Ancient City of Aleppo

Before the conflict:

• Lack of definition of the limits of the property and of the buffer zone
• Lack of conservation and/or management plans
• Inappropriate restoration works
• Urban encroachment

Since 2013:

• Destruction and damage due to the armed conflict

Destruction as well as ascertained and potential threats consequent to the armed conflict in Syria started in March 2011

Not yet identified

Total amount provided: USD 82,795 by the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund 

Total amount provided to the six Syrian World Heritage properties: 2.46 million Euros by the European Union (for World Heritage, movable and intangible heritage); USD 200,000 by the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage in Bahrain (for cultural heritage under conflict); USD 170,000 by the Flemish Government (for World Heritage, movable and intangible heritage); 63,000 Euros by the Austrian Government (for World Heritage, movable and intangible heritage)

On 18 January 2017, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report for the six Syrian World Heritage properties, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/21/documents/.

The State Party reports that, as a result of major escalations of armed conflict since 2013, the Ancient City of Aleppo has been severely damaged by extensive clashes and a series of underground explosions that left part of the Old City in ruins. In addition to the damages reported in 2014, 2015 and 2016, in July 2016 the National Museum of Aleppo has suffered severe damage to its structure (ceiling, offices), infrastructure (room of the generators) and exterior elements (outer fence, exterior doors).

The report also indicates that before December 2016, when the Government took back control of the Old City, the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) undertook detailed photographic documentation of the Citadel using advanced technology, and 3D photogrammetry. It also reports that since December 2016, a committee has been established for the rehabilitation of the Great Mosque. In addition, the State Party is in the process of establishing dedicated committees and teams for specific issues that concern the rehabilitation of the Old City and started raising awareness among local communities to preserve cultural heritage and refrain from inapropriate interventions. The report also specifies that the Aleppo City Council in collaboration with the Directorate of Antiquities – Aleppo Branch, has started clearing streets, in particular access to the Great Mosque, sorting debris, gathering stones that can be reused, and carrying out damage assessment for major historic buildings. The report lists 50 historic buildings and areas damaged within the property categorized in four levels of damage, ranking from destruction (16%), to high damage (18%), to moderate damage (26%), to minor damage (40%). The State Party indicates that a detailed report will be sent to the World Heritage Centre.

On 18 September 2016, UNITAR/UNOSAT provided a satellite image, which preliminary analysis shows 3 232 structures destroyed or damaged in the Old City. This represents an increase of 20% compared to the satellite images analyzed in April/May 2015.

See General Decision 41 COM 50 of this Document on the World Heritage properties of the Syrian Arab Republic.

UNESCO dispatched a Rapid Assessment Mission to property, on 16-19 January 2017. The mission took stock of the despairing extent of damages in the accessible areas of the World Heritage property, including  educational institutions in the city; it proposed short, medium and long terms actions for the property. It emphasied that recovery actions within the property should be part of the overall humanitarian, security and peace building response. The full report of the mission is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/21/documents. 

UNESCO organised a technical coordination meeting in Beirut on 1-3 March 2017, which gathered over 50 participants representing seven Syrian institutions and six international entities working on Aleppo. The meeting allowed to examine the overall situation in Aleppo (humanitarian, infrastructures, services, resources, etc.) and the extent of damage noting that 75% of the city is not accessible due to mines, debris and structural instability. The State Party launched a series of activities, such as the removal and management of debris, fencing, opening of roads, conducting damage assessment for main historical buildings, collecting available data on Aleppo’s cultural heritage and preparing emergency responses to start rehabilitating the property and regenerating the urban fabric. The key challenges identified include satisfying the needs of the returning inhabitants, structural instability of houses, lack of basic services and infrastructure,the operational capabilities of the public service committees created to assist the inhabitants; and the lack of expertise, skills and labor force to deal with the current emergencies. The meeting conclusions stressed the need to act quickly, ensure coordination and avoid duplication of interventions, harmonize data collection, and called for UNESCO’s support thereon. The results of the meeting andthe table of envisaged actions are available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1639.  

Since April 2017, UNESCO has nominated two national officers for Culture and Education based in Aleppo, to ensure coordination with local and national authorities for the implementation of activities for the recovery of the Old City.

UNESCO and UNITAR/UNOSAT are jointly preparing a publication on damage assessment in the Ancient City of Aleppo.

It is recommended that the World Heritage Committee expresses great concerns at the situation and encourages the State Party to implement the actions agreed upon during the technical coordination meeting, and UNESCO to ensure its coordinating role.

