Historical Monuments of Mtskheta
Factors affecting the property in 2014*
- Erosion and siltation/ deposition
- Land conversion
- Management activities
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
- Lack of a management mechanism (issue resolved);
- Lack of definition of the property and of the buffer zones (issue resolved);
- Insufficient coordination between the Georgian Church and the national authorities (issue resolved);
- Privatisation of surrounding land;
- Natural erosion of stone;
- Loss of authenticity during previous works carried out by the Church;
- Inappropriate urban development within a sensitive historical environment (issue resolved).
Threats for which the property was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger
-
Lack of a management mechanism;
-
Privatisation of surrounding land;
-
Loss of authenticity of some components due to restoration works conducted using unacceptable methods.
Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger
Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4103
Corrective Measures for the property
Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4103
Timeframe for the implementation of the corrective measures
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2014
Total amount approved : 96,160 USD
| 2010 | Improving Management of the Historic Monuments of ... (Approved) | 25,660 USD |
| 1999 |
Study and Development of the Mtskheta Heritage and ...
(Approved)
Reapproval: 05 Feb, 2001 (n°1374 - 35,000 USD)
|
35,000 USD |
| 1999 | Implementation of the Masterplan for Mtskheta, Georgia (Approved) | 19,000 USD |
| 1997 | Launching of a rehabilitation programme for Mtskheta (Approved) | 16,500 USD |
Missions to the property until 2014**
November 2003, June 2008, March 2010 and April 2012: Joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS reactive monitoring missions.
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2014
On 31 January 2014, the State Party submitted a detailed state of conservation report which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/708/documents/.
The report includes final report of the investigations in Svetistkhoveli Cathedral, and a report of the project Conservation of Armaztsikhe Archaeological Site, that addresses the progress made with the implementation of the corrective measures.
The State Party reported that the project for the Waste Water Treatment Plan has been cancelled by the local municipality, in accordance with the Decision of the World Heritage Committee.
The State Party highlighted that the main factor affecting the property still remains the lack of legal management instruments, and informed that a national Law on World Heritage properties is under development by the authorities, which will offer the possibility to adopt efficient protection and management instruments.
The State Party also informed that work is continuing on the Urban Land-Use Master Plan, including zoning regulations with no-construction zones, and strict limits on development rights, and it is planned to complete this by the end of 2014. The buffer zone will be defined as part of this zoning plan.
The State Party also submitted a draft of a World Heritage State Programme, prepared in conformity with the World Heritage Committee Decisions 36 COM 7A.31, 37 COM 7A.33 and based on the Strategic Objectives for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (5Cs), and requested comments from the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.
Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2014
There has been progress in implementing the corrective measures, including the Land Use Plan, the implementation of the multi component conservation programme, and improvements to the legal framework and the Management Plan for Mtskheta, are in progress.
ICOMOS has provided comments to the State Party on the draft Management Plan which stress the need to clearly identify the attributes of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property as the basis for the Management Plan, as well as the need for legal and planning protection.
In relation to the proposed Urban Land Use Master Plan and zoning regulations, ICOMOS provided to the State Party its comment on proposed development within a zone situated between the Samtavro Monastery and Samtavro burial ground. It concluded that any development within this zone could have a highly adverse impact on the OUV of the property, and that the entire zone should be declared a zone of “absolute protection”. It was further recommended that the concept of the development zones should be re-thought on the basis of a full understanding of the extent of archaeological areas, and a survey of the relationship between the sites and their landscape setting which has fundamentally shaped their development.
The State Party has also informed that all inappropriate developments within the property and its setting have been halted, including the waste water treatment plant.
It should also be noted that the State Party plans to implement all corrective measures by the end of 2014 and to submit in 2015 a proposal for a minor boundary modification of Mtskheta to allow the establishment of a unified buffer zone.
The World Heritage Committee is recommended to request the State Party to invite a ICOMOS/ICCROM reactive monitoring mission to the property in early 2015 to assess the progress achieved in implementing all corrective measures in order to reach the Desired State of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Committee is also recommended to retain the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Georgia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger until the examination of its state of conservation by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015.
