GHF Banteay Chhmar 2008 Progress Report Summary By John Sanday O.B.E., GHF Field Director Asia GHF Banteay Chhmar Conservation and Community Development Program GHF s primary conservation and development goals are: 1. Master Conservation Planning and Expanded Site Protection 2. Preservation of the Bas-Relief Galleries 3. Stabilization of the Central Temple Complex 4. Community Tourism Development, Training and Stewardship 5. Assist the Cambodian government in UNESCO World Heritage Site nomination and inscription process
Above: Plan of the temple showing the locations of the major extant sections of bas-reliefs and inscriptions. 2
1. Master Conservation Planning and Expanded Protection GHF s Master Conservation Planning is providing Banteay Chhmar the means to establish an appropriate, long-term balance between the needs of conservation, access, sustainable economic development and the interests of the local community. Additionally, the government has recommended that the Master Plan be prepared as a means for dealing with all of the issues affecting complex archaeological sites. It is important that the Master Plan be developed in consultation with all of those who are stakeholders in Banteay Chhmar or who may be affected by policies applied to the site. An underlying principle is that of sustainability which strikes a balance between maximizing enjoyment and use of the complex while still preserving the values and fabric of the site and its setting to ensure that its universal significance is not impaired for future generations. Thus the Banteay Chhmar Master Plan aims to regulate activities within the temple complex and surrounding area while also posing strategies to link the site s operation with other stakeholders and organizations. The Master Plan will: provide an inclusive vision of both natural and cultural heritage along with sustainable tourism and responsible development be participatory by involving key players - especially the surrounding communities be based on science and updated area data - not extrapolated from other areas including reliable scientific studies of local geology, forestry, wildlife, etc. integrate the natural and cultural management through inter-institutional coordination Global Heritage Fund (GHF) has recently signed a multi-year agreement with the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts for the master planning, conservation and protection of Banteay Chhmar following GHF s Preservation by Design methodology, which will take the site through a structured process of planning and design, threat mitigation, scientific site conservation, training and community development and stewardship. GHF is implementing an integrated program at Banteay Chhmar to enable local communities to benefit from the site s development and enhance the protection for the site and the surrounding area. 3
Above: Surveying of existing conditions for East Gallery III South Wing 2. Preservation of the Bas-Relief Galleries GHF is funding a two-year program to test materials, develop methods and train a local team to carry out the conservation of the sandstone bas-reliefs of Banteay Chhmar. Led by the South Asian Conservation and Restoration Agency (SACRA) Conservation Team under GHF s supervision, the preliminary training will be done, for the first time, in the Khmer language by Khmers for Khmers, which will be a landmark in the sustainable conservation process for Cambodia. This training and model conservation program includes: training in emergency and full stone conservation methods, materials and approaches; preparation of a manual in English and Khmer regarding methods and materials; execution of a sampling and testing program that will provide scientific data necessary for understanding the decay mechanisms and nature of the constituent materials as well as for the planning and testing of conservation methods and materials; development of a conservation method using appropriate materials, based on the results of the testing; the full photographic documentation of the carved surfaces at the site, the naming and numbering of all elements and the preparation of a full risk and priority map for the planning and execution of the conservation programme for the carved surfaces. GHF will, in collaboration with the MCFA, set up a conservation team to carry out research on and emergency conservation of endangered structures while in the long-term providing a showcase for conservation of remotely located temples in rural Cambodia, enhancing the knowledge of Khmer Culture through research and 4
conservation, and contributing to community-based tourism that supports and enhances the local community and environment. Above: Stabilization of walls for East Gallery III South Wing 5
Above: Conservation options for reconstruction of Southeast Gallery 6
3. Stabilization and Access for the Central Temple Complex There are numerous monumental structures which will need to be scientifically preserved and stabilized as Banteay Chhmar is a massive temple complex. GHF s vision is to conserve the site largely as a ruin with low-impact, safe visitor access via suspended cable platforms over the fallen structures, along with selective interventions for high-risk structures, bas-reliefs and towers. 7
This unique vision of conserving Banteay Chhmar as a partial ruin will be a radical change from the standard concept of restoration favored in Angkor. Visitors will instead experience a newly uncovered site previously hidden in the jungle for centuries and an accurate interpretation of a site with all its mystery intact and amidst natural features. Interpretations will be critical to the site s success - Banteay Chhmar s impressive bas-reliefs depicting the local Khmer history of the 12 th Century is a doctoral thesis in itself. It is nevertheless planned for the entire site to be developed and for this information to be available through local guides, through the visitor center and in selected publications. Above: Surveying of existing conditions for Southeast Gallery. 8
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4. Community Development, Training and Stewardship GHF is supporting Community Based Tourism (CBT) through training of guides and small tourism business owners and workers, especially disadvantaged rural poor people, in: 10
Guide Association Management Homestays and Restaurants Sanitation and Clean Water Market and Village Improvements Promoting Regional Attractions Above: A feast of local dishes, left, and a sign indicating local craft production, right. Above: Map showing the location of the CBT Office and the Homestays. 11
UNESCO World Heritage Site Nomination In 2008, the Cambodian government has formally announced their nomination of Banteay Chhmar s inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, an effort to which the preparation of a comprehensive Site Management Plan will contribute immensely. In this endeavor, it is noteworthy that Banteay Chhmar was added to the World Heritage Tentative List in 1992. Formal inscription to the List provides both opportunities and dangers, however; for example, the former come from the increased awareness and attention that can lead to much greater visitation and thus revenue for the local communities, but at the same time this also leads to a greater impact on the resources of the local communities (e.g. water, food, traffic) and the site itself. To account and plan for these effects, a comprehensive Site Management Plan taking into account site conservation and community development is essential to minimize negative effects of increased visitation to the site itself and to the neighboring communities and their inhabitants. Gaining UNESCO World Heritage Site status will also aid in the Cambodian 12
government s Stay Another Day campaign aimed at encouraging tourists to extend their visits to different parts of the country in order to spread tourist-generated revenues around the country and to mitigate the impacts of visitation at famous sites such as Angkor Wat. Above: Local workmen removing fallen stonework in preparation for documentation and conservation. 13
Above: Excavations underway at Banteay Chhmar. 14
GHF Partners in Conservation GHF s principal partner in the Banteay Chhmar Conservation Project is the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (MCFA), which is responsible entirely for Banteay Chhmar. The MCFA has worked hard to put Banteay Chhmar on the cultural heritage map in Cambodia, and it is for this reason that GHF is a committed partner in their efforts to repair and present Banteay Chhmar as a nominated World Heritage site. The MCFA has also designated Banteay Chhmar as an endangered site needing urgent attention. Under its present program and budget, the MCFA has a target to develop a conservation management plan and to implement it over a period of 15 years a timescale dictated by a scarcity of funds and expertise. Since receiving an offer of assistance from GHF in both these requirements, the MCFA is hopeful of an earlier completion and anticipates securing funds from the government amounting to $30,000 per year for the project. Acknowledgements GHF funding in 2007 and 2008 has come from GHF Trustees and Conservation Society in addition to generous foundations and individual donors, including Friends of Khmer Culture (FOKCI). Technical partners include the South Asian Conservation and Restoration Agency (SACRA). GHF is especially thankful to the full support received from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, especially Excellencies Chuch Phoeurn, Secretary of State; Ok Sophon, the Director General of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Phnom Penh; and Director Yang Chanta from the Department of Safeguarding Monuments, who monitors the project s wellbeing. 15