Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador)

• Progressive deterioration of the built area ;
• Lack of a rehabilitation policy for the Mellah Quarter (deposit of untreated refuse, overflow of sewers along the outside walls of the houses, continuous collapse of buildings);
• Major deterioration of the maritime part of the fortifications of the Medina ;
• Construction of two commercial centres in the buffer zone;
• Management plan to be completed.

N/A

On 9 February 2023, the World Heritage Centre informed the State Party that the property would be subject of a report on its state of conservation at the extended 45th session of the Committee, in order to better understand and assess the state of conservation of the property in relation to large-scale development projects on the property. On 7 April 2023, the State Party submitted a detailed report on the state of conservation of the property, a summary of which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/753/documents/. The report was intended to provide an update on the conservation and management of the property, presented as follows:

• Between 2015 and 2023, the medina benefited from a programme to rehabilitate and enhance the urban space and historical heritage, promote access to social services and boost tourist appeal. The programme involves all stakeholders and aims to preserve the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and improve site management;
• Restorations carried out since 2012 include the walls, gates, towers, bastions and fountains in the medina, as well as the fish souk, the former courthouse and ex-Spanish consulate, the Simon Attia Synagogue, three mosques, seven zaouias, the Port Sqala and buildings in danger of collapse. Restoration of the Portuguese church is nearing completion;
• Infrastructure work includes street lighting, sewerage and drinking water systems, and the development of Place Moulay Hassan and the parking lot near the port. Work in progress includes the restoration of facades, the paving of squares and alleyways, the development of five historic squares, and the provision of street furniture;
• Two health centres, a pre-school education centre and a heritage interpretation centre have been created;
• The port development project involves the widening of certain basins and quays, the redistribution of buildings and the relocation of the fish market. An impact assessment has been submitted for the project, and the project is considered to have a mostly positive impact. However, the assessment recommends improving the visual field and carrying out a traffic study;
• A master plan for urban development in Greater Essaouira (SDAU) has been adopted. It emphasizes the development of heritage tourism through cultural tours and the need to create a maritime heritage museum;
• In 2021, a plan to enhance and safeguard the medina of Essaouira (PASME) was approved by decree. It proposes specific provisions for three zones and certain monuments. It also proposes that the Mogador archipelago become a natural reserve;
• On 4 April 2023, a Gubernatorial Decree created a monitoring committee responsible for protecting the property, which includes the possibility to request heritage impact assessments (HIAs) where necessary;
• The OUV of the property is considered to be well-protected, notably since in 2019, the city joined UNESCO's Creative Cities network and inscribed an element (the Gnaoua Festival) on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

As part of the State Party's Programme for the Rehabilitation and Enhancement of Urban Space and Historic Heritage, implemented since 2015, major infrastructure, equipment and restoration work has been carried out. The visuals submitted for two monuments (the Scala and the Bab Marrakech bastion) and two historic buildings (the Zaouïa Kettania and the Health Centre) show that the restoration and enhancement work has been carried out with care. The property's governance dynamics seems positive as it is based on a cross-disciplinary approach involving all institutional stakeholders, professionals and civil society.

However, the report lacks information that would enable assessment of the impact of the works as a whole, particularly with regard to other monumental attributes and the urban fabric. Ongoing or planned works will need to be further documented and detailed so that a more accurate overall assessment of the property's state of conservation can be established.

The planning tools that have been developed, such as the SDAU and PASME, are welcomed. More information is needed on these plans, and in particular to confirm whether they are based on the approach of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL), to integrate the property into its surrounding context in order to preserve not only its Outstanding Universal Value, but also the property's other values such as those relating to its social-economic aspects.

No information has been provided by the State Party concerning the management plan previously requested by the Committee, and it would be necessary to inform the World Heritage Centre of the management structure in place for the property, particularly in view of the transformations underway within the property and its buffer zone.

In May 2021, the State Party submitted a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for the second phase of the project to restructure the port of Essaouira, located in the property's buffer zone, which was then subject of an ICOMOS technical study. Exchanges continued during an online technical meeting organized on 4 March 2022 by the World Heritage Centre, which enabled in-depth discussion on a number of points, including issues relating to the density and architectural language of fishing stalls, underwater archaeological excavations, as well as traffic and parking. These points were then subject of specific recommendations. Dialogue with the State Party has enabled the project to move forward. Nevertheless, the visual simulations planned from the Porte de la Marine on the west jetty towards the Mogador archipelago with the fishermen's stalls have not been submitted, and the traffic study to regulate traffic and manage parking around the port is still awaited.

The State Party should be reminded that information on any other major projects should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, in accordance with paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before decisions are taken that could be difficult to reverse.

As a follow-up to the retrospective inventory project launched in 2004, the State Party was requested to submit to the World Heritage Centre a clarification of the boundaries of the property and its buffer zone, which is still awaited, since a clear delimitation is essential for the effective conservation, management and protection of the property.