ations Educational, c and Cultural Organization Executive Board

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1 ex ations Educational, c and Cultural Organization Executive Board Hundred and thirty-fifth Session 135 EX/ll PARIS, 26 September 1990 Original: French Item of the orovisional agenda JERUSALEM AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 25 C/RESOLUTION 3.6: REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL SUMMARY The Director-General submits the present document in compliance with decision 5.3.1, on the subject of Jerusalem, adopted by the Executive Board at its 132nd session. It has been prepared on the basis of the information available at 21 August 1990.

2 135 EX/ll I 1. The Executive Board, at its 132nd session, considered the Director-General s report on Jerusalem and the implementation of 24 C/Resolution 11.6 and adopted decision 5.3.1, in which it decided to place the matter on the agenda of its 135th session. 2. The General Conference, at its twenty-fifth session, after considering the Director-General s report on the measures taken to implement 24 C/Resolution 11.6 concerning the preservation of the cultural heritage of Jerusalem, adopted 25 C/Resolution 3.6, in which, inter alia: The General Conference, 4. Thanks the Director-General for the action he has taken to ensure that Unesco s decisions and resolutions are put into effect and invites him to persevere with his efforts for as long as the Israeli occupation continues; 5. Also invites the Director-General to instruct Professor Lemaire, his personal representative, to report to him on the state of Jerusalem s cultural and religious heritage as a whole and on the action needed to preserve and restore it; 6. Apain issues an urgent appeal to Member States, foundations and individuals to help safeguard the Islamic cultural and religious heritage belonging to the Waqf, whose condition is such that the financial and technical efforts being made by the Waqf to maintain and restore it are in need of support; 7. Decides to place this question on the agenda of its twenty-sixth session so that it may take whatever decision the situation may require. 3. Copies of 132,EX/Decision and 25 C/Resolution 3.6 were communicated to the Permanent Delegate of Israel to Unesco on 7 February 1990 with a request that he forward them to the appropriate authorities of his country. II 4. The Director-General received two communications relating to an attempt by a religious group to lay the first stone of a Jewish temple on the site of the al-aqsa Mosque on 16 October 1989: one from the Permanent Observer of Palestine at Unesco, dated 25 October 1989, and the other from the Minister of Culture and Higher Education of the Islamic Republic of Iran, dated 29 October The Director-General wrote to the Permanent Delegate of Israel, informing him of his concern for the integrity of the Holy Places and asking him to forward any observations the authorities of his country might wish to make in relation to that incident. In his letter of 5 March 1990 the Permanent Delegate of Israel replied as follows: Police authorities have a record about an event on Temple Mount on 16 October 1989, where a group of individuals

3 135 EX/ll - page 2 intended to place a corner-stone. Those responsible for the Esplanade had not given their consent to transit or deposit the stone on or near this location. The police, therefore, blocked the approaches to the site. III 5. The Executive Board at its 132nd session, adopted 132 EX/Decision 8.2, in which, among other things, it takes note of the Financial Regulations of the Special Account for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage, particularly the Islamic Monuments, of the City of Jerusalem, set up in response to the appeal made in October With the contribution of US $500,000 made by Saudi Arabia in January 1990 total contributions to the Special Account now amount to US $555, The Director-General continued his consultations with the parties concerned with a view to sending an interdisciplinary mission of his personal representatives to Jerusalem so that his report could cover archaeological, artistic and socio-cultural considerations relating to the preservation of the Old City. Following these consultations Professor Lemaire, personal representative of the Director-General, went to Jerusalem on two occasions (from 11 to 15 February 1990 and from 15 to 21 July 1990) to fulfil the task he had been given at the time of his previous missions. IV 7. The Director-General, as invited by the General Conference in 25 C/Resolution 3.6, adopted at its twenty-fifth session, instructed his personal representative to prepare a report. Professor Lemaire s report, which follows, covers the results of his two visits to Jerusalem and takes account of the various communications received by the Director-General on the state of the cultural heritage of the city of Jerusalem. 8. Report by the Director-General s oersonal representative V Report to Mr F. Mavor. Director-General of Unesco. on mv mission to Jerusalem from 15 to 20 July Purposes of the mission: inspection of the monuments of Jerusalem in connection with the complaints lodged with the Director-General, and preparation of a report on the general state of the city s monuments. 2. The mission s second purpose is the subject of the Report on the state of the cultural and relipious heritage of Jerusalem and on the needs to be met to ensure its preservation and restoration, which may be found below (para. 14). 3. People interviewed 3.1 Israeli: Mr U. Manor, Director of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Mrs A.M. Lambert, honorary ambassador, adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs;