Summary of the interventions
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2014
38 COM 7A.17
Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Georgia) (C 708)
The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7A,
- Recalling Decisions 34 COM 7A.27, 35 COM 7A.30, 36 COM 7A.31 and 37 COM 7A.33 adopted at its 34th (Brasilia, 2010), 35th (UNESCO, 2011), 36th (Saint-Petersburg, 2012) and 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013) sessions respectively,
- Acknowledges the detailed information provided by the State Party on the progress made to implement the corrective measures and urges the State Party to finalise its work on all the corrective measures adopted at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010) by the end of 2014, including to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015, the Urban Land-Use Master Plan, including zoning regulations with particular emphasis on the establishment of no-construction zones, strict limits to development rights and a conservation master plan and which should take into consideration the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, its specific landscape setting, as well as important views and connection lines;
- Requests the State Party to invite a joint ICOMOS/ICCROM reactive monitoring mission to the property to assess the progress achieved in implementing all corrective measures in order to reach the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger;
- Also requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to provide advice to the State Party in finalising the Management Plan and the World Heritage State Programme;
- Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the implementation of all corrective measures, as well as a minor boundary modification proposal for a unified buffer zone of the property, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015;
- Decides to retain the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Georgia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
38 COM 8C.2
Update of the List of World Heritage in Danger (retained sites)
The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined the state of conservation reports of properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger (WHC-14/38.COM/7A and WHC-14/38.COM/7A.Add),
- Decides to retain the following properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger:
- Afghanistan, Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam (Decision 38 COM 7A.14)
- Afghanistan, Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley (Decision 38 COM 7A.15)
- Belize, Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (Decision 38 COM 7A.31)
- Central African Republic, Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park (Decision 38 COM 7A.34)
- Chile, Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works (Decision 38 COM 7A.21)
- Colombia, Los Katíos National Park (Decision 38 COM 7A.32)
- Côte d'Ivoire, Comoé National Park (Decision 38 COM 7A.35)
- Côte d'Ivoire / Guinea, Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (Decision 38 COM 7A.36)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Virunga National Park (Decision 38 COM 7A.37)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Decision 38 COM 7A.38)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Garamba National Park (Decision 38 COM 7A.39)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Salonga National Park (Decision 38 COM 7A.40)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Decision 38 COM 7A.41)
- Egypt, Abu Mena (Decision 38 COM 7A.1)
- Ethiopia, Simien National Park (Decision 38 COM 7A.43)
- Georgia, Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Decision 38 COM 7A.16)
- Georgia, Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Decision 38 COM 7A.17)
- Honduras, Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Decision 38 COM 7A.33)
- Indonesia, Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Decision 38 COM 7A.28)
- Iraq, Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (Decision 38 COM 7A.2)
- Iraq, Samarra Archaeological City (Decision 38 COM 7A.3)
- Jerusalem, Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls (Decision 38 COM 7A.4)
- Madagascar, Rainforests of the Atsinanana (Decision 38 COM 7A.44)
- Mali, Timbuktu (Decision 38 COM 7A.24)
- Mali, Tomb of Askia (Decision 38 COM 7A.25)
- Niger, Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Decision 38 COM 7A.45)
- Palestine, Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem (Decision 38 COM 7A.5)
- Panama, Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo (Decision 38 COM 7A.20)
- Peru, Chan Chan Archaelogical Zone (Decision 38 COM 7A.22)
- Senegal, Niokolo-Koba National Park (Decision 38 COM 7A.46)
- Serbia, Medieval Monuments in Kosovo (Decision 38 COM 7A.18)
- Solomon Islands, East Rennell (Decision 38 COM 7A.29)
- Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Damascus (Decision 38 COM 7A.12)
- Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Bosra (Decision 38 COM 7A.12)
- Syrian Arab Republic, Site of Palmyra (Decision 38 COM 7A.12)
- Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Aleppo (Decision 38 COM 7A.12)
- Syrian Arab Republic, Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (Decision 38 COM 7A.12)
- Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient Villages of Northern Syria (Decision 38 COM 7A.12)
- Uganda, Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi (Decision 38 COM 7A.26)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City (Decision 38 COM 7A.19)
- United States of America, Everglades National Park (Decision 38 COM 7A.30)
- Venezuela, Coro and its Port (Decision 38 COM 7A.23)
- Yemen, Historic Town of Zabid (Decision 38 COM 7A.13)
38 COM 8E
Adoption of Retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value
The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/8E,
- Congratulates the States Parties for the excellent work accomplished in the elaboration of retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for World Heritage properties in their territories;
- Adopts the retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, as presented in the Annex of Document WHC-14/38.COM/8E, for the following World Heritage properties:
- China: Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area;
- Japan: Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu; Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara; Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama; The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome);
- Sri Lanka: Sinharaja Forest;
- Vietnam: Hoi An Ancient Town; Complex of Hué Monuments;
EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA:
- Albania: Butrint;
- Armenia: Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley;
- Austria: Semmering Railway; Wachau Cultural Landscape;
- Azerbaijan: Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower;
- Belarus / Estonia / Finland / Latvia / Lithuania / Moldova / Norway / Russian Federation / Sweden / Ukraine: Struve Geodetic Arc;
- Belgium: Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels); Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mons); Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai; Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex;
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar;
- Cyprus: Paphos;
- Denmark: Ilulissat Icefjord;
- Finland: Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmäki; Fortress of Suomenlinna; Old Rauma; Petäjävesi Old Church; Verla Groundwood and Board Mill;
- Georgia: Historical Monuments of Mtskheta; Upper Svaneti;
- Germany / Poland: Muskauer Park / Park Mużakowski;
