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State of Conservation Archaeological Site of ... 2018

Archaeological Site of Sabratha

Libya
Factors affecting the property in 2018*
  • War
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Conflict situation prevailing in the country  
Threats for which the property was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger
Conflict situation prevailing in the country
Corrective Measures for the property

Not yet identified

Timeframe for the implementation of the corrective measures

Not yet identified

UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2018

European Project "Protection of Cultural Heritage and Diversity in Complex Emergencies for Peace and Stability" USD 25,000

International Assistance: requests for the property until 2018
Requests approved: 0
Total amount approved : 0 USD
Missions to the property until 2018**
March 2003: World Heritage Centre mission; January 2007: Joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission
2007 Report on the Reactive Monitoring Mission to Archaeological sites of Sabratha and Leptis Magna, 18-28 January 2007
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2018

On 30 January 2018, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/184/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report, as follows:

  • Due to the armed conflict and as a result of the use of firearms within the property, the theatre façade and other architectural monuments were damaged and the roof of the storeroom collapsed in September 2017. Consequently, the Department of Antiquities (DOA) undertook maintenance and restoration works at the theatre. It is stated that full restorations works could easily be undertaken once funds are available;
  • The property is being protected by the Tourist Police and the DOA, with the help of the local authorities and civil society organizations. The site museum remains closed and its collections have been documented and moved to safer locations;
  • The DOA in collaboration with the local authorities is addressing urban encroachment within its boundaries in the southern and eastern areas of the property, where local residents claim ownership of the land;
  • The DOA has undertaken actions to control the excessive vegetation growth and has carried out emergency conservation works on the mosaic floors. Nevertheless, it reports that the impact of seawater, humidity and salt is causing erosion, fragmentation and cracking in the stone masonry, especially in areas close to the coast. Vegetation growth and vandalism have also caused damage to a number of structures and mosaic floors;
  • Despite the difficulties faced, a map of the property showing the boundaries and the buffer zone has been submitted. The process of elaborating the map was based on a field survey, assessment work and satellite images;
  • A strategy to protect Libyan World Heritage properties, based on Presidential Decree No. 1355/2017, is currently being implemented by the Engineering Consulting Office of Utilities (ECOU) under the supervision of the DOA. Funds have been allocated for the elaboration of the studies and plans needed to implement the strategy, which is based on eight pillars: protection from human encroachment; protection from natural factors; tourism; attracting and developing human resources; strengthening infrastructure and environment; recording and monitoring archaeological sites; supporting the environment; and administration.
Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2018

The information provided by the State Party demonstrates its commitment for the conservation of the Archaeological Site of Sabratha despite the prevailing conflict in the country and the lack of funds.

The efforts made to elaborate the maps, including the boundaries and the buffer zone, are recognized as an indispensable step forward for the protection and management of the property. The ongoing close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS in this regard is highly appreciated. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to continue the close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS, and submit a Boundary Clarification followed by a Minor Boundary Modification, in line with Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines for review by the Advisory Bodies.

The damages incurred at the property due to the armed conflict, in conjunction with the difficulties to improve the situation and undertake appropriate protection and conservation measures, are of great concern. The property needs a comprehensive strategy for its management and conservation in order to better address the effects of the armed conflict, vandalism, urban encroachment, weathering (humidity, salt, sea water), and vegetation growth, among others. It is therefore recommended that the Committee call for the support of the international community for the conservation and protection of the property.

Concerning the urban encroachment issue raised in the previous state of conservation report, which referenced satellite images taken in 2012 and 2016 showing 620 new constructions in Sabratha, the State Party contends that there are in fact 2 new constructions within the proposed boundaries of the property and 31 within the buffer zone. This discrepancy should be addressed in the context of the State Party’s current efforts to elaborate a map of the property’s boundaries and buffer zone. It is therefore recommended that finalizing this map be given priority by the State Party.

It is also recommended that the important efforts made by the State Party for the elaboration of a strategy for the protection of Libyan World Heritage properties build on the short- and medium-term measures identified during the International Meeting on the Safeguard of Libyan Cultural Heritage, held in Tunis in May 2016. The report is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1496.

Other sources report that there is an increasing awareness at the level of the civil society and the local authorities about the necessity to protect cultural heritage in Libya, including the properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. The meeting of the five-member Union of Libyan World Heritage Municipalities (Sabratha, March 2018) called for government measures to protect Libyan properties and stressed the need for coordination and coherence between the relevant authorities in this matter.