4 135 EX/ll - page 3 Mr L. Tau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Mr T. Kollek, Mayor of Jerusalem; Mr Y. Yacovy, Director of East Jerusalem Development Ltd.; General A. Drori, Director of the Department of Antiquities; Mr G. Solar, architect-curator of the Department of Antiquities with responsibility for Jerusalem; Mr D. Bahat, former Jerusalem curator of the Service of Antiquities. 3.2 Arab: Mr A. Husseini, Director of the Waqf; Mr Y. Natshe, Director of the Islamic Department of the Waqf; Mr I. Awad, resident architect of the Committee for the Restoration of the al-aqsa Mosque and the Haram al-sharif. 3.3 Christian: His Excellency the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem. 4. As in 1989, the troubled situation and insecurity that have dominated all of the occupied territories and also Jerusalem since 1987 made certain local contacts difficult or impossible. Furthermore, His Excellency the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem and his deputy, whom I had hoped to meet, were on mission abroad. 5. Excavations 5.1 No further systematic excavations have been started since my last visit in March 1989 except at Mamilla, where the vast redevelopment site described in paragraph 11 is situated. These excavations, which are currently concentrated around Mamilla Street in the neighbourhood of the Jaffa Gate, have confirmed the existence of a cemetery on the site. Part of this very old cemetery apparently dates from ancient times. Just one tomb, probably Christian, has so far been uncovered. The excavations are being conducted as a matter of, great urgency as road improvements and construction work are due to start very shortly. 5.2 The widening of a road to Silwan has uncovered a number of Jewish tombs of the Roman and Byzantine eras, and the road has been rerouted in order to conserve them. The objects discovered in the tombs have been deposited in the Rockefeller Museum. 6. The tunnel 6.1 The tunnel has not been altered in any way since my last visit. The cleaning of the rooms of various periods, all earlier than the fourteenth century, under the area of the Madrasa al-tankiziya or al-makhama is continuing, together with essential consolidation work to ensure the safety of the buildings above. It should be noted that these are vaulted rooms that have over the centuries become partially filled in with earth, and that the work that has been going on for years has had no effect on the stability on the buildings constructed above. On the contrary, the clearance work undertaken

5 135 EX/ll - page 4 has shown that certain areas had become unstable. The cleaning work is directed by Mr Dan Bahat and therefore benefits from archaeological advice of a good professional level. An engineering firm is responsible for stability. No special remarks regarding the technical quality of the work carried out or its appropriateness to the type of buildings concerned are called for. 6.2 The problem of movement in the long tunnel running some 300 metres along the wall of the Haram al-sharif remains unsettled. It is one that has already been raised, in paragraph 3 of my report of 19 April 1989.l The subterranean Hasmonaean canal rediscovered by chance makes it technically possible to create an exit to this long, narrow (1.1 m wide, on average) corridor in which two-way movement is possible. Pressure from religious Jews and a desire to show the wall to tourists has prompted some people to push for the tunnel to be made accessible to all. It will be recalled that the construction of an exit at the northern end of the Hasmonaean tunnel in Bab al-ghawanima Street (in the heart of the Arab working-class quarter and in a narrow alley that provides the main access to the Haram al-sharif) has been quite justifiably opposed by the Islamic authorities, who fear, not without reason, that the confrontation of adherents of the two religions in this spot would lead to incidents. They have therefore strenuously refused to surrender one of their buildings for the purpose of constructing the stairwell considered necessary in the project for access to the Hasmonaean canal. In view of this refusal some people, I am reliably informed, have proposed digging a return tunnel parallel to the existing one. To the best of my knowledge this idea has not received the support of the authorities. It must be said that this project, should it take shape, is at the very least a questionable one. Technically speaking it would be extremely risky to dig a new tunnel under the Arab Quarter next to the Haram al-sharif even if every possible precaution was taken. The quarter contains a considerable number of important historical monuments and very many houses of traditional style and construction, all standing on the debris and remains of earlier edifices accumulated over a thousand years in the Tyropeon valley. The excavation of the present tunnel has been responsible for problems of stability, sometimes serious, affecting a not inconsiderable number of buildings, even though the work was carried out in quite favourable technical conditions: one side of the tunnel (the Herodian wall) was completely stable. Such conditions would not apply to a new tunnel next to the first and running parallel to it, which could cause much larger ground movements and consequently have a much more serious effect on the buildings constructed above. Moreover, according to the laws in force in Jerusalem, the subsoil is legally the property of the land-holder, and the agreement of a large number of proprietors would be needed in order to undertake this work. As these proprietors are nearly all Arab and Muslim it is quite unrealistic to expect that such agreement could be secured. If the work were to be carried out without seeking such agreement and without informing the owners of the land and buildings concerned, as happened in the case of the present tunnel, that would immediately provoke a major conflict with the local population and the Islamic authorities. Not every archaeological discovery should or can be made accessible to the public. Certain exposed sites may be in an extremely delicate state and would suffer or even be seriously damaged or destroyed by constant visits. In my view this would apply to the subterranean Hasmonaean canal, which is very 1. Document 131 EX/17.