- Germany: Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch; Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau; Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl; Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town of Quedlinburg; Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz; Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg; Monastic Island of Reichenau; Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin; Pilgrimage Church of Wies; St Mary's Cathedral and St Michael's Church at Hildesheim; Völklingen Ironworks; Wartburg Castle; Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square; Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen;
- Holy See / Italy: Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura;
- Holy See: Vatican City;
- Iceland: Þingvellir National Park;
- Italy: Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico), Padua; Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta; Historic Centre of Florence; Historic Centre of Naples;
- Lithuania / Russian Federation: Curonian Spit;
- Lithuania: Kernavė Archaeological Site (Cultural Reserve of Kernavė);
- Malta: City of Valletta; Hal Saflieni Hypogeum; Megalithic Temples of Malta;
- Mongolia / Russian Federation: Uvs Nuur Basin;
- Montenegro: Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor;
- Netherlands: Historic Area of Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour, Curaçao;
- Norway: Vegaøyan -- The Vega Archipelago; West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord;
- Poland: Centennial Hall in Wrocław; Historic Centre of Warsaw;
- Portugal: Historic Centre of Évora; Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture; Monastery of Alcobaça; Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon;
- Russian Federation: Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye; Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl; Kizhi Pogost;
- Slovakia: Bardejov Town Conservation Reserve; Vlkolínec;
- Slovenia: Škocjan Caves;
- Spain: Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida; Burgos Cathedral; Historic Centre of Cordoba; Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid; Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias; Mudejar Architecture of Aragon; Old City of Salamanca; Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches; Old Town of Cáceres; Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct; Poblet Monastery; Route of Santiago de Compostela; Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe; San Cristóbal de La Laguna; Santiago de Compostela (Old Town); Works of Antoni Gaudí;
- Turkey: Archaeological Site of Troy; City of Safranbolu; Hattusha: the Hittite Capital; Xanthos-Letoon;
- Ukraine: Kiev: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra;
- United Kingdom: Gough and Inaccessible Islands; Henderson Island; Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda;
- United States of America: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site; Chaco Culture; Independence Hall; Mesa Verde National Park; Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville; Statue of Liberty;
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARRIBBEANS:
- Argentina: Ischigualasto / Talampaya Natural Parks; Los Glaciares; Península Valdés;
- Belize: Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System;
- Bolivia: City of Potosí;
- Brazil: Brasilia; Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia; Historic Centre of São Luís; Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina; Historic Centre of the Town of Goiás; Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda; Historic Town of Ouro Preto; Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas;
- Colombia: Los Katíos National Park;
- Costa Rica / Panama: Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park;
- Cuba: Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee Plantations in the South-East of Cuba; San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Santiago de Cuba; Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos; Viñales Valley;
- Dominican Republic: Colonial City of Santo Domingo;
- Guatemala: Tikal National Park;
- Panama: Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection; Fortifications on the Caribbean Side, Portobelo and San Lorenzo;
- Suriname: Central Suriname Nature Reserve; Historic Inner City of Paramaribo;
4. Decides that retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for World Heritage properties in Danger will be reviewed by the Advisory Bodies in priority;
5. Further decides that, considering the high number of retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value to be examined, the order in which they will be reviewed by the Advisory Bodies will follow the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting, namely:
- World Heritage properties in the Arab States;
- World Heritage properties in Africa;
- World Heritage properties in Asia and the Pacific;
- World Heritage properties in Latin America and the Caribbean;
- World Heritage properties in Europe and North America;
6. Takes note that the World Heritage Centre is in the process of harmonising all sub-headings in the adopted Statements of Outstanding Universal Value and, as appropriate, reflects name changes of World Heritage properties throughout the text of the Statements as requested by the Committee at its 37th session, and requests the World Heritage Centre to also update the size of the property and/or its buffer zone, as appropriate, following subsequent Decisions of the World Heritage Committee concerning Minor Boundary Modifications.
7. Requests the States Parties to provide support to the World Heritage Centre for translation of the adopted Statements of Outstanding Universal Value into English or French respectively, and finally requests the Centre to upload the two language versions on its website.
Draft Decision: 38 COM 7A.17
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decisions 34 COM 7A.27, 35 COM 7A.30, 36 COM 7A.31 and 37 COM 7A.33 adopted at its 34th (Brasilia, 2010), 35th (UNESCO, 2011), 36th (Saint-Petersburg, 2012) and 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013) sessions respectively,
3. Acknowledges the detailed information provided by the State Party on the progress made to implement the corrective measures and urges the State Party to finalise its work on all the corrective measures adopted at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010) by the end of 2014, including to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015, the Urban Land-Use Master Plan, including zoning regulations with particular emphasis on the establishment of no-construction zones, strict limits to development rights and a conservation master plan and which should take into consideration the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, its specific landscape setting, as well as important views and connection lines;
4. Requests the State Party to invite a joint ICOMOS/ICCROM reactive monitoring mission to the property to assess the progress achieved in implementing all corrective measures in order to reach the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger;
5. Also requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to provide advice to the State Party in finalising the Management Plan and the World Heritage State Programme;
6. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the implementation of all corrective measures, as well as a minor boundary modification proposal for a unified buffer zone of the property, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015;
7. Decides to retain the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Georgia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Georgia
Documents examined by the Committee
38COM (2014)Exports
* :
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.
