Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah

• Detailed Conservation Strategy not finalized
• High rate of decay of the historic houses
• Housing
• Management systems/ management plan: Management system not in place
• Need for a risk management and prevention plan
• Projects and development work with the potential to impact the authenticity of the property

N/A

On 16 November 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1361/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report, as follows:

• In June 2021, the Saudi Council of Ministers passed the Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage Law by Royal Decree Number 655, which provides a legal basis to the Jeddah Historic District programme (JHD) for the protection of the property;
• Work has continued on the Geographic Information System (GIS), which focuses on the property and its buffer zone. A detailed assessment of 651 historic building was carried out during 2021 and 2022, providing information on different GIS layers, and directly related to the attributes of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
• Al Balad Regeneration and Development Plan (Masterplan) is not limited exclusively to the perimeter of the property and its buffer zone, but also integrates several areas of the historic city’s environmental setting to achieve a carefully regulated area within a broader vision and strategy, oriented towards the Historic Urban Landscape approach (HUL);
• A comprehensive conservation strategy is supported by regulatory and administrative measures, in addition to operational and technical ones. The Masterplan regulates interventions in relation to public realm, non-heritage buildings and heritage buildings. In addition, regulatory measures in the form of different guidelines have been established aimed at the conservation and the tangible and intangible attributes of the urban heritage;
• In terms of operational and technical matters, following a first assessment and emergency consolidation campaign, a detailed assessment is underway and near completion, while restoration and rehabilitation works have been carried out for a number of buildings;
• A number of documents have been annexed to the report, including Al Balad Regeneration and Development Plan (Masterplan), in addition to documentation, restoration and conservation studies and assessments, public realm strategy and design manual, design guidelines for heritage and non-heritage buildings, a conservation handbook, and an emergency plan.

The Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage Law was passed by Royal Decree in June 2021, and, the State Party has continued to make significant progress at various levels to ensure the adequate conservation and management of the property, which is commendable.

Work on the GIS database has continued, comprising buildings and features situated within the property and its buffer zone. A detailed assessment has been carried out for 651 heritage buildings and a number of conservation projects have been completed.

Following the Committee’s request, Al Balad Regeneration and Development Plan (Masterplan), conservation strategy, design guidelines, a heritage conservation manual, emergency plan and procedures, as well as other significant documents and information have been submitted. The State Party report recognises that the scale of the task of conserving and regenerating Al Balad (which includes both the property and a wider city area) is a long and complex process. It is recommended that the Committee request ongoing advice from the State Party on the experience of using the expanded management system in coordinating and utilising the wide range of guidance documents in what is a very complex conservation project, and of any problems or modifications arising.

The Masterplan comprises strategies to regenerate the area comprising the property, its buffer zone, and the larger environmental setting, with the surrounding waterfront area and the wider city to respond to infrastructure challenges. The scope of this Masterplan tackles three levels of regeneration at the scale of the property and the wider setting. The sharing of continuing information, as sought by the Committee, on the development and implementation of tools for management and regeneration of Al Balad underpinned by a HUL approach is welcomed. Future updates on the implementation of the HUL principles through specific management tools would also be welcomed.

A conservation strategy has been developed which supports legal and administrative issues, as well as operational and technical ones. The former covers the strategic framework of the Masterplan, regulates different types of interventions at the property’s public realm, non-heritage buildings and heritage buildings (through guidelines and manuals), while also regulating the procedure for building classification and permitting. The aspect of the strategy concerned with operational and technical issues focuses on identifying and assessing the state of conservation of heritage buildings, implementation of emergency consolidation, documentation, training and communication.

In addition, a security strategy has been developed on the basis of identified threats, and a risk management plan is being developed. The documents provided are limited to security in relation to human actions and disruptions, and first-response emergency planning. Noting that the property is particularly at risk from flooding and fire, and is located in a region prone to earthquakes and related tsunamis, though at a lower risk, yet no risk analysis or planning has been indicated. Therefore, it is recommended that the Committee request broader risk management planning in relation to such issues as fire prevention, suppression and recovery, flood risk assessment and preparation, and earthquake and tsunami preparedness and recovery planning.

With regard to HIA processes, a framework for carrying out a systematic HIA was put in place to guide any development at the property and has been included as part of the ‘Design Guidelines for Heritage Buildings’. The State Party mentions that no development shall be carried out without a full HIA screening, and that for development outside the property, a screening will determine whether a full HIA is required on a case-by-case basis. Nevertheless, it is important to recall Paragraph 118bis of the Operational Guidelines, which stresses that HIAs are a prerequisite for development projects and activities that are planned for implementation within or around a World Heritage property, including its wider setting. Such HIAs should be conducted in line with the new Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context.

Hence, it is recommended that the Committee reiterate the importance of integrating the HIA process in the implementation of the Masterplan for developments within the boundaries of the property, its buffer zone or the wider setting, and submit HIA studies to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before the implementation of any major irreversible interventions, which could impact the Outstanding Universal Value of the property.