6 135 EX/ll - page 5 narrow and cut partly in fairly soft rock. Moreover, the two or three stone courses, sometimes of Cyclopean proportions, of the Herodian wall, which the tunnel runs past and which would be the main attraction of a visit, are similar to those that may be viewed elsewhere on the western wall of the Haram al-sharif and inter alia in the rooms accessible to the public beneath the Madrasa al-tankiziyya. Apart from the fact that the tunnel runs all the way along the western wall, which is of no cultural significance, the visit is of no real interest to anyone other than experts in the field. As far as the Jewish religious interest is concerned, it should be pointed out that the traditional Wailing Wall is fully accessible to all: this has been made possible by the huge Piazza created since 1967 to highlight the Wall s special importance for the Jewish people. 7. Street improvements, including the renewal or installation of sewers, drinking water and electricity mains and telephone cables, are continuing and nearing completion. Work at present is being carried out in the Arab Quarter, particularly between the Damascus Gate and Herod s Gate. In addition, the road surface, which is too thin in some streets carrying heavy traffic in the Lower City, is being replaced with stone of suitable dimensions. 8. The work undertaken by the Department of Antiquities of the Waqf on the various monuments of the Haram al-sharif is continuing, particularly on the Madrasa al-ghadiriyya and the Madrasa al-ashrafiyya, the restoration of which is particularly complicated. The restoration of Khan al-sultan is nearing completion. The socio-political situation in the occupied area.is such that work is performed for only a few hours each day and frequently comes to a complete halt. Furthermore, the sizeable devaluation of the Jordanian dinar in recent months has seriously affected the financial resources of the Department and could lead to a dramatic reduction in the rate of work if fresh funds are not speedily obtained from other sources. This demonstrates the urgent need to launch the Special Account for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage, particularly the Islamic Monuments, of the city of Jerusalem. 9. The restoration of the Qubba al-sakhra, the Dome of the Rock, has begun. The scaffolding for the restoration of the cupola is currently being erected. The gilded aluminium sheets currently covering the monument will be replaced by smaller sheets of gilded copper similar to those that were traditionally used. The gold necessary for the operation has not yet been obtained. The cost of the entire operation on the Dome of the Rock is put at US $8,500, The Waqf authorities are concerned about a project prepared by the municipality to widen and redevelop a footpath through the Muslim cemetery located beneath the eastern wall of the Old City. There is a way through at present but it is for local purposes only and really leads only to the cemetery. It is feared that crowds of tourists will descend on a site that by its very nature should remain calm and peaceful. What surprises them most about this proposal is the fact that - according to them - a completely different policy is applied to Jewish cemeteries, to which access tends to be restricted and where through traffic is discouraged. 11. Since 1971 I have on several occasions made mention in my reports of projects to develop the Mamilla district situated to the west of the Old City in the immediate neighbourhood of the Jaffa Gate and the Citadel. Before 1900 Mamilla was an area occupied by a vast cemetery and a large reservoir; it was crisscrossed by a rather dense road network that included the main road to Jaffa and the coast. Much of the area, particularly the northern part, which still contains an old Muslim cemetery, now converted into Independence Park, has been built on

7 135 EX/ll - page 6 since the period of the Mandate. Only a small valley of some 10 hectares close to the city wall remained unoccupied. A number of buildings (small blocks of flats, workshops, garages) were damaged during the hostilities of Nothing was done from 1948 to 1967 as the demarcation line passed through this part of Mamilla a few dozen metres from the wall. Between the wall and the demarcation line lay a no-man s-land of considerable extent. The new city has spread, particularly since 1967 in the Israeli zone, all around this near abandoned area, depriving it of its natural and easy access to the Old City through the Jaffa Gate. The Mamilla project, the plans for which were laid as soon as the Old City was occupied, seeks to fill in this empty space at the geographical centre of Greater Jerusalem. The project straddles the demarcation line between the Israeli area of Jerusalem and the no-man s-land separating it from the Jordanian area: it covers a large part of the no-man s-land. The project s architect is Moshe Safdie, and it is supported both by the Government of Israel and by the municipality. Its execution has been entrusted to an international property company, Landbroke Group PLC. The plan includes huge green spaces, an underground car-park for 700 cars, 48,000 square metres of space for commercial purposes, 28,000 square metres for dwellings and 35,000 square metres for hotels. The project centres on a broad, tree-lined avenue occupying the floor of the valley and opening out to the south on gardens and terraces, which adjoin the park laid out to the southwest and south of the Old City. The wall of the Old City gradually looms up as one approaches the Jaffa Gate and the Citadel. The height of the planned buildings is in keeping with the neighbourhood, and the style of architecture - which is rather bald, perhaps too much so - takes its inspiration from the Jewish buildings of Jerusalem constructed at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. This is the largest town-planning project launched in Jerusalem in the immediate neighbourhood of the historic city since 1967, and it is on a site at least part of which, the no-man s-land, is the subject of a dispute. It completely alters the immediate environment of the west side of the historic city, developing on the basis of an urban concept an area that is admitedly very disordered and has been greatly disrupted throughout the present century. 12. The conservation of old archives and libraries by modern methods presents a major problem in Jerusalem. This subject has been discussed several times in my reports. It is therefore important to note the considerable and disinterested work carried out by the Friends of the Khalidi Library, led by Mr L. Conrad of Cambridge, to save the Khalidi collection, which is of great interest not only for the city s history but also for a knowledge of the city s intellectual life over the centuries. The Khalidi Library is the richest library in Jerusalem: it contains some 1,200 Arabic manuscripts, 50 Turkish and Persian manuscripts, 1,000 Western printed books and 5,000 Arabic books all predating the period of the Mandate. Certain manuscripts are unique. Some go back to the twelfth century. The subjects covered include Koranic studies, history, the Hadith, jurisprudence, poetry, mysticism, medicine, philosophy, the exact sciences and literature. The condition of many of the books is very worrying or even, at first sight, hopeless. The team working on the spot has made considerable and usually successful efforts to disinfect the books, saving them from insects and fungus, rearranging the fragments, reconstructing works that have come to pieces, rebinding them, etc. A genuinely magnificent labour of love that will go on for several years!

