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State of Conservation Tyre 2023

Tyre

Lebanon
Factors affecting the property in 2023*
  • Erosion and siltation/ deposition
  • Ground transport infrastructure
  • Housing
  • Human resources
  • Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
  • Legal framework
  • Management systems/ management plan
  • Water (rain/water table)
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Need for an international safeguarding campaign (issue resolved)
  • Construction of a tourist complex (land fill of the bay) (issue resolved)
  • Construction project of a large fish market (issue resolved)
  • Construction project of a coastal motorway (issue resolved)
  • Project to build a new tourist marina (issue resolved)
  • Road construction project (issue resolved)
  • Need for an Urban Master Plan for the city
  • Lack of management mechanism (including legislation) 
  • Housing: Uncontrolled housing development next to the property
  • Management systems/ management plan: Absence of a management plan, unclear property boundaries and legal status on the extent of the property
  • Legal framework: Insufficient legal framework for an efficient buffer such as lack of a maritime protection zone around the seashores of Tyre
  • Human Resources: Management system affected by the shortage of human resources directly leading to insufficient maintenance, vegetation control and fire prevention and lack of consistent preservation plan
  • Transport infrastructure: planning of major highway near the property and repeated local intentions of the redevelopment of the port
  • Sea-shore environmental local conditions affecting physical fabric, especially soft stone surfaces
  • Insufficient drainage of stagnating waters and uncontrolled surface water flows undermine wall foundations and stability of structures
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2023

Total amount granted: USD 19,173 (1997-2001) for the International Safeguarding Campaign; USD 362,391 (2015-2017) from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation through the Lebanese Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR); USD 320,673 from the Lebanese Government for capacity- building exercise

International Assistance: requests for the property until 2023
Requests approved: 4 (from 1986-2001)
Total amount approved : 29,000 USD
2001 Installation of Plaques and Publication of Leaflets to ... (Approved)   2,500 USD
2001 Geoarchaeological study for the ancient ports of Tyre (Approved)   20,000 USD
1999 Photo Exhibition on Lebanese (Baalbeck and Tyre) and ... (Approved)   2,500 USD
1986 Consultancy to evaluate damage to Tyre (Approved)   4,000 USD
Missions to the property until 2023**

February 2004: Evaluation mission by the UNESCO Office in Beirut; September 2006: UNESCO mission following the 2006 summer conflict; February 2009: Joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission; September 2012: Joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission; February 2017: visit of the property by the World Heritage Centre; October 2018: joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission

2012 Report on the Reactive Monitoring Mission to the World Heritage site of Tyre (Sour), Lebanon, 8-14 September 2012
2003 Report on the mission by the Scientific Committee for the International Safeguarding Campaign of Tyre, July 2003
2002 Report on the Geo-archaeological Research Mission to Tyre, June-August 2002
1995 Expert Mission Report, Baalbek and Tyr (24 November - 4 December 1995)
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2023

On 23 December 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/299/documents. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in that report, as follows:

  • Due to the complex situation in the country, discussions between the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) and the Municipality of Tyre on a municipal parking area within the archaeological zone are on hold;
  • A new Management Plan is currently being prepared in close collaboration with the UNESCO Office in Beirut and ICCROM, for completion and approval in 2023;
  • Day-to-day management practices have been adjusted following the 2018 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission recommendations. These include vegetation growth control, careful monitoring of the ground water table, and ensuring good overall water drainage within the archaeological precinct;
  • Regular maintenance and conservation efforts are particularly focused on the preservation of mosaics;
  • To clarify the property boundary, the maritime environment adjacent to the archaeological site was surveyed to determine the extent of underwater archaeological features. The definition of the maritime protection zone is to be determined in 2023 and included in the property boundaries;
  • Clarification of the property and buffer zone boundaries is a key component of the management plan framework and is expected to be completed during 2023.
Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2023

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies take note of the challenges currently faced by the State Party. The efforts of the Directorate General of Antiquities, in this economically challenging and socially difficult context, to improve the management of the property and work towards finalizing the boundaries of the property and its buffer zone during 2023 are highly commendable.