The property has been severely damaged with very large portions completely destroyed. Restoring and reconstructing Aleppo is an extremely complex endeavour, which involves social, economic, symbolic, aesthetic, financial, and technical considerations. It also raises numerous challenges, such as international and national coordination, short timeframes for decision-making, involvement of the private sector and development pressures, new discoveries of archaeological remains, lack of documentation to guide restoration and reconstruction choices, brain drain of professionals, displacement of qualified workers, etc. Efforts and resources need to be mobilized to avoid further damage. It is recommended that an overall evaluation of the property be carried out, and a recovery approach and strategy be adopted close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies before any restoration works are undertaken at the property.

The State Party is encouraged to submit to the World Heritage Centre for examination by the Advisory Bodies, a minor boundary modification proposal for the property to enhance the protection of the site and preserve it from extensive private developments in its surrounding.

It is proposed to undertake a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the site to proceed to a comprehensive assessment of the state of conservation of the property and identify measures needed to reverse the decay and ensure the conservation and protection of the property, as soon as the security situation allows.

General Decision on the World Heritage properties of the Syrian Arab Republic

• Current conservation issues

The armed conflict in Syria started in March 2011 and has constantly escalated leading to significant violence and degradation of humanitarian conditions. It continues to inflict damage on the inscribed properties as well as on the 12 sites inscribed on the Tentative List. Sites continue to be damaged by shelling, street fighting, underground explosions, extensive illegal excavations, military use, construction violations, quarrying, in addition to intentional destructions and inappropriate use of archaeological sites by internally displaced populations. 

On 18 January 2017, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/41COM/documents, with detailed information on the destruction and damage at the six World Heritage properties. This report represents an official statement from the Syrian authorities and collates available information from the branches of the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) and from the local communities up to 31 December 2016. The State Party notes that as ground access in Syria for heritage experts is limited the full extent of the damage to World Heritage properties cannot be assessed in detail. Therefore, the report do not provide first-hand information on all sites, and thus do not allow a full understanding of the extent of damage to the properties.

The State Party reported on the actions carried out by the DGAM, despite the difficult working conditions, to monitor the World Heritage properties and cultural heritage in general, assess damages, undertake emergency conservation and risk mitigation actions whenever possible, and inventory built and movable heritage. The report also stressed the DGAM efforts in maintaining salaries for its staff in the inaccessible regions (Ancient Villages of Northern Syria, Ancient City of Bosra), and highlighted the positive role played by local communities in some cases to safeguard heritage and limit illegal excavations.

On 9 April 2017, the State Party provided updated information on the conservation of the sites inscribed on the Tentative List, which indicates the following:

• In ‘Ebla (Tell Mardikh)’, ‘Mari (Tell Hariri)’ and the site of Dura Europos, illegal excavations stopped;
• In ‘Apamea (Afamia)’, illegal excavations are still on-going on but to a lesser degree than in previous years;
• In ‘Maaloula’, the Municipality, in collaboration with the DGAM and the United Nations Programme for Development (UNDP), has cleaned the site to accelerate the return of inhabitants, and started undertaking rehabilitation projects, such as the restoration of the Patriarchal Monastery of Mar Takla (almost completed), the rehabilitation of Mar Sarkis and of a hundred residential buildings, which suffered minor to medium damage. In addition, the study for the rehabilitation of the infrastructure has been completed;
• No information on damages is provided at the site of ‘Raqqa-Rafiqa: the Abassid City’ (still under the control of extremist armed groups) and the site of ‘Qasr al-Hayr ach-Charqi, a desert Castle’ (occupied by armed groups since 2013);
• At the site of the ‘Noreas of Hama’, local authorities ensure the conservation of the Noreas and the maintenance of its machinery for the effective operation of the system. The DGAM is preparing a restoration project for masonry structures that should be implemented in 2017;
• In ‘Ugrarit (Tell Shamra)’, the national archaeological mission is ensuring the regular maintenance at the site.
• No further damage is reported at the sites of ‘Tartus: the Crusaders Citadel-City’ and ‘Arwad Island’.