It remains essential that the joint mission requested by the Committee at its 40th and 41st sessions (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016; Krakow, 2017) be sent to the property as soon as the security conditions permit. In the meantime, it is important that the State Party pursue its efforts to keep the World Heritage Centre updated on the situation on the ground, as well as on the further implementation of the measures it has launched, while addressing, to the extent possible, the comments and requests made by the Committee.

Summary of the interventions
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2018
42 COM 7A.24
Archaeological Site of Sabratha (Libya) (C 184)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7A.Add,
  2. Recalling Decisions 41 COM 7A.39 and 41 COM 8C.2 adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
  3. Commends the State Party for the important efforts made to elaborate the strategy to protect Libyan World Heritage properties, despite the prevailing unstable situation and difficult working conditions on the ground;
  4. Expresses great concern over the damages incurred at the property due to the armed conflict, in particular to the theatre, urban encroachment, vandalism and weathering, in conjunction with the technical and financial difficulties to undertake appropriate protection and conservation measures;
  5. Notes with appreciation the activities undertaken by the State Party to address the conservation threats in the property despite the numerous difficulties faced;
  6. Also commends the State Party for the important advances in the definition of the buffer zone of the property, and encourages it to pursue the finalization of the boundary clarification and the minor boundary modification in close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in line with Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines;
  7. Reiterates its request to the State Party to keep the World Heritage Centre regularly informed of the evolution of the situation at the property and of any new measures undertaken to ensure its protection and conservation, and to continue to provide detailed information on the works carried out, including technical explanations justifying the interventions;
  8. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, as soon as the security conditions permit;
  9. Calls for an increased mobilization of the international community to provide more financial and technical support to the State Party, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund, to implement the short- and medium-term measures identified during the International Meeting on the Safeguard of Libyan Cultural Heritage (Tunis, May 2016);
  10. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2019, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019;
  11. Decides to retain the Archaeological Site of Sabratha (Libya) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
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42 COM 8C.2
Update of the List of World Heritage in Danger (Retained Properties)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined the state of conservation reports of properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger (WHC/18/42.COM/7A, WHC/18/42.COM/7A.Add and WHC/18/42.COM/7A.Add.2),
  2. Decides to retain the following properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger:
  • Afghanistan, Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley (Decision 42 COM 7A.1)
  • Afghanistan, Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam (Decision 42 COM 7A.2)
  • Austria, Historic Centre of Vienna (Decision 42 COM 7A.5)
  • Bolivia (Plurinational State of), City of Potosí (Decision 42 COM 7A.8)
  • Central African Republic, Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park (Decision 42 COM 7A.45)
  • Chile, Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works (Decision 42 COM 7A.9)
  • Côte d'Ivoire / Guinea, Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (Decision 42 COM 7A.46)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Garamba National Park (Decision 42 COM 7A.47)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Decision 42 COM 7A.48)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Decision 42 COM 7A.49)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Salonga National Park (Decision 42 COM 7A.50)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Virunga National Park (Decision 42 COM 7A.51)
  • Egypt, Abu Mena (Decision 42 COM 7A.17)
  • Honduras, Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Decision 42 COM 7A.44)
  • Indonesia, Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Decision 42 COM 7A.40)
  • Iraq, Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (Decision 42 COM 7A.18)
  • Iraq, Hatra (Decision 42 COM 7A.19)
  • Iraq, Samarra Archaeological City (Decision 42 COM 7A.20)
  • Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls (site proposed by Jordan) (Decision 42 COM 7A.21)
  • Libya, Archaeological Site of Cyrene (Decision 42 COM 7A.22)
  • Libya, Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna (Decision 42 COM 7A.23)
  • Libya, Archaeological Site of Sabratha (Decision 42 COM 7A.24)
  • Libya, Old Town of Ghadamès (Decision 42 COM 7A.25)
  • Libya, Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus (Decision 42 COM 7A.26)
  • Madagascar, Rainforests of the Atsinanana (Decision 42 COM 7A.53)
  • Mali, Old Towns of Djenné (Decision 42 COM 7A.13)
  • Mali, Timbuktu (Decision 42 COM 7A.14)
  • Mali, Tomb of Askia (Decision 42 COM 7A.15)
  • Micronesia (Federated States of), Nan Madol: Ceremonial Centre of Eastern Micronesia (Decision 42 COM 7A.3)
  • Niger, Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Decision 42 COM 7A.54)
  • Palestine, Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem (Decision 42 COM 7A.27)
  • Palestine, Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir (Decision 42 COM 7A.29)
  • Palestine, Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town (Decision 42 COM 7A.28)
  • Panama, Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo (Decision 42 COM 7A.10)
  • Peru, Chan Chan Archaelogical Zone (Decision 42 COM 7A.11)
  • Senegal, Niokolo-Koba National Park (Decision 42 COM 7A.55)
  • Serbia, Medieval Monuments in Kosovo (Decision 42 COM 7A.6)
  • Solomon Islands, East Rennell (Decision 42 COM 7A.41)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Aleppo (Decision 42 COM 7A.30)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Bosra (Decision 42 COM 7A.31)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Damascus (Decision 42 COM 7A.32)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient Villages of Northern Syria (Decision 42 COM 7A.33)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (Decision 42 COM 7A.34)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Site of Palmyra (Decision 42 COM 7A.35)
  • Uganda, Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi (Decision 42 COM 7A.16)
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City (Decision 42 COM 7A.7)
  • United Republic of Tanzania, Selous Game Reserve (Decision 42 COM 7A.56)
  • United States of America, Everglades National Park (Decision 42 COM 7A.42)
  • Uzbekistan, Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz (Decision 42 COM 7A.4)
  • Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Coro and its Port (Decision 42 COM 7A.12)
  • Yemen, Historic Town of Zabid (Decision 42 COM 7A.37)
  • Yemen, Old City of Sana’a (Decision 42 COM 7A.38)
  • Yemen, Old Walled City of Shibam (Decision 42 COM 7A.39)
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42 COM 8D
Clarifications of property boundaries and areas by States Parties