The State Party’s report however provides very little details, which makes an analysis of the actions undertaken difficult. The 2018 mission identified deficiencies in the management system, partly due to insufficient human resources, with a resultant lack of maintenance on the entire property. Reported progress indicates that measures have been taken to improve the staffing situation, but these would need to be substantiated with figures. The 2018 mission had identified the following as necessary actions:

  • The finalisation of the Management Plan for the property, including detailed staffing for its implementation;
  • Completion of a detailed action plan as a core component of the future Management Plan framework;
  • Creation of a detailed manual for the long-term preservation of mosaics and structures, describing measures according to the principles of minimal intervention and building on the numerous experiences gained from pilot projects in the context of the long-standing urban Cultural Heritage and Urban Development Project and the Baalbek/Tyre Archaeological Project;
  • The regular maintenance of vegetation, drainage and sewage control through appropriate preventive measures;
  • The establishment of a maritime protection zone around the coasts of Tyre to protect the underwater archaeological remains;
  • An in-depth study of traffic and the urban road network.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies recognize the challenges faced by the State Party following the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing national economic and social crisis. It is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to request international assistance to address these issues, including the development of a Management Plan and other management tools.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2023
45 COM 7B.145
Tyre (Lebanon) (C 299)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
  2. Recalling Decisions 37 COM 8B.45, 39 COM 7B.54, 41 COM 7B.83, 43 COM 7B.50, and 44 COM 7B.132 adopted at its 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013), 39th (Bonn, 2015), 41st (Krakow, 2017), 43rd (Baku, 2019), and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
  3. Acknowledges the submission of the State Party's report in light of the severe national economic crisis affecting all sectors and society as a whole;
  4. Encourages the State Party to implement the decisions adopted by the World Heritage Committee, in particular Decisions 39 COM 7B.54, 41 COM 7B.83, 43 COM 7B.50, and 44 COM 7B.132, and in line with the reporting requirements under the World Heritage Convention;
  5. Notes that the process towards creating a partial agreement between the primary stakeholders (Directorate General of Antiquities, Municipality of Tyre) for the creation of municipal parking within the archaeological zone have been paused due to the complex situation in the country, and also encourages the State Party to submit the details of this arrangement and design details, when available, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies before taking any decisions on the matter;
  6. Also notes that the State Party is currently preparing a new Management Plan that includes provisions for a maritime protection zone to preserve the underwater archaeological remains, and reiterates its request to the State Party to submit as a priority the revised Management Plan for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies and to expedite completion and implementation of the Management Plan;
  7. Urges the State Party to continue its efforts to provide sufficient resources for the property to ensure regular maintenance in the long-term;
  8. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to implement the 2018 Reactive Monitoring mission recommendations, with particular attention to establishing a comprehensive management strategy for the property that covers all aspects of documentation, conservation and monitoring, summarizing the knowledge on techniques and procedures in a manual, with an updated action plan, as a core component of the future management plan for the property, including:
    1. Defining approaches to improving current maintenance practices concerning vegetation, drainage and sewage control through appropriate preventive measures,
    2. Establishing principles of minimal intervention in the conservation of mosaics and structures as lessons learned from the pilot projects,
    3. Developing and implementing a monitoring protocol to be available for scientific conservation research and to enable evaluation of the efficacy of conservation measures,
    4. Developing and implementing a comprehensive presentation strategy for the property to reflect the actual understanding of its values as reflected in the various architectonic technologies and funerary practices of past generations, as well as conservation challenges,
    5. Considering integrating the Management Plan with regional and urban development and traffic-mobility plans to manage the development pressures in the long term;
  9. Further reiterates its request to the State Party to revise the proposed boundary of the property, identify a buffer zone and develop regulations and procedures for the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property in accordance with Decision 37 COM 8B.45, and to submit a Minor Boundary Modification, in line with Paragraphs 107, 164 and Annex 11 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
  10. Reiterates furthermore its request to the State Party to initiate an in-depth study of traffic and the urban road network, and to submit this study to the World Heritage Centre for examination by the Advisory Bodies, and reminds the State Party of the Committee’s invitation, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, to submit details for proposed road and infrastructure projects at the property, including Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) for the Coastal Highway and other planned major infrastructure projects, to be conducted in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context;
  11. Further encourages the State Party to submit an International Assistance request to support efforts in the elaboration of needed management tools;
  12. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session.
Read more
Draft Decision: 45 COM 7B.145