Activities undertaken by UNESCO

• Since the 40th session of the Committee (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), UNESCO has pursued its actions to assist the State Party in its continuous and sustained efforts to safeguard cultural heritage;
• At the international level, UNESCO continues to raise the awareness of the international community on the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria, notably through the #Unite4Heritage campaign and in the framework of the implementation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2199 adopted on 12 February 2015. On 24 March 2017, the UNSC adopted Resolution 2347 recognizing for the first time the importance of heritage protection for peace and security;
• At the national level, UNESCO has pursued its activities to monitor the situation of Syrian cultural heritage, raise awareness on its protection, undertake short, medium and long-term actions to safeguard it, and coordinate the work of national and international entities working on its safeguarding;
• In the framework of the European Union-funded project “Emergency Safeguarding of Syrian Cultural Heritage” (2.46 million Euros), co-financed by Flanders and Austria, started in March 2014 and implemented in partnership with ICOMOS and ICCROM, the following activities were undertaken:
  • A meeting was organized by UNESCO and INTERPOL in Beirut on 14-15 December 2016, to discuss with other international and national organizations the effective strategies for the implementation of relevant international agreements established to strengthen the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural objects,
  • An awareness raising video clip on the destruction of heritage in Syria was launched on 23 November 2016 and shared on social media, and available at: http://en.unesco.org/syrian-observatory/videos.
  • Since 29 November 2016, the 3D documentation and structural analysis of the Crac des Chevaliers is being carried out by the DGAM with the technical support of a professional team,
  • On 14-15 November 2016, a First Aid Support Meeting was organized in collaboration with the World Heritage Centre for the follow-up to the Committee Decision 40 COM 7A.18 on the Ancient City of Damascus to coordinate with all stakeholders the measures to be taken for the protection of the property and the recovery of al-Asrooniya neighbourhood, and in particular of the “Ottoman Bank” historic building,
  • A follow-up training on emergency 3D recording and archiving of cultural heritage in high-risk zones was organized by UNESCO Office in Beirut from 26 to 30 October 2016 for staff members from several Syrian ministries, municipalities, NGOs and members of the Engineers Syndicate and the civil society, and provided training on the use of modern techniques for the digitization of their archives,
  • A training on the safeguarding and digitization of historic documents and archives in Syria, was organized in collaboration with the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) from 19 to 23 September 2016 in Beirut,
  • A 52-minute "Documentary on the Safeguarding of the Syrian Cultural Heritage" in Arabic, English and French, on the actions implemented for the protection of cultural heritage in Syria is being produced and foreseen to be launch by end of 2017;
• The UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund and the World Heritage Centre have supported the evacuation of the Palmyra Museum collection and the damage assessment in the museum, carried out from May to August 2016. In addition, the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund has supported the organization of the below listed technical coordination meeting for the Ancient City of Aleppo (1-3 March 2017) and a coordination meeting entitled ‘Aleppo, the responsibility and the challenge’ organized by the Syrian Ministry of Tourism in Aleppo (15 March 2017), as well as emergency damage assessment and consolidation works in Aleppo;
• Following the second international meeting for the Emergency Safeguarding of Syria’s Cultural Heritage organized by UNESCO in Berlin from 2- 4 June 2016 with the support of the German Government, the revised Road Map was finalized and published on the World Heritage Centre’s Website at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1505/. The Road Map, which was drafted with the support of 230 Syrian and international experts concerns Syria’s built, movable and intangible heritage, and addresses coordination, ongoing initiatives on documentation, damage assessment, and capacity building efforts and defines the next steps focusing on future emergency and protection plans;
• UNESCO organized a Training of the Trainers Workshop on World Heritage in Young Hands, in Damascus from 25 to 27 October 2016;
• The World Heritage Centre has successfully fundraised with the Flemish Funds-in-Trust for the project ‘Implementation of the Committee Decisions for the Site of Palmyra’ (USD 100 000), approved in December 2016;
• The joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission, which was foreseen to be carried out to Damascus in December 2016, could not take place under the United Nations security and safety rules. Nevertheless, in order to respond to urgent conservation needs, the World Heritage Centre organized a Technical Assistance Workshop at the UNESCO Office in Beirut from 13 to 15 December 2016, for the World Heritage properties of the Crac des Chevaliers, Palmyra and the Ancient City of Damascus. This Technical Assistance Workshop provided the DGAM Restoration Unit staff with the technical support needed for the conservation and restoration works in al-Asrooniya neighborhood in Damascus, at the Crac des Chevaliers and at the site of Palmyra (Citadel, National Museum of Palmyra, Temple of Bel and Triumphal Arch), through discussions on surveys, drawings, and projects. As a result, technical advice and recommendations were made by the experts on the priorities and actions to implement at these sites, see page: https://whc.unesco.org/en/events/1386/;

The UNESCO Office in Beirut undertook a Rapid Assessment mission to the Ancient City of Aleppo on 16-19 January 2017, together with the UN Resident Coordinator and the DGAM. The mission confirmed the extent of damages in the accessible areas of the property, as well as the state of educational institutions in the city and identified urgent and short term needs;

• UNESCO organized a technical coordination meeting for the Ancient City of Aleppo in Beirut on 1-3 March 2017. The meeting gathered key representatives of national stakeholders, and international entities involved in the documentation, protection, conservation and strategic planning in Aleppo, with the objectives of harnessing the safeguarding of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in future recovery plans of the city and protecting the property. Participants agreed on short, medium and long term actions for the recovery of the property (see Plan of actions available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1639/);
• Since April 2017, UNESCO appointed two national officers in Aleppo, one for Culture and one for Education to ensure coordination with local and national authorities for the implementation of activities for the recovery of the property; 
• UNESCO and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research’s Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNITAR/UNOSAT) are jointly preparing a publication on damage assessment in the Ancient City of Aleppo.

