Tomb of Askia

• Lack of site management
• Armed conflict

• Occupation of Gao city by armed groups
• Inability to ensure daily management in the protection and conservation of the property
• Risk of collapse of the property

In progress

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6623 

In progress

Total amount granted: UNESCO Emergency Fund: USD 40,000; Action Plan for the rehabilitation of cultural heritage and the safeguarding of ancient manuscripts in Mali: USD 50,000; USD 500,000 funded by the International Alliance for the Protection of heritage in conflict areas (ALIPH) for the rehabilitation of the property; African World Heritage Fund: USD 15,000 for the documentation and development of the historical burial grounds of the Tomb of Askia necropolis in Gao.

On 31 January 2024, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, (available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1139/documents/), followed by an updated table on corrective measures provided on 20 March 2024, providing the following information:

• The project to restore the Tomb of Askia, funded by the International alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas (ALIPH), was rescheduled and launched on 2 March 2024, with the first steps under way (selection of contractors, disbursement and purchase of equipment);
• The State Party recalls the components of this project (consolidation of physical structures, training of masons and guides, development of the ablution area, construction of latrines, rehabilitation of the fence, production of a conservation manual, regeneration of the hasu plants in the courtyard of the tomb, as well as the promotion of traditional architecture and the use of local building materials);
• The project also includes resolving the problem of visibility of the site, due to the excessively high boundary wall, during 2024 and replacing the metal doors with wooden ones in the women’s mosque and the north, west and south evening prayer areas;
• The presence of a few eucalyptus poles on the east wall of the men’s mosque was noted, as was the presence of bats in the men’s mosque;
• The spreading of fine sand in the prayer area continues to counter water erosion;
• Some of the buffer zone is still occupied by illegal housing;
• Persistent insecurity continues to be the major problem affecting the property, despite progress in securing and stabilizing the country;
• The State Party notes the renewed attachment of local communities to their cultural heritage and stresses the importance of the involvement of decentralized authorities, local communities and particularly young people, women and cultural associations, in the rehabilitation of the property;
• A communication plan to raise awareness in the local community has been drawn up for 2022, but activities to enhance the buffer zone are needed to prevent it from being occupied by the riverside population;
• Following the follow-up workshop for development of the desired state of conservation for the removal of West African sites from the List of World Heritage in Danger (Senegal, June 2023), a meeting with all stakeholders and financial partners is suggested, at which to draw up a precise and detailed timetable for the implementation of corrective measures;
• An international assistance request for revision of the 2018–2022 Conservation and Management Plan for the property has been submitted to the World Heritage Centre;
• On 5 May 2023, a guided tour of the site was organized with young people from the Communal Council of the urban commune of Gao to celebrate African World Heritage Day.

The State Party’s report focuses on the Tomb rehabilitation project funded by ALIPH. The benefit of this project is to intervene on most of the corrective measures. However, its implementation has been delayed since the grant agreement was signed between ALIPH and the National Directorate for Cultural Heritage (NDCH) in January 2020, followed by the creation of a Steering Committee and a launch ceremony in March 2020, before administrative management was entrusted to the auditing firm Pyramis. This raises concerns about the property’s capacity to manage and execute large-scale projects. The news of its operational launch in March 2024 is therefore welcome and encouraging. It would be particularly useful to ask the State Party to submit an updated work plan for this project to the World Heritage Centre, as well as – where possible – progress reports that can be annexed to future state of conservation reports.

The reminder of the various actions planned under this project was noted, as was the information on the various constraints that need to be addressed, such as the remaining eucalyptus poles on the east wall of the men’s mosque, the presence of bats in the men’s mosque and the work to spread fine sand in the prayer area to counter water erosion. However, these tasks are mainly part of the ongoing maintenance work that will be addressed by the project now under way and, at this stage, do not represent a major threat to the property. However, the State Party is right to raise the issue of illegal dwellings in the buffer zone and to plan awareness-raising actions aimed at the population concerned. More should be learned about the effectiveness of these actions in the next State Party report.

The emphasis placed on the importance of involving all stakeholders in the rehabilitation project and on the fact that local communities are renewing their attachment to their cultural heritage is much appreciated. The community engagement and awareness-raising measures, including the African World Heritage Day celebrations on 5 May 2023, are commendable. Here too, it would be useful for the communication plan, developed in 2022, to be provided to the World Heritage Centre so that it can be better assessed.

With regard to the management of the property, it is appreciated that the State Party has submitted a request for international assistance to update the Conservation and Management Plan (CMP) 2018–2022 jointly with the CMPs for the other three Malian properties. This work to update the PGC will have to be aligned with finalization of development of the Desired State of Conservation for Removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), scheduled for 2024, to be submitted for adoption by the Committee at its next session in 2025. In this respect, it is crucial also to include a costed action plan to support in particular the mobilization of financial partners at a meeting suggested by the State Party.

Finally, insecurity is still the major threat to the property. That said, it would be useful if a more in-depth and up-to-date analysis could be provided in order to better understand precisely how insecurity actually affects the management and conservation of the property, in a situation in which progress has been noted in securing and stabilizing the country.

Although developments at the property appear encouraging on the whole, it is recommended that the Committee keep the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger and continue to apply the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism for the property.