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
  2. Recalling Decisions 37 COM 8B.45, 39 COM 7B.54, 41 COM 7B.83, 43 COM 7B.50, and 44 COM 7B.132 adopted at its 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013), 39th (Bonn, 2015), 41st (Krakow, 2017), 43rd (Baku, 2019), and extended 44th (Fuzhou/Online, 2021) sessions respectively,
  3. Acknowledges the submission of the State Party's report in light of the severe national economic crisis affecting all sectors and society as a whole;
  4. Encourages the State Party to implement the decisions adopted by the World Heritage Committee, in particular Decisions 39 COM 7B.54, 41 COM 7B.83, 43 COM 7B.50 and 44 COM 7B.132, and in line with the reporting requirements under the World Heritage Convention;
  5. Notes that the process towards creating a partial agreement between the primary stakeholders (Directorate General of Antiquities, Municipality of Tyre) for the creation of municipal parking within the archaeological zone have been paused due to the complex situation in the country, and also encourages the State Party to submit the details of this arrangement and design details, when available, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies before taking any decisions on the matter;
  6. Also notes that the State Party is currently preparing a new Management Plan that includes provisions for a maritime protection zone to preserve the underwater archaeological remains, and reiterates its request to the State Party to submit as a priority the revised Management Plan for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies and to expedite completion and implementation of the Management Plan;
  7. Urges the State Party to continue its efforts to provide sufficient resources for the property to ensure regular maintenance in the long-term;
  8. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to implement the 2018 Reactive Monitoring mission recommendations, with particular attention to establishing a comprehensive management strategy for the property that covers all aspects of documentation, conservation and monitoring, summarizing the knowledge on techniques and procedures in a manual, with an updated action plan, as a core component of the future management plan for the property, including:
    1. Defining approaches to improving current maintenance practices concerning vegetation, drainage and sewage control through appropriate preventive measures,
    2. Establishing principles of minimal intervention in the conservation of mosaics and structures as lessons learned from the pilot projects,
    3. Developing and implementing a monitoring protocol to be available for scientific conservation research and to enable evaluation of the efficacy of conservation measures,
    4. Developing and implementing a comprehensive presentation strategy for the property to reflect the actual understanding of its values as reflected in the various architectonic technologies and funerary practices of past generations, as well as conservation challenges,
    5. Considering integrating the Management Plan with regional and urban development and traffic-mobility plans to manage the development pressures in the long term;
  9. Further reiterates its request to the State Party to revise the proposed boundary of the property, identify a buffer zone and develop regulations and procedures for the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property in accordance with Decision 37 COM 8B.45, and to submit a Minor Boundary Modification, in line with Paragraphs 107, 164 and Annex 11 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
  10. Reiterates furthermore its request to the State Party to initiate an in-depth study of traffic and the urban road network, and to submit this study to the World Heritage Centre for examination by the Advisory Bodies, and reminds the State Party of the Committee’s invitation, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, to submit details for proposed road and infrastructure projects at the property, including Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) for the Coastal Highway and other planned major infrastructure projects, to be conducted in accordance with the new Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context;
  11. Further encourages the State Party to submit an International Assistance request to support efforts in the elaboration of needed management tools;
  12. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session.
Previous 2021
Report year: 2023
Lebanon
Date of Inscription: 1984
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (iii)(vi)
Documents examined by the Committee
WHC/23/45.COM/7B
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2022) .pdf
arrow_circle_right 45COM (2023)
Exports
Previous 2021

* : The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).

** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.


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