Historic Areas of Istanbul

a) Continued degradation of the vernacular architecture within the protected zones (particularly Ottoman-period timber houses in the Zeyrek and Süleymaniye core areas);

b) Quality of repairs and reconstruction of the Roman and Byzantine Walls and associated palace structures, including Tekfur Saray and the "Anemas Dungeon" (Blachernae Palace);

c) Uncontrolled development and absence of a World Heritage management plan;

d) Lack of coordination between national and municipal authorities and of decision-making bodies for the safeguarding World Heritage at the site;

e) Potential impacts of new buildings and new development projects on the World Heritage site mainly within the framework of Law 5366, and the lack of impact studies before large-scale developments are implemented;

f) Potential impact of the proposed new metro bridge across the Golden Horn.

Total amount provided to the property: USD 211,900 (Conservation of Hagia Sophia); USD 36,686.30 (Convention France UNESCO); UNESCO CLT/CH USD 155,000 (in the framework of the International Safeguarding Campaign for Istanbul and Göreme).

On 29 January 2010, a detailed state of conservation report was submitted by the State Party, as requested by the World Heritage Committee at its 33rd session (Seville, 2009). The State Party report provides an overview of the drafting process of the management plan, awareness raising campaigns and developments in the urban renewal areas, but provides little information regarding traffic plans and projects including the New Metro Bridge across the Golden Horn. The Committee at its last session proposed to consider possible inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger, in the absence of substantial progress regarding the construction plans of the new metro bridge across the Golden Horn. The following issues have been addressed in the State Party report:

a) Management Structure

The State Party reports that on 28 December 2009 the “UNESCO World Heritage Sites Management Directorate” was established in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to coordinate World Heritage matters and collaborate with relevant authorities for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and the Operational Guidelines. The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies welcome this initiative to encourage further collaboration between central government and local authorities; it also complies with the recommendations of the 2009 joint reactive monitoring mission. However, little information has been provided regarding the composition and function of this Directorate.

b) Site Management Plan

The Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency is financing the drafting of the Management Plan: a four-stage process and a one-year time framework have been established for the Plan to be finalised in December 2010. Several workshops and meetings have been held for its preparation with the participation of Turkish experts.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies commend the preliminary works but underline the urgent need for the finalization of the management plan to provide a proper framework to ensure that constructions and infrastructure projects respect the Outstanding Universal Value and integrity of the property. Without this framework, the property is increasingly under threat due to the dynamic development of traffic and building projects in its core and on the Historic Peninsula.

c) Awareness raising among stakeholders and local community

The Municipality’s Conservation Implementation and Control Bureau (KUDEB) conducted a number of awareness raising activities for conservation professionals, institutions and civil society including training sessions, publications, films, a quarterly bulletin “Restoration and Conservation Activities”, the panel “Conservation, Restoration and Sustainability of Timber Buildings” and seminar “Conservation of Masonry Buildings”.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies welcome these activities. They note that although there is still no broad comprehensive awareness-building programme, the State Party reports that it plans to include awareness raising studies in the Site Management Plan.

d) Urban renewal areas and Law 5366 for the “Preservation by Renovation and Utilization by Revitalizing of Deteriorated Immovable Historical and Cultural Properties”

The State Party provides an overview of recent renovation programmes in twelve Urban Renewal Areas, part of them located within the property, three of which include the preservation of the historic fabric in its aims. The Ayvansaray Renewal area renovation project was revised according to the recommendations of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS mission and resubmitted to the Regional Conservation Council for approval. It remains difficult to evaluate if all these renewal projects within the framework of Law 5366 respect the conservation of existing historic structures, as requested by the Committee.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies consider that the current implementation of Law 5366 constitutes a potential threat to the integrity of the World Heritage areas and the Historic Peninsula.

e) New Metro Bridge across the Golden Horn

The State Party, according to the information obtained from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, reports that following the World Heritage Committee’s decision, revised the plans for the Metro Bridge , reducing the 65 m bridge pylons to 55 m which corresponds to the base of the Süleymaniye Mosque. In January 2010 the Regional Conservation Council requested the submission of these new plans for evaluation.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies consider that this represents no substantive progress since the position of the World Heritage Committee is very clear regarding the significant adverse impact of the towering cable-stay structure, even reduced to 55m, on the skyline and setting of the property and the views of the Süleymaniye Mosque, the importance of which is highlighted in justification of both criterion (i) as a unique masterpiece of human genius, and criterion (iv) as providing a top-rank example of a structure of the Ottoman period. The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies further note that no alternative solution, such as the design of a flat bridge, and the removal of the station from the middle of the bridge, has been seriously reconsidered by the municipality since last year. In addition, the independent Environmental Impact Study of the proposed bridge, based on an assessment of the attributes of Outstanding Universal Value, including the skyline of the Historic Peninsula, has not been provided, as requested by the Committee and recommended by the 2009 World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission. In a separate report received by the World Heritage Centre in January 2010, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality states that “the construction of the Bridge and moving on to the phase of first test drive are planned to be completed by the end of 2010.” In addition, the World Heritage Centre has further learnt from Turkish media that 24 steel piles have already arrived on the construction site and that the construction has already started. Furthermore, a meeting between the Turkish Permanent Delegation and World Heritage Centre staff was held on 30 April 2010 on the bridge issue. The lack of an independent impact assessment of the proposed bridge (based on an assessment of the attributes of Outstanding Universal Value, including the skyline of the Historic Peninsula), as requested by the Committee, was discussed. The Permanent Delegation confirmed on 18 May to the Centre that the Turkish authorities are currently considering to conduct an alternative independent impact assessment for the Haliç metro bridge.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Body therefore consider that in view of the absence of significant revision or abandonment of the current Golden Horn Bridge project by the competent authorities, paragraph 179 of the Operational Guidelines concerning inclusion in the List of World Heritage Danger may be considered by the World Heritage Committee.