8 135 EX/ll - page 7 The very limited financial resources of the Friends of the Khalidi Library come from the United Kingdom and the Khalidi family. The work is done chiefly by volunteer experts from the United Kingdom and other countries. Financial assistance from the Special Account for Jerusalem and other sources will assist the work and enable it to be carried out more quickly, making it possible to purchase the equipment necessary for the proper conservation of the manuscripts. According to the team in charge the restoration of the library including the preparation of a descriptive catalogue will cost some US $160,000 over several years. 13. The Palestine Archaeological Museum or Rockefeller Museum has very few visitors at present. The works of art and archaeological specimens are still displayed in accordance with outdated museological methods and ideas. Moreover, the museum is extremely short of storage space as the excavations conducted over the past 20 years have added considerably to its collections. There are plans to construct new depositories, and consideration is being given to the reorganization of the museum. 14. Report on the state of the cultural and relipious heritage of Jerusalem and on the needs to be met to ensure its preservation and restoration 14.1 It is important to establish from the outset of this report what limits there are as regards both subject-matter and the geographical area under consideration. Where subject-matter is concerned, we have included only the architectural and urban heritage and, in passing, museums and archives to the extent that they are directly linked to a particular site or monument. As regards the geographical limits, we were concerned first and foremost with the zone in Jerusalem that has been occupied since Outside this zone, only monuments posing problems are mentioned The facts and figures used in the inquiry are based either on personal observation or on information obtained from the persons - Arab or Israeli - responsible for the heritage in question. The information is usually approximate, especially with regard to the scale of the work to be carried out or its cost, given the absence, in the case of almost all the buildings, of pre-existing studies and estimates. Any evaluations should therefore be considered just as rough ideas of the cost of conservation or restoration work. In the case of many - mainly Islamic - monuments, it is in fact impossible, for the present, to make even rough estimates since no studies exist for most of them. In the meantime, we shall have to be satisfied with overall estimates that will have to be reviewed as.new information becomes available Jerusalem s first monument is the city itself, included in its entirety on the World Heritage List. So far as the present state of the city is concerned, reference should be made to paragraph 3 of the Synoptic report on developments in the safeguarding of the monumental heritage of Jerusalem from 1971 to prepared by the present writer for the twenty-fourth session of the General Conference. Apart from the facts mentioned in my mission report of July 1990, the situation has remained unchanged. It should be acknowledged that apart from the regrettable demolitions carried out in the Maghrib Quarter immediately following the.occupation and, in the same context, the demolition of the Madrasa al-zawiya al-fakhriya and the house of Abu Sa ud, two monuments from the Mameluke period, to allow for the extension of excavations carried out under the direction of Professor 1. Document 24 C/15, Annex V.

9 135 EX/ll - page 8 Mazar at the foot of the Haram al-sharif, no notable monuments have been lost in the Old City since On the other hand, a large number of remarkable buildings (Ribat Kurd, Madrasa Jawharyyia, Madrasa Manjakyyia) and a number of old houses making up the vernacular habitat of the city had their stability affected either by the digging of a tunnel, 305 metres long, under the Arab Quarter along the western wall of the Haram al-sharif, or because of digging made necessary by the systematic renewal of the sewers and underground water mains, electricity, telephone and TV cables. Several old houses were demolished because they had become dangerous. In addition, according to Israeli sources, a large number (244) of buildings were consolidated during these works. The facts oblige us to mention a large number of works which have contributed to improving the physical condition of the city as compared with These include the partial restoration and reconstruction of the Jewish Quarter - almost totally ruined during the war - with a lower population density than formerly but, with a few exceptions (Yeshiva Porat Yosef and the neighbouring block of flats), in keeping with the traditions of Jerusalem where its spirit, structures, architecture and building materials are concerned and fitting very well into the general townscape;1 the almost complete renovation of the drainage system, replacing a network constructed, repaired and progressively adapted over the centuries, which had become notoriously inadequate; renewal of the water mains, electricity and telephone cables and television distribution network in more than half the city, making it possible to do away with the forest of aerials which used to be a dominant feature of the city skyline; the almost complete renewal of street surfaces with a paving of Jerusalem stone; and new street lighting. In addition, the city authorities have undertaken the general restoration of the walls and six of the seven existing city gates: the Damascus Gate, Herod s Gate, St Steven s (or Lion s) Gate, Dung Gate, Zion Gate and New Gate. It should be acknowledged that almost all this work has been properly and professionally carried out. The question is therefore not so much whether the work has been properly done and makes the city pleasanter to look at or live in, as whether it is for an occupying power to decide on and carry out such work. It is obvious that this work, financed by the Israeli authorities, represents a considerable investment. A total of around $60 million has been spent, according to the city authorities. This is a burden which will no longer have to be borne and there will, as a result, be a drastic reduction in planned expenditure on the upkeep and preservation of the city The countryside surrounding the City of Jerusalem undoubtedly forms part of its monumental heritage. A city or a monument are inseparable from their environment, and the conservation or proper management of that environment are decisive factors in their preservation. The reports drawn up 1. The Jewish Quarter, covering about 15 per cent of the area of the Old City, had for centuries been the place where most of the Jewish families in Jerusalem lived. They lived there together with Muslim and Christian families. Having been bombed and badly damaged during the war, the quarter had largely remained in that condition up to It was completely expropriated by the Israeli State, which restored and rebuilt it. A law restricts occupation to Jewish institutions and people.

