Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis

• Changes in traditional ways of life and knowledge system
• Deliberate destruction of heritage (Demolitions in the villages of Gourna on the West Bank of the Nile and transfer of the population)
• Flooding: Risks of flooding (Valleys of Kings and Queens)
• Housing and agricultural encroachment on the West Bank of the Nile
• Human resources: Limited available technical and human resources
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation: Absence of strategy to manage and control tourism sustainably
• Lack of a Conservation Plan for the property
• Major infrastructure and development projects taking place or scheduled
• Management Activities
• Management systems/management plan: Absence of a comprehensive Management Plan
• Natural decay and structural problems
• Neglect of important modern heritage, namely Hassan Fathy’s buildings in New Gourna
• Uncontrolled urban development
• Water (rain/water table): Rising underground water level

Total amount granted: USD 1,131,000 from the Japanese Funds-in-Trust, 2002-2004 and 2008 (wall paintings restoration in the tomb of Amenophis III), and USD 400,000 in 2023 for Phase 3 of the conservation of wall paintings of the royal tomb of Amenhotep III;  Special Account for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Egypt: USD 931,674 for ‘Hassan Fathy New Gourna’, and USD 310,381 for ‘Memphis and Thebes Sites Management Support’; Euro 150,000 from the Government of France for Enhancing Capacities for the Protection of World Heritage Properties in Egypt (2020).

On 20 December 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report. An executive summary of this report is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/87/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report, as follows:

● An Integrated Management Plan, including a comprehensive Tourism Mitigation/Management Plan will be prepared by the end of 2023. An outline of its contents has been provided and a request has been made for capacity building and technical assistance;

● Archaeological excavations continue and lists of recent discoveries, excavation works, and restoration projects have been provided. Further joint projects involving foreign missions are proposed;

● An extensive capacity building and training programme occurred in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science in the Arab States and the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH);

● Schedules have been provided outlining the tasks undertaken to implement the recommendations of the 2017 Joint Reactive Monitoring mission and the 2021 UNESCO Advisory mission;

● An illustrated report was provided on excavations of the Sphinx Avenue, and a specialized department will continue the restoration work. The Sphinx Avenue was inaugurated by the President of Egypt in November 2021;

● A report was provided on cleaning works and the condition of the four Sphinxes, which were relocated to Tahrir Square in Cairo. A specialized team has been formed to monitor and advise on their condition, which is stable and showing no negative effects;

● Documentation was submitted on the lighting and security cameras project, the underground water project, works at the Temple of the Apt, the Temple of Medinet Habu, the Ramesseum, the Temple of Seti, disabled access works at Karnak, as well as the Flood Emergency Plan for the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, among other reports;

● Sustainable visitor services are to be pursued through a public-private partnership;

● A Joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission will be invited later in 2023;

● A proposed retrospective Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) for the property was submitted with the state of conservation report.

Although not noted in the State Party state of conservation report for this property, the Higher Committee for the Management of Egyptian World Heritage Sites has decreed that Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) are to be prepared for all projects on World Heritage properties.

The State Party continues to progress with significant projects and initiatives, responding to previous Committee decisions, and in compliance with the requirements and processes of the World Heritage Convention and Operational Guidelines. It is welcome that HIAs must be prepared for all projects at the property, and that consistent with mission recommendations, an Integrated Management Plan has been initiated. It would be appropriate to draw the attention of the State Party to the new Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context. Consistent with previous Committee requests, the forthcoming Integrated Management Plan should address risk preparedness and sustainable tourism and should be submitted for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, prior to being finalised, adopted, and implemented.

The State Party has submitted an extensive set of documentation, including illustrated reports, which demonstrate significant progress in implementing the recommendations of the 2017 Joint Reactive Monitoring mission and the 2021 UNESCO Advisory mission. The State Party has also undertaken the requested monitoring of the four sphinxes from the Karnak Temple that have been transferred to Tahrir Square in Cairo by May 2020, and has outlined arrangements for their ongoing conservation, management, and security. Information has also been provided regarding the lighting and security cameras project, the underground water project, works at the Temple of the Apt, the Temple of Medinet Habu, the Ramesseum, the Temple of Seti and the disabled access project at Karnak. The Flood Emergency Plan for the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens has also been provided. The submission of these documents responds to previous Committee requests, and it would be appropriate for these documents to inform and be reviewed by the forthcoming joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission. This Reactive Monitoring mission was originally requested in 2021 and the advice from the State Party that the mission invitation will be issued during 2023 is welcome.

Documentation submitted regarding the proposed sustainable visitor services initiatives which are to be pursued through a public-private partnership is very high level and does not provide detailed information. Given the potential for impact on attributes which support the OUV of the property, it would be appropriate for the Committee to request further information and more detailed documentation in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

Finalisation of the retrospective Statement of OUV for the property remains outstanding and the Committee may wish to encourage the State Party to continue to liaise with ICOMOS and the World Heritage Centre.