Itchan Kala

• Management activities
• Restoration works conducted using non-traditional building material (issue resolved)
• Tourism infrastructure
• Conservation issues relating to termite attacks on wooden beams, and to salinity in walls impacting on ceramic tiles

Total amount granted: 2019: USD43,115 UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust project for Building capacity in managing World Heritage properties, interconnection of development and heritage preservation in Uzbekistan

On 1 February 2024, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/543/documents/. Progress with a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in those reports, as follows:

• A Management Plan for the property has been prepared and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review;
• The management team in the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Khorezm region has been supplemented with additional staff. A Chief Specialist for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Zones has been appointed towards the creation of an “Itchan Kala World Heritage Management Unit”;
• The Project of Detailed Planning of Historical Centre of Khiva (PDP) was halted in 2018 to allow the protection of the proposed buffer zone to be included. It is still under review and is progressing with the relevant Advisory Bodies and responsible organisations;
• The erosion of mud walls is a persistent problem across the whole property that requires ongoing maintenance and there is an insufficient number of qualified staff to address this issue;
• Termite infestations remain as a major threat to the stability of structures. The Tash Khauli Palace and Juma Mosque have been impacted, and termites caused the loss of houses in the recent past;
• A researcher at Mamun Academy is developing a detailed programme of termite investigation;
• New guidelines will ensure the use of chemical treatments and termite-resistant timbers for new construction and pest management;
• Rising damp and salinity are negatively impacting the decorative tiled walls as a result of the lack of drain maintenance and the absence of sanitation and water system networks for many houses;
• The provision of water and drainage infrastructure for all households of Itchan Kala is being considered;
• Conservation projects have been undertaken at the fortified walls of Itchan Kala, the Muhammad Amin Inoq Madrasah, the Tash Khauli Palace and the Anushakhan Hammam, and the pillars of the Juma Mosque;
• A 10-year conservation/restoration programme is being prepared by the Main Department on Preservation and Restoration of Sites of Cultural Heritage;
• For the proposed buffer zone, work is underway to address the recommendations of the Committee relating to management and protection policies after it referred the proposal for a buffer zone back to the State Party in 2016.

The details of the restoration of the Juma Mosque provided by the State Party in May 2023 were reviewed by ICOMOS, and the State Party provided supplementary information in March 2024, which is subject to a further ICOMOS Technical Review at the time of writing the present document.

The completion of the Management Plan is to be welcomed, as is an increase in staff for the current management team and the possible creation of a distinct “Itchan Kala World Heritage Management Unit”. The Management Plan is currently being reviewed by ICOMOS.

Work is still ongoing to revise the PDP, which was halted following an Advisory mission in 2018 to allow it to be adapted to control more effectively the outer town of Dishan Kala, which was being proposed as the buffer zone. The revised PDP must ensure that Dishan Kala and its important buildings are preserved to support the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). This work has not yet been completed but is urgently needed to provide effective control measures and a defined buffer zone. Although the Committee has twice requested a phased dialogue with the Advisory Bodies to support this process, this has not yet taken place, which is regrettable.

The conservation and monitoring activities undertaken by the Cultural Heritage Department of the Khorezm Region in January 2024 have set out very clearly the key conservation issues affecting this property. There is a lack of resources to address some of these issues, such as the lack of staff qualified to undertake the regular maintenance of mud walls. However, progress is being made in other areas, such as termite infestation surveys, including the development of guidelines to ensure that termite-resistant timbers are used for new construction and chemical treatments are applied to existing timbers, in conjunction with pest management procedures for all buildings. Additionally, a researcher at Mamun Academy is developing a detailed programme of termite investigation/monitoring to bring this activity up to international standards. The means required to address other issues, such as rising damp and salinity in walls, which can lead to irreversible damage to decorative tiling, are still being discussed. These issues mainly result from the lack of drain maintenance and the absence of sanitation and water system networks for many houses. This latter issue is now under consideration.

The new generic approaches being developed and considered for conservation issues are to be welcomed as a means to define preventative conservation measures, avoid the unnecessary loss of important fabric or even whole buildings, and identify the resources, technical knowledge and expertise needed to define and implement those measures.

The Technical Review by ICOMOS of the restoration project of the Juma Mosque welcomed the initiative to restore this exceptional building, but the minimal level of detail provided to justify the replacement of a high proportion of the timberwork in some areas, along with the choice of materials for the replacement roof, are preoccupying. Supplementary information provided by the State Party on 16 March 2024, including a Heritage Impact Assessment and detailed technical specifications for investigation and conservation interventions, will be the subject of further review.