10 135 EX/ll - page 9 by the present writer have described the principal stages in the changes to the scenery, which had remained biblical up to the beginning of the nineteenth century and even up to the beginning of the British Mandate. The growth in the population from 67,781 inhabitants in 1922 to 164,440 in 1946 accounts for the inevitable occupation of these areas outside the walls even before 1900, and the overcrowding and partial deterioration of housing conditions in certain quarters of the historic city, which covers an area of only 90 hectares and is traditionally very densely populated. Since 1947, the population of the city has tripled and has doubled in relation to the number of inhabitants in According to Israeli sources in 1967, the total city population was 264,800, of whom 68,600 lived in the east zone and 199,200 in the west zone. In addition, the city has attracted since 1967 a large number of institutions, government offices and industrial plants covering considerable areas. The inevitable consequence has been radical changes to the countryside surrounding the city. A large proportion of the city s land (about 14,500 hectares - the area differs according to sources and dates) is at present built up, and Jerusalem has been surrounded by a ring of satellite towns. Built-up areas are mainly situated to the west and north of the Old City, i.e. in the pre-1967 Israeli area, where new property development was beginning even at the time of the Mandate. The countryside to the east and south of the Old City has, as a result, been somewhat less affected and altered. The city authorities have established in this area, from the basin of Mamilla in the west, near the Jaffa Gate, to the Valley of Kidron in the east, an extensive natural park, expropriating a large number of farms or fallow lands in order to manage them. These expropriations gave rise in the 1970s to a number of complaints, including complaints to the Director-General. On the other hand, the view over Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, that is, westwards, has been completely spoiled by large numbers of buildings that are quite out of scale and now dwarf the silhouettes of the city s great historic monuments on the horizon. All in all, the situation has not changed much since 1976, the economic crisis having slowed down or led to the cancellation of numerous major projects and an improved perception of the value of the landscape having led to a town-planning policy avoiding, as far as possible, the construction of new buildings that destroy the balance of the site. Nevertheless, the harm has been done and is irreparable. A new development will soon affect one area which has, in fact, already suffered upheavals and whose nineteenth- and twentieth-century buildings have become slums. This is a portion of the Mamilla district, the northern part of which has, for over a hundred years, been an area of urban development extra muros. The remaining area adjoining the western wall of the city as far as the Jaffa Gate is being redeveloped and rebuilt. The area covers about 15 hectares and is situated in the Israeli sector in terms of the 1948 demarcation line, except for one strip covering less than 10 per cent of the area, which is situated in no-man s-land. The aim of the project, which is just getting under way, is to create in this area a new district to link the new city to the old. It will include a commercial district (48,000 m2), a large underground car-park (700 cars), a

11 135 EX/ll - page 10 boulevard in a park planted with trees which runs along part of the west wall of Suleyman, a residential area (200 units) and a 500-room hotel. Several plans have been drawn up for this district since 1969 (several have mentioned my reports to the Director-General). The present plan, considerably reduced in comparison with its original intentions, adopts a scale and type of urban fabric which are more modest and more suited to the place. This is in fact the last available site for high-density building in the vicinity of the historical city. From a small provincial town, Jerusalem has become, in less than 50 years, a metropolis. The city is paying an incalculable price for this by having to see irreparable havoc wrought on one of the most beautiful urban landscapes in the world The ancient heritage. Jerusalem contains numerous remains of its long and tragic ancient history. Some are still present in the architecture but most have been uncovered during the many excavations carried out in Jerusalem by archaeological and biblical schools from many countries since the second half of the nineteenth century and undertaken, often in a spectacular way, by Israeli archaeologists under the Israeli occupation of the Old City. The present-day authorities have treated these relics, some of which date back to the time of Herod, with especial care. The Roman remains of the Damascus Gate, one of the entrances to the Aelia Capitolina, the city rebuilt by Hadrian in 131 AD, 61 years after the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, known about for a long time, have been further uncovered, preserved and opened to visitors. A square whose design shows considerable merit has been laid out in front of the Gate, easing entry through this Gate which is one of the main access points into the city, used particularly by the Arab population. Dating from the same period, the southern part of the Cardo of the new Roman city has been cleared of some of the later constructions and redeveloped into a shopping street partially covered by a contemporary structure which fits well into the surroundings. Likewise, the remains of several Roman houses burned down in 70 AD, when Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus, have been discovered under the Jewish Quarter and preserved and developed into a museum in the basements of new buildings. Many remains of Ammonite, Roman and Byzantine buildings have been uncovered at the foot of the present walls which were put up by Saladin in the twelfth century, and have been put on display with care in archaeological gardens. The most extensive excavations are those running along the south and south-western side of the Haram al-sharif, commonly known as the Mazar excavations. They reflect the ancient history of Jerusalem since the time of the Kings to the time of the Umayyads and contain remains of buildings covering over 1,500 years of the city s history. Sad to say, this is the only ancient complex whose upkeep leaves something to be desired. It is an outstanding archaeological site spoiled by jumble, weeds and even rubbish, although it gave rise to notable international controversies which first led Unesco to intervene in the safeguarding of Jerusalem. Cleaning, consolidation and proper presentation are urgently needed, maintaining the excavations at their present level, i.e. the level of the vast Islamic palaces built around this part of the Haram in the eighth century, if this vital testimony of the history of the Holy City is to be preserved. The city authorities have undertaken to see to it in the very near future.

