Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley

• Commercial development
• Ground transport infrastructure
• Housing
• Others (Risk of collapse of the Giant Buddha niches; Irreversible deterioration of the mural paintings)

• Site security not ensured
• Long-term stability of the Giant Buddha niches not ensured
• State of conservation of archaeological remains and mural paintings not adequate
• Management Plan and Cultural Master Plan (the protective zoning plan) not implemented

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/1287

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/1287 

In progress;

Previous Committee Decisions  see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/208/documents/

Total amount granted: USD 7,324,120 (2003-2018) from the UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust; USD 159,000 (2011-2012) from the UNESCO/Switzerland Funds-in-Trust; USD 6,845,121 (2013-2021) from the UNESCO/Italy Funds-in-Trust; USD 7,336,166 (2013-2019) from UNESCO/Republic of Korea Funds-in Trust; USD 1,500,000 (2017-2026) from the Government of Afghanistan; USD 3.8 million from the Japanese Government for the project ‘Sustainable Management of the Property - Preparing the Removal of Bamiyan from the List of World Heritage in Danger’ (2020-2022); USD 79,212 from UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund: Emergency assessment and urgent measures for the protection of cultural objects and cultural sites within the Bamiyan World Heritage property (2022).

While 2021 marked the 20-year commemoration of the destruction of the two Buddhas in March 2001, major political changes occurred in August 2021, leading to a change in the administrative and technical provisions in the field of cultural heritage in Afghanistan. As a result, donors suspended conservation projects being implemented in the property and UNESCO activities were halted. These projects, funded by Italy and Japan have now gradually resumed as of February 2023. The construction of the Bamiyan Cultural Centre, funded by the government of Republic of Korea, was completed in autumn 2022.

As of March 2023, the World Heritage Centre has not received a state of conservation report on the property. However, UNESCO through its Office in Kabul and in the framework of Japan Funds-in-Trust (JFIT) project provides information concerning the implementation of the activities contributing to the corrective measures, as follows:

• An Open International Competition (OIC) was launched for the stabilization works of the Western Buddha Niche, and research and conservation monitoring of both the Western and Eastern Buddha Niches and requires additional information from the bidders to complete the selection process;
• The Management Plan for the property is under finalization;
• A contract is under establishment for the protection, conservation, monitoring and management of mural paintings and capacity-building initiatives to preserve the artistic legacy of the property;
• Artefacts under threat in four separate storages have been housed safely within the Bamiyan Cultural Centre;
• A rapid assessment of the state of conservation of the property has been carried out in February 2023 by UNESCO Office in Kabul.

Prior to the political change of August 2021, ICOMOS had carried out a technical review of the proposed action plan for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, which was provided by the World Heritage Centre to the State Party in February 2021. The technical review suggested refining the Action Plan, including identifying the attributes of the property that contribute to its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and maintaining the property's recognition as a cultural landscape. In addition, ICOMOS advised that the actions to be taken with the implementation of the Plan be specified in more detail and to demonstrate how they contribute to achieving the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR).

Technical reviews were also provided to the State Party on development projects, such as a road construction near Tepe Almas, in July 2020, and the ‘Bamiyan Energy Supply project’, in October 2021. The ICOMOS Technical Review of the Strategic Management Plan in July 2020 advised that several aspects of the project be revised.

Since August 2021, the World Heritage Centre has received information from third parties and the media, particularly regarding the reported vandalism of artefact storage facilities near the Buddha cliffs in September 2021. In addition, various media outlets reported in January 2022 on the uncontrolled excavation of the upper portion of the cliff behind the western Buddha niche and the establishment of a charcoal depot on the site of the Old Bazaar which was destroyed in the 1990s. The possible reinstallation of the historic Bazaar in direct vicinity to the western Buddha niche, an area of high archaeological sensitivity, was also brought to the attention of UNESCO in summer 2022.

The implementation of the International Assistance project approved in May 2021 to valorise the Bamiyan and Jam properties has been put on hold in view of the prevailing situation.

In March 2022, UNESCO granted an amount of USD 79,212 from its Heritage Emergency Fund for “Emergency assessment and urgent measures for the protection of cultural objects and cultural sites within the Bamiyan World Heritage property.” This activity responds to the urgent need to assess the situation and conservation status of all sites comprising the Bamiyan World Heritage property as well as to implement remedial interventions to prevent further damage to the collections.

Despite the absence of a report on the state of conservation of the property and the general political situation since August 2021, some progress has been made towards achieving the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), adopted in 2007. The ongoing JFiT project initiated in 2020 established a detailed Action Plan to achieve the DSOCR.

