Hatra

• Major looting of Iraqi archaeological sites (issue resolved)
• Destruction and damage due to the armed conflict

• Destruction and damage due to the armed conflict

Not yet identified

Not yet established

Total amount granted (for all World Heritage Sites of Iraq):

• USD 6,000 from the Italian Funds-in-Trust
• USD 1.5 million by the Government of Japan (for cultural heritage, including World Heritage)
• USD 154,000 by the Government of Norway (for cultural heritage, including World Heritage)
• EUR 300,000 by the Government of Italy (for cultural heritage, including World Heritage)
• USD 35,000 by the Government of the Netherlands (for cultural heritage, including World Heritage)
• USD 100 000 Heritage Emergency Fund - support for Iraqi World Heritage properties

In January 2018, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/277/documents. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report, as follows:

• The State Party notes that this report does not represent the full state of conservation report that had previously been requested for Hatra and other World Heritage properties that have been subjected to military operations and/or occupation by extremist armed groups;
• There has been no progress on the completion of infrastructure in the city, which was liberated in April 2017;
• The priority actions outlined at the February 2017 International Coordination Conference on the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Liberated Areas of Iraq have not yet been implemented, nor has a rapid emergency assessment of the damages incurred been carried out;
• World Heritage properties in Iraq continue to suffer from problems related to protection, management and land use, as well as lack of funding or foreign investment and inadequate social awareness of World Heritage.

On 22 November 2017, the State Party shared with UNESCO a report on Hatra, intended to support a project proposal for the property’s conservation and restoration. This report provides some details of the damage to the property, as assessed during a mission carried out on 9 September 2017, summarized as follows:

• Wall of the Sanctuary of the Sun: Major damage occurred during the liberation of the site in April 2017, in addition to minor damage inside the rooms of the eastern main gate. Mortar shelling destroyed the upper part of the eastern façade of one of the rooms, where a 2.6m wide hole is visible;
• Maran/Hellenistic Temple: Bullet impacts have damaged the external pillars of the southern façade of the temple;
• Triad Temple: The sculptures on the arches of the small iwans (vaulted porches) have been intentionally destroyed. Vehicles were put to fire during the liberation of the site, which further damaged the small iwans. In the large iwan, the room containing several statues of the Temple was found still locked;
• Southern Great Iwans: Most of the eagle statues on the façade of the main iwan (three on each side of the arch) have been destroyed, having been used as shooting targets. The debris of the intentionally-destroyed mask statue of the northern façade has been found on the ground. The statues on the façade of the southern small iwan have been destroyed, as has the lower part of the statue inside the small iwan. The two mask statues inside the northern iwan have been destroyed, but the pair of headless statues were found intact. The rear façade of this iwan has been damaged by mortar shelling;
• Northern Great Iwans: the sculptures representing human and animal figures, located on the arch of the iwans, have been damaged. The room inside the main iwan was unlocked and parts of the statues inside have been destroyed;
• Allat, Samya and Shuhair/Shahiru Temples: No damage to these temples and sculptures has been reported;
• The modern mission building has been looted (including archaeological objects, equipment, furniture and fencing).

The State Party states that the current security situation is stable, thus allowing conservation, restoration and reconstruction work to be initiated on the ground. It highlights the need for technical missions to conduct a central assessment of the damage incurred at World Heritage properties, as was done with the technical mission to Palmyra in April 2016, after its liberation. It recommends engagement with UNESCO, the international community, universities and scientific institutions to fulfil the international commitments that have been made, and to address long-term shortcomings in the areas of management and protection. It also recommends convening an international conference on Iraqi heritage, to be followed by donor countries. It further recommends enforcing prohibitions on illicit trafficking of cultural property from Iraq.

The damages incurred at the property and the continuing absence of information about the state of conservation of the property remains of very grave concern.

The mission carried out by Iraqi authorities in September 2017 provides a general assessment of the damage incurred at this property. The State Party has prepared a project proposal for the conservation and restoration of Hatra and is actively fundraising for this project. A detailed plan for the property with short-, medium- and long-term conservation and protection goals and actions will be required.

Until such a comprehensive project has been developed, the State Party needs to take emergency protection measures that would prevent looting and further damages to the property. However, any protection and emergency stabilisation work should be undertaken only in cases where collapse or further damage is imminent, and according to the principle of minimal intervention. It is recommended that the Committee invite the State Party to inform it, through the World Heritage Centre, of any future plans for major restoration or new construction projects that may affect the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse. It is also recommended that the Committee request the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to further assess the damages and to discuss with the Iraqi authorities the short-, medium- and long-term goals and actions required to protect Hatra from further damage and looting, as well as to develop a more complete and detailed damage assessment in support of a comprehensive project for the conservation and restoration of the property.

It is also recommended that the Committee request the State Party to revisit the national and international initiatives for the safeguarding and restoration of cultural heritage in the liberated areas of Iraq, with the objective of finding ways forward to start implementing the priority actions and securing the needed resources as urgently as possible.