12 135 EX/ll - page 11 The citadel contains remains from the time of Herod, the crusaders and the Ottomans and is a very impressive building of great historical interest. It was excavated between 1967 and 1974 by A. Eytan and R. Amiran. Remains dating back to the time of David and later periods have been uncovered. The inner courtyard of the citadel has been converted into a large archaeological park, which detracts from its proper significance. Since the end of the nineteenth century, the place known as the City of David, situated on the spur which extends southwards from the hill of the Haram al-sharif beyond the walls and lies between the valleys of Tyropeon and Kidron, has been regularly excavated because it has been identified as the site of the original heart of the City of Jerusalem, dating back to the Jebusites, i.e. to the Bronze Age. The last excavations carried out before 1967 by the celebrated Kathleen Kennyon, among others, had built up, on the sides of the spur, unstable banks of earth which had slid and had led on several occasions to fatal accidents, as in 1974, for example. Orders were given for the site to be cleaned up in order to avoid such accidents in the future. Excavations were carried out at the same time as this work and they have provided considerably more information about the most ancient history of the city and its inhabitants way of life. The remains, once covered by bushes and sometimes even by rubbish, have been stabilized, consolidated, restored and presented to advantage. The area of excavations has been extended beyond what simply technical reasons would require. The digging of the tunnel along the west wall of the Haram al-sharif has uncovered, to an average height of three metres and a length of 305 metres, a horizontal section of the Roman wall which at the time surrounded the Temple rebuilt during the reign of Herod. It is extraordinary evidence of the architectural and technical know-how of the period. The wall is built of blocks of colossal size - some of the stones weigh more than 300 tons! - and with incredible accuracy. It is an outstanding monument of Roman technology. Unfortunately, the excavation was carried out irregularly, to say the least. Contrary to the legislation in force which gives the owner of the ground full, rights over the sub-soil, the work was carried out on the initiative of the Ministry for Religious Affairs without the prior agreement of the owners and unbeknown to them, disturbing stability in a sometimes serious way in the whole of an area densely covered with historic buildings. Furthermore, no genuinely scientific archaeological follow-up has been provided, the undertaking having a religious rather than historical significance. The * tunnel has often been discussed by the Executive Board and even by the General Conference. In many places in the Old City, renewal of the.sewers, water mains and electricity supply systems, requiring streets and squares to be dug up, has led to occasional discoveries which have included the ancient street system. An accurate survey has been made by Israeli archaeologists. The most important Byzantine discovery made during the excavations was of the remains of the celebrated Nea, an enormous church (116 metres long, including the narthex) built at the southern end of the Cardo by Justinian around 543 AD in honour of the Virgin. There remain some sub-structures which have now been uncovered and a huge vaulted underground cistern, dated by an inscription of the period. In addition, to the south of the Haram al-sharif, the Mazar excavations have uncovered a whole district of Byzantine houses covering even more ancient remains. It would be contrary to the truth not to acknowledge the scientific importance of these discoveries, made mainly through excavations, for a deeper knowledge of the ancient history of Jerusalem, just as it does not square with the facts to claim that, in general, the excavations have not been. carried out

