Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi

• Management System/Management Plan (Newly developed Master Plan; Conservation and Management Plan)
• Buildings and Development (Urban high rise/changes to skyline; Construction of a new mosque)
• Major visitor accommodation and associated infrastructure
• Interpretative and visitation facilities
• Housing

Total amount provided: 2018: USD 47,111 from the UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust for the project ‘Technical support to the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkestan, Kazakhstan, by introducing Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach in Central Asia’

On 31 January 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, of which the summary is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1103/documents/. In response to the Committee’s decision at its 43rd session, the State Party reported the following:

• Structure movement and moisture penetration within the Mausoleum remain active issues and are under continued monitoring and intervention; planning of the comprehensive conservation for historic monuments in buffer zones;
• The number of visitors in 2019 is reported to be 589,960, with March–September being the busiest period. Measures were taken to address the conditions of visit and circulation;
• Progress and some changes for the planning of Eski Turkestan Archaeological Park;
• Update on seven Phase 1 projects for the Turkestan Spiritual and Cultural Centre (Completed: Amphitheatre, Wedding Palace, Eastern Baths, Interpretation Centre of Azret Sultan Reserve-Museum and Fountain; Under Construction: Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Museum, University Library and Uly Dala Eli Centre);
• Details of Phase 2 projects, which consist of Kazakh Drama Theatre (replacing the cancelled Trade Centre), Hampton Hotel and Eastern Market (Caravanserai);
• Details of other projects;
• Post-execution report of a group of national and international experts on the completed Phase 1 projects and on the development of Codes for future development, to ensure the safeguarding of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
• The new Master Plan, proposing the development of 22,370 ha in the city of Turkestan for an estimated population growth expected to reach 500,000 inhabitants by 2050 (compared to 85,600 inhabitants in 1999 and 163,000 inhabitants at present), was finalized and is reportedly in the validation process. Several components of the Master Plan are mentioned in the State Party’s report, stating that the values of the World Heritage property act as a beacon for urban planning;
• A number of awareness-raising activities were carried out by the Azret Sultan Museum Reserve, the Ministry of Culture and Sports and local organizations in 2019;
• Preparation of a national workshop, as recommended in the Committee’s previous decision.

On 17 March 2020, the State Party submitted a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for the Phase 2 projects of the Kazakh Drama Theatre, Eastern Market (Caravanserai) and Hampton Hotel. An ICOMOS Technical Review on these projects and on the implementation of the Phase 1 projects was transmitted to the State Party on 21 September 2020. The State Party provided their comments on the ICOMOS review on 28 December 2020.

The draft Management Plan of the property was submitted to the World Heritage Centre on 31 August 2020. The updated Management Plan was submitted to the World Heritage Centre on 3 September 2020 and is under review by the Advisory Bodies.

On 11 April 2021, the international news agency Kazinform (inform.kz) reported that the 20 ha Caravanserai project, described as Central Asia’s largest tourism complex, containing a 'flying theatre', an amphitheatre, an Eastern Bazaar, hotels, restaurants and a street of craftspeople, had been officially opened by the President.

The State Party’s efforts to integrate the consideration of heritage values in preservation activities and development initiatives are recognized and welcomed, including the virtual workshop organised on 18 June 2020.

The work and research carried out, along with the technical recommendations suggesting the next steps relating to the preservation of the Mausoleum, are noted with satisfaction. Structural movement and humidity control remain central issues and require continuous monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented measures and to address short- and medium-term issues for the preservation of historical buildings within the property and its buffer zones. Considering the important increase in the number of visitors, the elaboration of a visitor management plan is recommended.

The seven projects of Phase 1 of the Turkestan Spiritual and Cultural Centre development project appear to have been undertaken on the basis of the original HIAs, with no modification in response to the concerns expressed by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies. The high-rise Amphitheatre building (20.26 m) together with the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Museum (26.71 m) now dominate the skyline. Meanwhile, the Museum located just in front of the main axis of the World Heritage property competes visually with the Mausoleum, the sacred symbol of Turkestan and of a vast region of the Turkic-speaking world and overall will have an adverse impact on the OUV of the property.

A group of experts who analysed this development, following concerns over constructions in excess of the height restrictions and without all of the necessary permits, are calling for future developments to respect the property’s OUV, and an encouraging new approach to wider urban development appears to be emerging.

This new approach includes a special advisory “Scientific-Methodological Council”, created in September 2019, and the development of a Master Plan that could signal a change in direction for redevelopment. A new View Axis Protection Area was established, prohibiting any new development that would exceed the 7 m height limit within this area, and the State Party has stated that it is committed to safeguarding these views. However, the framework is not retroactive, and the high-rise amphitheatre is located within this new protection zone. New guidelines have also been drafted, giving preference to more restrained projects that should not compete with the property and should ensure its dominant visual and spatial role in the city. The expert group and the Scientific-Methodological Council have unanimously recommended that new projects must respect both the national legislation and the requirements of the World Heritage Convention, and that no construction should be undertaken without prior consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.

The HIA for the three Phase 2 projects was thus undertaken in a more positive context and is characterized by a logical and methodological approach. Nevertheless, the HIA demonstrates that the scale, height and form of the Kazakh Drama Theatre, which will be the second-largest building after the Mausoleum, and the 20 ha Caravanserai will alter the historic setting of the property and add to the impacts of the Phase 1 projects. It has also now become clear that these HIAs were submitted when both projects were far advanced in construction, as the extensive Caravanserai with its large ensemble of hotels, theatre, amphitheatre and craft centre was officially opened in April 2021.

The emerging new approaches and framework outlined above are to be welcomed, and with them the possibility of a more mature vision of development emerging that does not conflict with the spirit and associations of the property, but rather supports its OUV. Nevertheless, it is now clear that details of current projects and HIAs are being submitted after work has been approved and construction has started. This means that any comment that may be offered in technical reviews cannot realistically be addressed. It is suggested that this should be acknowledged as a source of considerable concern, leaving no opportunity to mitigate adverse impacts that are identified, or for the Committee to comment on projects.

The new Master Plan should provide the development framework within which individual projects are taken forward and is thus of fundamental importance. However, it is only being developed after major urban projects are already under construction. Notwithstanding this, it is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to submit the new Master Plan for review by the Advisory Bodies before its formal approval, rather than after, as suggested by the State Party.

The draft Management Plan focuses mainly on the Mausoleum and contains a summary of work undertaken so far as well as details of on-going conservation projects – including a very welcome project on handmade roof tiles that revives traditional practices last used in the 1970s. What the Plan lacks is a clear articulation of the attributes bearing the OUV, and it does not encompass the management of the buffer zone or the wider setting in the context of urban development. Thus, it does not address the coordination of future initiatives in and around the property by setting out procedures, principles and rules and how these might be applied in relation to assessing potential impacts on the OUV of the property. The State Party should be encouraged to augment the Management Plan by extending its scope to include principles and operationalization measures for future development, along with a strategy to promote these to all stakeholders (citizens, officials, developers, planners). Furthermore, the development of a holistic interpretation strategy for the property and the Archaeological Park should be recommended as part of such an awareness-raising initiative.

In view of the current major development that impacts adversely on the property’s OUV and is being undertaken in advance of a new Master Plan being finalised and agreed, without a functioning Management Plan in place that addresses future development and without a structure that allows for comments on emerging projects from the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies or the Committee to be taken into account, it is recommended that the Committee express its serious concern and request the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property as a matter of urgency to consider how future development might support, rather than endanger, the property and its OUV, as envisaged by the Scientific-Methodological Council, with new construction being subject to prior consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.