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/8D,
  2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 8D, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
  3. Acknowledges the excellent work accomplished by States Parties in the clarification of the boundaries of their World Heritage properties and commends them for their efforts to improve the credibility of the World Heritage List;
  4. Recalls that the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies are not able to examine proposals for minor or significant modifications to boundaries of World Heritage properties whenever the delimitations of such properties as inscribed remain unclear;
  5. Takes note of the clarifications of property boundaries and areas provided by the States Parties as presented in the Annex of Document WHC/18/42.COM/8D:

    ARAB STATES

    • Libya, Archaeological Site of Cyrene
    • Libya, Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna
    • Libya, Archaeological Site of Sabratha
    • Libya, Old Town of Ghadamès
    • Libya, Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus

    EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA

    • Netherlands, Defence Line of Amsterdam
    • Spain, Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture

    LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

    • Haiti, National History Park – Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers
    • Mexico, Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal;
  6. Requests the States Parties which have not yet answered the questions raised in the framework of the Retrospective Inventory to provide all clarifications and documentation as soon as possible, and by 1 December 2018 at the latest, for their subsequent examination, if the technical requirements are met, by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019.
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Draft Decision: 42 COM 7A.24

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7A.Add,
  2. Recalling Decisions 41 COM 7A.39 and 41 COM 8C.2 adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
  3. Commends the State Party for the important efforts made to elaborate the strategy to protect Libyan World Heritage properties, despite the prevailing unstable situation and difficult working conditions on the ground;
  4. Expresses great concern over the damages incurred at the property due to the armed conflict, in particular to the theatre, urban encroachment, vandalism and weathering, in conjunction with the technical and financial difficulties to undertake appropriate protection and conservation measures;
  5. Notes with appreciation the activities undertaken by the State Party to address the conservation threats in the property despite the numerous difficulties faced;
  6. Also commends the State Party for the important advances in the definition of the buffer zone of the property, and encourages it to pursue the finalization of the boundary clarification and the minor boundary modification in close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in line with Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines;
  7. Reiterates its request to the State Party to keep the World Heritage Centre regularly informed of the evolution of the situation at the property and of any new measures undertaken to ensure its protection and conservation, and to continue to provide detailed information on the works carried out, including technical explanations justifying the interventions;
  8. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, as soon as the security conditions permit;
  9. Calls for an increased mobilization of the international community to provide more financial and technical support to the State Party, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund, to implement the short- and medium-term measures identified during the International Meeting on the Safeguard of Libyan Cultural Heritage (Tunis, May 2016);
  10. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2019, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019;
  11. Decides to retain Archaeological Site of Sabratha (Libya) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Previous 2017 Next 2019
Report year: 2018
Libya
Date of Inscription: 1982
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (iii)
Danger List (dates): 2016-present
Documents examined by the Committee
WHC/18/42.COM/7A.Add
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2018) .pdf
arrow_circle_right 42COM (2018)
Exports
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* : The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).

** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.