13 135 EX/ll - page 12 in accordance with the relevant international scientific standards. The scientific reputation of the majority of the persons in charge of the excavations guarantees this. The real problem is whether such excavations are authorized or advisable in the occupied territories. The Recommendation on International Princinles applicable to Archaeological Excavations, adopted at New Delhi on 5 December 1956 and co-signed by Israel, states in Article 32: In the event of armed conflict, any Member State occupying the territory of another State should refrain from carrying our archaeological excavations in the occupied territory. In the event of chance finds being made, particularly during military works, the occupying Power should take all possible measures to protect these finds.... It is obvious that an appreciable proportion of the finds made in Jerusalem are not covered by these provisions. It is natural and necessary and thus part of the responsibility of any authority to undertake excavations in ground rich in historical remains when works that are urgent and vital for the public good are being carried out if those works lead to the disturbance or destruction of archaeological strata or if lasting constructions are going to cover them and thereby make access to them difficult or impossible. This has happened in Jerusalem with works associated with the renewal of the underground urban infrastructure, with reconstruction in the three-quarters-destroyed Jewish Quarter and, to a certain extent, with works carried out on the hill of the City of David in order to stabilize the slopes and ensure the safety of the public. Nevertheless, most of the other excavations fall into another category, that of research decided on for no purpose other than to study the archives of the soil in order to extend knowledge about the past of the area. These excavations contravene the above-mentioned New Delhi Recommendation.1 The state of preservation of the buildings and archaeological sites mentioned above is in general excellent, new excavations having been accompanied by conservation and improvement campaigns. These sites have all been opened to the public, with the exception of the tunnel. However, two exceptions should be mentioned. These are the Mazar excavations at the south-west corner of the Haram al-sharif, the poor condition of which has already been described and where ill-advised reconstitutions and reconstructions had been begun (fortunately demolished recently), and the Nea excavations which are awaiting vital conservation and improvement work The Islamic heritage. More than 1,250 years of Arab occupation have given the monuments of Jerusalem - the third Holy City of Islam - a quite predominantly Muslim character. The Old City itself, in certain aspects of its structure and its vernacular architecture - the faithful expression of a way 1. The project to make the tunnel accessible to the public, and particularly to Jews, who venerate this monument which is sacred for them, has not been totally abandoned. Because it is so narrow, only a one-way visit of the tunnel is possible, which requires an exit which does not yet exist. A scheme has been devised to link the recently-dug tunnel to another, rediscovered in 1986, which would prolong it. This latter tunnel had already been negotiated by Warren in This tunnel was dug centuries before Christ and links the pools under the Convent of the Sisters of Zion, to the north of the Haram al-sharif (Temple Mount for the Jews). It was blocked by the building of the monumental wall round the site during the reign of Herod. The connection between the two tunnels was accidental, Israeli archaeologists having overlooked Warren s discovery. An exit constructed through this tunnel would lead into the immediate neighbourhood of one of the main gates by which the Muslim population enter the Haram. Serious troubles are to be feared if it were to be built.

14 135 EX/ll - page 13 of life - bears witness to this. However, the Islamic character is essentially established by a large number of monuments typical of Muslim architecture - mosques, tombs, madrasas, libraries, public fountains, etc. It would be irrelevant here to make a complete inventory. The following list is restricted to the most precious buildings of this outstanding heritage The Haram al-sharif. Mount Moriyya, the probable site of the Sacrifice of Isaac and site of Solomon s temple, ravaged by Nebuchadnezzar s armies in 587 BC and rebuilt at the end of the following century, profaned under the rule of the Seleucids (169 BC), restored several years later under Judas Maccabaeus, completely reconstructed by Herod from 20 13C onwards and completed, in spite of its colossal size, in a few years, razed with the rest of the city by Titus in 70 AD, reconstructed as part of the building of Aelia Capitolina by Hadrian from 131 AD onwards and dedicated to Jupiter, practically abandoned in the early Christian period and under the Byzantines, conquered with the city by Omar in 638 AD and, since then, a prominent Islamic site, rapidly altered and endowed with two noble sanctuaries (Mosque of Omar or Dome of the Rock and the al-aqsa Mosque), conquered by the crusaders under Godfrey de Bouillon in 1099, occupied by the Templars until the city s fall in 1189 and henceforth definitively restored to the Islamic faith, the Haram al-sharif is one of the most disputed sites in history. It is also one of the sites most charged with religious significance. Covering an area of almost 13 hectares, the Haram al-sharif is like a large, high, rectangular terrace, surrounded by thick walls, visibly dominating the city around and, from the south and east, appearing like a towering fortress dominating the valley of Kidron. Entry is through seven gates to the west and three to the north. The former openings to the east (the Golden Gate, probably of Byzantine origin) and to the south (three gates from the period of Herod, some renovated later) have been walled up since the Arab reconquest of the city in the twelfth century. Monuments or their remains have thus accumulated there for more than 2,000 years. It is impossible here to give a complete inventory or description of them. However, the main buildings are, of course, Qubba al-sakhra, built in 691 by the Caliph Abd-el-Malik and redecorated several times later, the last operation including the reconstruction of the framework and covering of the dome in Despite (or because of) this, the monument is again in need of thorough restoration. The new covering of the dome and of the ambulatory, made of large sheets of gilded aluminium, reacts in a very marked way to Jerusalem s wide variations in temperature. The covering is thus not watertight and the water that runs in is spoiling the sculpted stucco and the painted ceilings. It is planned to replace this by gold-coloured copper roofing, made of pieces corresponding to those of the old lead roofing removed in Erection of the scaffolding necessary for the first phase is under way. Elsewhere, damp seeping into the masonry of the external octagon has rusted the tenons holding the magnificent marble inlays in place. The interior of the dome has been repainted several times over the centuries. Its original splendour can be imagined if one recalls the recent restoration of the similar dome of the al-aqsa Mosque. Restoration of this kind is vital so as to reveal all the qualities of a masterpiece which is beyond compare. The sum needed for the restoration of the building cannot yet be established but the chief engineer in charge of the works estimates that at least US $5 million will be required. The al-aqsa Mosque was constructed by the son of the Caliph Abd-el-Malik, al-walid, at the beginning of the eighth century. Violently shaken by various earthquakes, it has several times been partly rebuilt and restored, for example, by the Crusaders, who made of it the great church of the Order of the Templars. It has been reduced to less than half its original area. A quite

