Arslantepe Mound

• Management: preparing a conservation strategy and plan, augmenting the management plan, strengthening the local management capacity,  monitoring and risk and disaster management processes
• Reconsidering the design of the proposed new roof shelter

N/A

On 30 November 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, an executive summary of which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1622/documents/. Progress on a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at the time of inscription of the property in 2021 (Decision 44 COM 8B. 22) is presented in this report as follows:

• A detailed Conservation Plan with protocols, priorities and procedures is being developed, which was to be finalized by the end of 2022;
• Detail is provided of the management system structure, local management roles and responsibilities and decision-making processes, including risk assessment. A site manager, has been appointed and approved by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism;
• All developments in the buffer zone (the A3 area in the local Conservation Development Plan) are supervised and controlled by the Malatya Metropolitan Municipality Bureau of Conservation Implementation and Supervision of Cultural Assets (KUDEB);
• Maintenance and repair work has been carried out on the existing shelter and temporary roof. These improvements have halted to a large extent the soil flow from high excavation section faces. A pilot project involving the use of nets has begun to secure such section faces. Work is ongoing on designing the new roof shelter and rainwater drainage project. An updated version of the project will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre, along with the additional information and documents requested by the World Heritage Centre in August 2022;
• Geophysical surveys were carried out in 2022 to assist in determining the extent of archaeological features in the buffer zone to the north and west of the property;
• Photographic documentation is ongoing, and there is a record of this process going back 60 years. A monitoring system has been established to detect differences and changes in structures and objects;
• A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) is being prepared for the proposed new visitor centre. The assessment will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre.

Following the devastating earthquakes that struck the provinces of Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Şanliurfa and Malatya in February 2023, the State Party of Türkiye informed the World Heritage Centre on 7 and 23 February 2023 that collapses had been observed in the property in some places of the temporary roof cover as well as shearing in the adobe walls of the mound. At a meeting held on 27 April 2023 between the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Permanent Delegation of Türkiye to UNESCO and UNESCO, it was confirmed that urgent works would concern: repairing the temporary roof; stabilising/protecting the slopes to protect the excavations in progress; repairing the ‘excavation house’, which had also been damaged. At the time of writing, the project specifications and cost estimates for the work had not been submitted to UNESCO for consideration of technical and/or financial assistance.

Progress has been made on some of the World Heritage Committee’s recommendations at the time of inscription and useful clarification is provided, for example on the management system for the property. The appointment of a site manager is noted. However, some important elements of the Committee’s recommendations have not yet been fully developed.

In relation to the Conservation Plan, useful details on measures to develop conservation and maintenance skills in the monitoring, maintenance and conservation of the adobe structures at the property are provided. The Conservation Plan will focus on protocols, priorities and procedures. However, there is no mention in the State Party report of the critical issue of the inclusion of a cautious strategy for anticipated archaeological research and excavations. This is a key issue for developing a sustainable conservation strategy for the property. It is recommended that the World Heritage Committee request the State Party to submit the Conservation Plan to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, prior to its adoption.

Useful detail is also given on local management roles and responsibilities, and decision-making processes. While there is some discussion of risk preparedness, the urgent need for a comprehensive risk assessment and risk preparedness plan is highlighted by the February 2023 earthquakes. The property is located within the severe/very strong impact zone of those earthquakes, close to the East Anatolian fault line. Hundreds of buildings were reported as collapsed in the city of Malatya, 5km to the southwest of the property, where excavated materials are stored and exhibited in the Malatya Archaeological Museum. It is recommended that the World Heritage Committee, as a matter of priority, request the State Party to submit a comprehensive risk assessment and risk preparedness plan, including details of baseline data and monitoring protocols, to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies.

The detail provided of the proposed new roof shelter and the associated rainwater gutter and drain system is helpful. It is noted that urgent repair work was carried out in September and October 2022. In the context of the preparation of additional documents requested, further work was undertaken which indicated a need to make changes to the overall roof shelter project. The State Party has committed to submitting the revised version of the project when it is completed to the World Heritage Centre. It is further recommended, in line with its previous recommendation, that the World Heritage Committee request clarification on the state of conservation of excavated areas not covered by the shelter system, areas beyond the present protective shelter and any intention to extend excavations to the south and east of the palace complex.

It is noted that design for the new visitor centre, south of the property, in the buffer zone has started. In addition, the report from the State Party mentions that a lot adjacent to the visitor centre has been allocated as a ‘social facility’ area. It is also noted that while the maximum height for buildings in the A3 Area (buffer zone) is 6.50m, the maximum height for the visitor centre and social facility is 7.50m. It is recommended that the World Heritage Committee request that the proposed HIA cover both the visitor centre and social facility, that be carried out in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context and that it be submitted, together with the details of these projects, to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.