Medina of Marrakesh

On 6 November 2023, the World Heritage Centre informed the State Party that a state of conservation report would be submitted to the 46th session of the Committee in order to better understand and assess the state of conservation of the property following the earthquake that occurred in the Al Haouz region on 8 September 2023. On 21 February 2024, the State Party submitted a State of conservation report. A summary of the report is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/331/documents, which presents the state of conservation of the property and communicates the measures taken by the State Party since the earthquake:

• In addition to the tragic human toll, the earthquake caused extensive material damage throughout the province;
• Technical commissions, involving all the departments concerned, have assessed the condition of all the buildings in the city of Marrakesh, mapping the affected areas in conjunction with the inventory of cultural assets, and examining the buildings in the light of this documentation in order to make an initial diagnosis;
• To minimize the very high number of demolition orders and as a safety and precautionary measure for buildings of heritage, aesthetic or historical interest, a scientific commission was set up whose main task is to re-examine all of the demolition orders granted by the technical commissions;
• Emergency measures have been taken for the Bahia Palace, the Badiâ Palace, the Saâdians tombs and the Ménara garden pavilion, including the closure of the monuments, safety fencing, emergency shoring and consolidation, the removal of unstable parts and regular monitoring;
• The medina ramparts have undergone an immediate restoration campaign.

In April 2024, the Director of World Heritage went to Morocco at the invitation of the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication to visit the sites damaged by the earthquake of September 2023, and in particular the Medina of Marrakesh, where the measures put in place and the consolidation work undertaken for Koutoubia Mosque and Bahia palace could be examined. It was agreed that UNESCO could accompany national authorities in their efforts to provide the necessary expertise in the Atlas and sub-atlas zones, through CERKAS, whose institutional strengthening would also be necessary.

Concerning the underground parking projects that had been planned prior to the earthquake, namely the parking lot at Arset Bouachrine and the other one within the El Antaki hospital grounds, and in follow up on the ICOMOS technical reviews of the two Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) for these projects, a joint UNESCO/ICOMOS advisory mission took place from 1 to 4 August 2023.

Fortunately, the creation of a specialized scientific commission has made it possible to review the 929 total demolition orders prepared and to amend 76 of them, the historic character of which has been recognized for the purposes of restoration, conservation or reconstruction. This same approach, which is to be welcomed, has also enabled several riads to be safeguarded.

The initial diagnosis is reassuring for the major monuments of the property. The teams commissioned by the State Party have all the necessary skills for their missions and the damage they have assessed is generally minor, except for the ramparts of the medina, where the collapse of seven sections of ramparts was noted. These sections had previously been restored, probably using inadequate materials or techniques. It is recommended to request the State Party to undertake an analysis of the nature of this work in order to carry out an informed preventive review of monuments that have undergone similar work.

Restoration work on the ramparts has been undertaken rapidly. Four sections (Bab Lakhmis, Bab Aylan, Bab Dbagh and the ramparts between these two gates) have already been restored by specialist companies under the supervision of the relevant departments. It is recommended that documentation of the work be collected for monitoring purposes.

As regards the other monuments, provisional conservation measures have been taken and regular monitoring is in place. The State Party has released the necessary budgets for all emergency work and the initiation of studies or restoration work. The reports submitted by the scientific and technical commissions conclude that the property has only been slightly impacted by the earthquake and its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) has not been affected. Finally, it is recommended to request the State Party to submit all these reports, once the data has been collated, to the World Heritage Centre.

The ICOMOS recommendations concerning the car park developments at Arset Bouachrine and El Antaki Hospital are to be recalled, as such developments could increase traffic pressure and eventually damage the attributes of the OUV of the property. It is recommended that the State Party continue the scientific, technical and landscape studies necessary to limit the negative impact of these projects on the OUV of the property and modify the projects accordingly.

The management plan submitted in 2022 provides for the establishment of a competent management authority. It is recommended to request the State Party to provide information on the progress made in establishing this structure, its status, staffing and scope, as well as how it will be funded.