Activities undertaken by the Advisory Bodies

• In September 2016 ICOMOS hosted an international workshop in Paris to explore the development of initial guidance on reconstruction in World Heritage properties. This 3-day workshop included delegates from State Parties, the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre as well as individual experts;
• The outcome of the workshop, a document entitled Provisional ICOMOS Guidance on Post Trauma Reconstruction in Cultural World Heritage Properties, was launched in March 2017, and is available at: http://openarchive.icomos.org/1763/. This Guidance is addressed to State Parties who are the respondents to the traumas. It aims to fill the gap between emergency action and reconstruction. The Guidance does not focus on solutions but rather on the participative processes needed to find a solution that has the capacity to recover cultural value, and particularly the attributes of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). This document will be updated in response to feedback and complemented by case studies;
• ICOMOS, through ICORP its International Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness, and ICCROM are partners in the “AMAL in Heritage” programme for managing disaster and conflict risks for cultural heritage in the Middle East and North Africa. Other partners are the Global Heritage Fund, the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, the Cultural Emergency Response programme at the Prince Claus Fund and the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage in Erbil. AMAL aims to build capacity for heritage professionals and local community members in risk preparedness and emergency response procedures;
• AMAL is developing user-friendly mobile and web applications for rapid damage assessment. These were tested in October 2016 at a workshop in Bahrain with participants from AMAL partners and other experts from the region. The workshop established the AMAL Beta Community of cultural heritage professionals from Syria, Iraq, and Tunisia who will contribute to the ongoing design process of the mobile application and will conduct on-site damage assessment exercises and projects in Syria, Iraq, Tunisia, and other countries in the region when conditions allow.

• Analysis and Conclusions of the World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS and ICCROM

The armed conflict situation in Syria and its continued escalation has affected the six World Heritage properties and has substantially limited capacities to adequately sustain and protect their OUV. The properties have been increasingly threatened by ascertained and potential dangers, in particular the Ancient City of Aleppo, which has been extensively and increasingly destroyed, and which runs the risk of further irreversible destructions during the challenging recovery phase. From 11 December 2016 to 2 March 2017, Palmyra fell back under the control of extremist armed groups who inflicted additional invaluable damage to the property.

The illegal excavations across archaeological sites and tells in Syria are a major source for the illicit trafficking of cultural objects and are causing extensive and irreversible damages to those sites, many of which are on Syria’s Tentative List, as well as providing looted artifacts for sale in regional and international black markets.

It is recommended that the Committee commend the DGAM, heritage professionals in Syria and local communities who have made sustained efforts to protect cultural heritage and to monitor it closely.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies will continue to support the State Party in the identification of the necessary corrective measures and in the development of a Desired state of conservation for the removal of the properties from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), as soon as the situation allows.

It is important that humanitarian and security actions be done in coordination with cultural heritage stakeholders, to avoid further irreversible damages to the properties, and allow for undertaking first aid measures for its cultural heritage. Furthermore, it is recommended that systematic documentation of all damage incurred at the World Heritage properties be duly pursued, whenever the situation allows, and that the Committee reiterate its call to the State Party to safeguard damaged properties through minimal first aid interventions to prevent theft, further collapse and natural degradation, and refrain from undertaking other measures until the situation allows for the development of a comprehensive strategy and action plan that respond to international standards and high-quality scientific methods.

With regard to post-conflict interventions, it is recommended that the Committee call on the State Party to plan the future of the World Heritage properties according to international conservation charters and standards, in full consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.

It is recommended that the Committee call for international and national heritage professionals to continue to unite for the safeguarding of Syria’s cultural heritage; and to further support its safeguarding through earmarked funds and to contributions to the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund.

Until conditions improve, it is also recommended that the Committee urge all parties associated with the conflict in Syria to refrain from any action that can further damage the heritage of the country, in particular World Heritage properties and all sites included on the Tentative List, and to fulfill their obligations under international law, and in particular the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347 of March 2017, in part by taking all possible measures to protect such heritage including the evacuation of World Heritage properties used for military purposes, and the halting of all damages that result from targeting World Heritage properties. It is also recommended that the Committee reiterate its suggestion that the State Party consider ratifying the Second Protocol (1999) of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Heritage during times of Armed Conflict.

It is further recommended that the Committee also call upon all parties associated with the conflict in Syria and the international community, in particular the neighbouring countries to Syria, to ensure effective measures for the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural objects, in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2199.