15 135 EX/ll - page 14 momentous operation carried out in 1939 removed its fine old columns and its old framework and put in new Cararra marble columns and new beams. Finally, arson damaged it in A general restoration, including partial rebuilding of the eastern transept, has been going on since. It will be finished in the near future. The quality of the restoration of the dome has brought the award of the Aga Khan Prize to the architect/restorer. Over 50 constructions of very varied size stand on the Haram al-sharif in addition to the two great monuments mentioned above. Of these, the following deserve particular mention: Qubba al-silsila, the Dome of the Chain, a small replica of the Dome of the Rock, resting on beautiful Byzantine columns and built in under Abd-el-Malik. Restoration has been going on for about ten years. Its sixteenth century ceramics have been placed in storage and structural consolidation is under way. Work has been halted by lack of funds. Qubba al-mira j, or the Dome of the Ascension, a typical monument of the time of the crusades, probably a former baptistry. It is well preserved. The colonnades above the eight staircases leading to the terrace of the Dome of the Rock. These are in good condition. The ten existing doors to the Haram. Their state of preservation is not a matter for alarm but most of them need renovation. Twenty per cent of the restoration work on the Bab al-silsila has been completed. This will be continued as soon as funds are available. Restoration of the Bab al-habib is planned in the near future as is that of all the gates in the northern wall. The Qayit Bay Fountain, built in 1482 and restored in 1883, has recently undergone further remarkable restoration. The stonework was cracking because of the pressure from the rust that had formed on the iron tenons. The Madrasa al-uthmaniyya (1437); the beautiful fa$ade is awaiting restoration. The Madrasa al-ashrafiyya (1482), one of the masterpieces of the late Mameluke period, is undergoing restoration. Work on the entrance portico has been completed. Work is continuing with the consolidation and restoration of the ruined porticos on the upper floor. This difficult restoration work has been particularly carefully planned and executed. The Gawanima Minaret (1298), in a good state of preservation. The following Madrasas close off the Haram al-sharif to the north and have a common fasade with the Holy Place. All these fa$ades have been cleaned and pointed by the Council of the Waqf in recent years, with the exception of al-umariyya, which stands on the site of the ancient Herodian fortress of Antonia, used as a barracks until the end of the Ottoman period and subsequently as a municipal school. It is therefore owned by the city authorities which, several years ago, had repointing work done to the southern fasade of the building overlooking the Haram al-sharif. Unfortunately, the work was done using ordinary cement, which is both unsightly and may cause serious difficulties for the proper preservation of the masonry, bonded by lime mortar. The Madrasa Asardiyya ( ), the facade of which was recently restored.

16 135 EX/ll - page 15 The Madrasa al-malikiyya (1340), which has also been restored. The Madrasa al-guadiriyya (1432), under restoration. The Golden Gate, the former eastern entrance to the Haram, walled up since the Mameluke period, probably dates back to the Byzantine era. It was recently restored. The Stables of Solomon, substructures in the southern part of the Haram, built by the Templars. The only problems they raised were the fact that they were derelict and in a filthy condition. They have just been completely cleaned. From what has been said above, it will be seen that, if one excepts the Dome of the Rock which requires major works in order to safeguard it, the main monuments within the Haram al-sharif are in a satisfactory condition. The Waqf authorities have made a considerable effort over the last 15 years towards the maintenance and restoration of many of these monuments. This has mainly involved the restoration of the exterior of the buildings, which was most urgently needed in many cases. The interiors of the monuments and, in many cases, their protection against rising damp still have to be seen to. This is generally a difficult procedure calling for sophisticated techniques. In general, the work has been well carried out by a small team directed by I. Awad, architect-engineer, in the case of the mosques, and Y. Natshe in the case of the other monuments. While still on the subject of the Haram al-sharif, mention must be made of the other buildings there: The first of these is the al-aqsa Museum, which was in a deplorable state some 20 years ago, as described in a report I drew up in Since then, the Museum has been completely refurbished and brought up to current museum standards. The main items in the collection, including some of the 800 editions of the Koran and Muslim religious books (most of which are in manuscript form, some dating back to the eighth century), have been treated and the finest ones are on display. Nevertheless, substantial funds are required in order to preserve all the collections from any further damage and put them on public display. The second is the al-aqsa Library in the Madrasa al-ashrafiyya, which includes many Arabic manuscripts. This library was also, a few years ago, in a virtually derelict state. The librarian has done a great deal to ensure renovation, to make an inventory of the collections and to draw up descriptive catalogues. He nevertheless lacks the equipment needed to counter the ravages caused to old books by insects and mildew. The same problem arises with the Haram al-sharif archives which are in one of the buildings along the northern edge. The archives are carefully preserved but in a completely traditional way. There is no equipment. for treating, strengthening or reproducing documents, and fire prevention measures are rather notional There are a significant number of Islamic monuments in the city, the architecture of which is generally Mameluke. They are to be found, more especially in the central district immediately west of the Haram, lying between Bab al-silsila to the south, the former Cardo of Aelia Capitolina to the west and Aqaba al-takiya and Ala al-din to the north. In all, there are approximately 100 constructions of various sizes ranging from simple fountains to vast markets, hospices or large madrasas. Although virtually all of them belong to religious or family waqfs, all the buildings are densely occupied