Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape

• Concern about the situation in Diyarbakır as reported since 40th session (2016) (problem solved)
• Rehabilitation and reconstruction works and development, urban design and landscape projects
• Ground transport infrastructure
• Water infrastructure
• Impacts of tourism/visitors/recreation
• Management system/Management and Conservation Plan modified
• Land Conversion

N/A

On 1 February 2024, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report. Its executive summary is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1488/documents/. The report provides information on the measures implemented by the State Party in response to Decision 45 COM 7B.57, as follows:

• Restoration of the city walls and removal of illegal structures continues, including in response to the 2023 earthquake, all under archaeological oversight as required by law. A report is provided;
• An Urban Design and Landscape Project for the area between the city walls and the Touristic Road has been developed and will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review when completed;
• The recommendations of the 2022 Reactive Monitoring mission are being implemented, including:
  • Halting the landscaping of the lower Içkale area until archaeological studies have been completed and their conclusions reported to the World Heritage Centre,
  • Urgent stabilisation of the Amida Mound and undertaking of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) studies,
  • Undertaking a preliminary analysis of the current situation in the Hevsel Gardens, specifically in relation to agriculture and water management. Further analysis is ongoing. A report is provided,
  • Preparing mitigation measures for the area of the Ten-Eyed Bridge which will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review,
  • Halting the Tigris River Rehabilitation Project and evaluating proposals to reduce the impact of the project. A Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) was submitted to the World Heritage Centre in December 2018;
• A Cultural HIA will be carried out for the Anzele Urban Design Project;
• No large-scale demolitions were undertaken in the Suriçi district in the buffer zone. Security incidents in 2015-16 led to destruction, after which government institutions initiated rehabilitation. Details of expropriation and negotiation processes with the right holders are provided;
• The Diyarbakır (Suriçi) Conservation Development Plan is legally binding and reverting to earlier versions of the plan is not legally possible. Translated copies of the 2012, 2016 and 2020 versions of the plan are appended to the report. The Dicle Feritköşk Urban Renewal project in the buffer zone, including the removal of illegal structures, is critical and also legally binding;
• A protocol has been signed between the General Directorate of Cultural Properties and Museums and the Diyarbakır Municipality. The Municipality is updating the Management Plan, which will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to its adoption;
• A Cultural HIA was submitted to the World Heritage Centre for the Tram Line Project as an Annex to the 2022 State of conservation report. The project is currently on hold.

The State Party expressed its eagerness to continue discussions with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, including to:

• Reconsider all recommendations regarding Suriçi, which, as part of the buffer zone cannot be considered as an attribute of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
• Find options to mitigate the negative impact of the mosque constructed close to the Ten Eyed Bridge, other than its relocation.

A meeting was held between the State Party, the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS on 18 April 2024 to discuss the State Party’s response to the recommendations of the 2022 Reactive Monitoring mission and to initiate a process of dialogue.

The 2022 mission concluded that the property was faced with imminent danger due to a significant loss of integrity, cultural significance and supporting historic urban fabric. This conclusion reinforced the view of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies that the property faced an ascertained and potential danger as defined in Paragraph 179 of the Operational Guidelines, and therefore its inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger was recommended at the extended 45th session (Riyadh, 2023).

The continued commitment of resources to the research and restoration of the city walls and the repair of the damage caused by the 2023 earthquake contributes to the maintenance of the integrity and authenticity of this component of the property. Other actions reported by the State Party, including the suspension of projects, the conduct of specialist studies and HIAs, the development of mitigation measures for inappropriate interventions, archaeological investigations at the Citadel and the stabilisation of the Amida Mound, are therefore welcome.

The state of conservation of the Hevsel Gardens remains of great concern. The initial study of the Gardens submitted by the State Party provides a record of the status quo, but no information on the historic development of agricultural practices was provided. The further studies that the State Party intends to undertake should focus on changes that have occurred since the inscription of the property in terms of plot size, crops, use, ownership, and historical and functional links to the city, as well as socio-historical agricultural practices and ecological studies. The State Party reports that the use of traditional irrigation techniques hinders the efficient water use and leads to the problem of soil erosion due to excessive irrigation, affecting the productivity of the soil. However, an in-depth study of the contribution of traditional irrigation techniques to the property’s OUV needs to be undertaken before considering alternatives.

The 2022 mission reported that considerable changes to the Ten-Eyed Bridge have virtually destroyed its historic setting. Urgent mitigation of these negative impacts is required, and the State Party should be requested to provide options for feasible actions to reverse the negative impacts of the developments that have taken place there since inscription.

The contribution of Suriçi to the OUV of the property should not be understated and should be understood within its urban and landscape settings. As such, the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value states that: ‘the ability to view the walls within their urban and landscape settings is significant, as are the hydrological and natural resources that support the functional and visual qualities of the property’. The historical settlements in the buffer zone therefore provide a setting for the integrity of the property. The submission of all previous updates of the Diyarbakır (Suriçi) Conservation Development Plan, as requested by the Committee, is welcome. However, there is a need to re-evaluate the current plan, based on an evaluation of the status quo of the built fabric of Suriçi through an assessment of the need to protect the urban fabric, as requested by the Committee at the time of inscription (Decision 39 COM 8B.32), and to develop an update of the plan through an iterative HIA process. An ICOMOS Technical Review is in preparation. The same process should be followed for the Dicle Feritköşk Urban Renewal Plan, for which the 2022 mission recommended that an independent HIA should be commissioned.

An ICOMOS Technical Review in 2023 of an HIA, that assessed seven projects that were already implemented at the time the HIA was undertaken, determined its conclusions to be appropriate, but recommended that action plans be developed to ensure implementation of the mitigation measures identified. Submission of the action plans for those projects would allow the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to assist the State Party to maximise the repair of past negative impacts.

The ongoing revision of the Management Plan, based on an agreement that gives the local municipality a role in the management of the property, is an essential step in strengthening the protection and management system of the property. Considering the range of past recommendations made by the Committee, the 2022 mission and ICOMOS Technical Reviews, the Committee may wish to request that the State Party develop an action plan to address these as part of the updated Management Plan.

A rigorous HIA for the Anzele Urban Design Project will be an important process in delivering a project that does not harm this highly sensitive area of the property.

With regard to the suspended Tram Line project, the 2022 mission recommended further archaeological investigations and the submission of detailed information to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies. This should be undertaken, should the project be revived and before continuing any work to be carried out in the vicinity of the city walls.