However, the Action Plan needs to be revised, following the 2021 ICOMOS Technical Review, to clarify the required actions for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger. JFiT project activities contributing to achieving the corrective measures to reach the DSOCR and planned for execution through Open International Competition should be reviewed by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies prior to implementation to ensure that the technical assignments of the JFiT project are aligned with the requirements of the DSOCR approved by the Committee (Decision 31 COM 7A.21).

In light of the UN Transitional Engagement Framework (TEF) guidelines for Afghanistan (until June 2023) and the Strategic Framework for Afghanistan (UNSFA) (from July 2023-onwards), operational activities have remained slow, while the situation of the education and cultural sectors in Afghanistan remains critical, according to both UNAMA and the UN Secretary General.

Therefore, the Committee may recommend that UNESCO keep monitoring the field situation and assist in the revision of the above-mentioned Action Plan for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, in close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS. Priority should be given to operational activities focusing on the documentation and research activities that are feasible using previously collected data, finalization of the Management Plan and addressing urgent conservation issues at various sites, including the stabilization of the Western Buddha niche. It is desirable that all heritage-related projects be supportive of humanitarian situations, to the extent possible.

Bamiyan’s urban environment has developed steadily over the past 20 years, with housing projects and road construction taking place in various parts of the valley´s cultural landscape and adjacent to the World Heritage property. Informing all stakeholders, in both the road project from Dasht-e Isa Khan to Gholghola Bazaar and the ‘Bamiyan Energy Supply project’, about the technical requirements provided by the World Heritage Convention and its Operational Guidelines is of particular importance to mitigate the negative impacts of these development projects on the OUV of the property and to prevent further developments that could be detrimental to the OUV.

The revision of the Strategic Master Plan should include effective provisions of cultural landscape protection, community engagement, and the revision of the buffer zones, in line with the ICOMOS Technical Review. The rapid assessment of the state of conservation of the property should also be subject to technical review.

The long-lasting concern over the uncontrolled urban development within the Bamiyan Valley remains to be addressed, in order to preserve the OUV of the property as a cultural landscape, and to provide appropriate protection to monuments and sites from deterioration, illegal excavation and illicit traffic in cultural property, by encroachment and illegal commercial development.

Several media articles and public claims have reached the World Heritage Centre concerning the possible looting of moveable objects and the reported excavation near the Western Buddha cliff. UNESCO continues to monitor the field situation through a local coordinator appointed for the project implementation and has confirmed that the storage facilities containing the artefacts discovered during past project operations are currently protected, but that cleaning and an inventory check are required. Actions such as the nonprofessional excavation reported in January 2022 should be prohibited. Two holes near the top part of the Western Buddha niches should be backfilled. It would be appropriate for the Committee to request a report on the conservation status of all significant artefacts, including those housed at the Cultural Centre, following the UNESCO assistance for the moveable heritage collection management, through Heritage Emergency Funds.

The usage of the terrain of the so called “Old Bazaar” in front of western Buddha niche as a coal deposit is acknowledged to be an emergency measure to address the humanitarian crisis in Bamiyan and provide the local population with an energy supply during winter. Regular and continuing heavy truck traffic may adversely impact the stability of the back wall of the niche, especially while consolidation works there are not complete. Suitable deposits and areas for wholesale commercial business and industrial facilities should be identified at other locations in Bamiyan within the aforementioned Action Plan and the updates to this Plan should be shared with the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies. The area of the “Old Bazaar” was a commercial centre in Bamiyan prior to its destruction in the 1990s. The land is privately owned and many of the shops and storage facilities remain partially intact. Owners began work on the “Old Bazaar” in August 2022, but this was immediately suspended following the advice of UNESCO to address shortfalls in planning, management and impact on the property. The local owners are seeking permission to rebuild the “Old Bazaar”. The proximity of the bazaar site to the western Buddha niche, in an area of high archaeological sensitivity suggests that the proposed location may not be appropriate in light of potential impact on the OUV of the property.

The Committee may wish to thank the international community for its support for Bamiyan and urgent measures for the protection of cultural objects, which are integral part of the World Heritage property and to encourage UNESCO, working with NGOs and institutions in the field of Culture, continues addressing conservation issues at the property. The Committee may also wish to recall that the long-standing international effort to protect this World Heritage property has been an initiative of confidence-building and cooperation in the spirit of the World Heritage Convention.

It is recommended that the Committee also reiterate the importance of preserving Afghanistan’s cultural heritage, in line with humanitarian law and international instruments, such as the Geneva Convention, the UNESCO 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property as well as the 2015 UNESCO Recommendations on the Museums and Collections and the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The Committee may also wish to express its solidarity with the Afghan people and call upon the international community to provide assistance and support in safeguarding the Afghanistan’s heritage and cultural rights on its path towards achieving its Sustainable Development Goals in light of the UN Agenda 2030.

The property remains subject to ascertained and potential threats and the DSOCR has not been achieved, so it is appropriate for the property to remain on the List of World Heritage in Danger.