that included stakeholders, scientists and experts in the field of cultural heritage preservation. The recommendations of the Round table consider, among other points, the creation of an independent advisory group to oversee and coordinate all works and projects directly or indirectly relating to monuments, World Heritage properties and sites on the Tentative List; the creation of a research and design restoration institute; training for specialists in the field of preservation and restoration; and the elaboration of a development strategy for the City of Turkestan.
• Information on the Master Plan confirms the commitment to retain the standard construction height of 2-3 stories in Turkestan and strict regulations in the buffer zone. A map of the property has been provided illustrating additional protective zones (buffer zone, extended protection zone, planned control zone and the zone of landscape protection).
• The State Party provided, in March 2014, the “Management plan for research, preservation and development of the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, Petroglyphs of Tamgaly and other properties included on the World Heritage List”. ICOMOS has carried out a technical review and has made recommendations for the review of the document.

The State Party also provided information on the present condition of the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and clarified that no construction projects are being implemented nor planned within the buffer zone. 

In reviewing the plans and drawings provided for the Mosque for 2000 prayers, it is noted that despite assurances provided by the State Party the height of the minarets have only been reduced to 33.1 metres instead of 26 metres and that the height of the dome has remained at 31.5 metres instead of 25 metres, despite the recommendation made by the Advisory mission in 2010 suggesting that the height should not reach more than 28 metres including the minarets, and that even this is higher than the buildings of the surrounding city of Turkestan, hence the issue should be further discussed among conservation architects and other stakeholders. While the architectural design of the mosque does not have an immediate impact on the setting of the Mausoleum, the possible visual impact in terms of height remains a concern. It is therefore recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide an architectural perspective illustrating the visual relationship between the setting of the Mosque and the Mausoleum. 

The recommendations presented by the Round Table concerning the establishment of an Advisory Group for monitoring and coordination of all projects related to monuments and World Heritage properties, as well as the need to elaborate a development strategy for the City of Turkestan are valuable steps towards ensuring the adequate preservation of the setting of the Mausoleum and the City of Turkestan. In regard to the Management Plan submitted for evaluation, it is considered that the document needs considerable review so that it can be an effective and adequate tool for the management and protection of the property. The proposed plan places emphasis on addressing the fabric of the property but not the overall management and conservation of the property in relation to the attributes that embody its Outstanding Universal Value or the necessary management arrangements that are needed to address current shortcomings in the system, particularly in relation to conservation policies and protection of the buffer zone and setting of the property. A series of recommendations on how to move the review process forward have been made. It is also important to integrate the specific recommendations made by the Round Table in relation to the overarching policy for conservation and management of the property that has yet to be defined.

It is proposed that the Committee request the State Party to provide a complete electronic copy of the Management Plan of the property and its summary in English to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for review, in addition to the official submission of the revised buffer zone of the property.