f) Transportation Projects

The State Party reports on the progress of two large scale transportation projects: The Marmaray Rail Tube Tunnel and the Bosphorus Transition Tunnel Project for Motor Vehicles. It informs that a project competition for the Marmaray Main Transfer Point station in Yenikapi aiming at the conservation of the archaeological area will be organised by the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency and that intensive excavation works continue on the site.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies welcome the attention paid to archaeological excavations at the affected areas and look forward to receiving the station project details by the State Party for assessment.

The State Party further reports that the Turkish-Korean Collaboration (TKJV) has signed a contract for the Bosphorus Transition Tunnel Project for Motor Vehicles (Eurasia Tunnel) to prepare the “Environmental and Social Assessment” of the project due in spring 2010. This tunnel project aims at unifying the Istanbul-Ankara state road, includes the widening of the Kennedy Avenue close by the core area of Archaeological Park.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies remain concerned about the impact of such a project on the property and recommend the State Party to include in the proposed “Environmental and Social Assessment” a specific assessment of possible impacts on the attributes of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property in advance of any work being approved or undertaken. This assessment would be crucial to prevent any adverse impacts on the property due to an increase of traffic into the Historic Peninsula. The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies regret that no details of the Traffic Plan have been provided as requested by the Committee.

g) Ottoman style Timber Houses

The State Party further reports on the KUDEB activities in training conservation specialists for timber houses and in restoring individual timber houses: 11 were completed and 5 are in process at the time of preparing this document. The historic buildings demolished by KIPTAS in 2007 and 2008 are to be restored using original materials and building techniques; the approval of the reconstruction projects is in process. The programme “Maintenance and Repair Program of Timber Structures” is being conducted by Istanbul 2010 Agency in coordination with KUDEB and with the participation of the National Timber Association.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies consider that the activities of KUDEB and the municipalities to finance and technically support the conservation of the timber houses should be further encouraged and commend the joint initiative with the Istanbul 2010 Agency and the National Timber Association. However the World Heritage Centre continues to receive letters regarding the illegal demolition of timber houses and notes that there appears to be little awareness of the obligations to safeguard vernacular architecture or the advantages of doing so for cultural tourism and housing purposes.

h) Restoration of the Theodosian Walls

A Theodosian Walls Management Plan is being financed by the Istanbul 2010 European Capital Agency, as well as several restoration projects to be finalised in 2010. 14 buildings were expropriated and 6 buildings were demolished in the Sur-i Sultani area which threatened the integrity of the area according to the State Party report.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies note that information provided is very limited: neither maps, nor photographs are provided and it remains difficult to assess whether these developments enhance or threaten the integrity of the property. Further information is therefore required in accordance with paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

i) Four Seasons Hotel

The cancellation of the additional building work at the Four Seasons Hotel by a court decision on 24 February 2009 also halted the archaeological excavation works. Decisions of the relevant regional courts and councils are awaited.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies welcome the decision to cancel the additional building. However they consider that this delay will put important archaeological remains at risk, due to prolonged exposure to weather conditions. Urgent measures should be taken for the conservation of the archaeological remains.

The State Party has also submitted a draft Statement of Outstanding Universal Value. This will be examined by the World Heritage Committee under Item 8 of the Agenda (Document WHC-10/34.COM/8B).

In conclusion, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies encourage the State Party to pursue its efforts to implement the measures already requested by the World Heritage Committee. They commend the positive developments which have started in cooperation with the Istanbul 2010 European Capital Agency and the funding provided. They further encourage the State Party to urgently finalise the Site Management Plan in the proposed time framework of one year in order to sustain the ongoing positive developments and to avoid illegal demolitions, inappropriate reconstruction and development threatening the Outstanding Universal Value and integrity of the property.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies regret that the proposed bridge has neither been abandoned, nor have alternative designs such as a flat bridge been considered by the authorities as requested by the World Heritage Committee. The threat from the planned Golden Horn Bridge, together with the threats from inappropriate reconstruction and developments, particularly within the framework of Law 5366, all have the potential to impact adversely and irreversibly on the Outstanding Universal Value, and integrity of the property. Therefore the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies consider that paragraph 179(b) of the Operational Guidelines is relevant and that the World Heritage Committee might wish to consider inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger. In case this option is considered, they furthermore propose a Desired state of conservation and corrective measures in the Draft Decision.