Conserving the Kingdom

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A poor restoration using cement based mortars with invented and added elements, though well intentioned, damages the historic fabric and detracts from the historic character of the area.

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The old souq in Al Wajh with its dense organic morphology is typical of Islamic towns.

How can this be realised in virtual ‘ghost towns' where tourism-related uses would not be sufficient to rekindle a sense of social identity? Can life be brought back into an urban environment without creating a fake attraction akin to a theme park?

At the same time, maintaining the privacy of the family-and especially that of women-is a fundamental cornerstone of the traditional Islamic city as it is inevitably built based on a clear division of public and private spaces.

Admittedly, this is not an urban form that immediately lends itself to tourism. Yet the alteration of these characteristics to accommodate tourism through the assignment of new and different functions to residential units-and even opening up ground floors to increase retail opportunities-can result in the loss of the unique and fundamental character of the place.

There is concern across the region that the past is being reinvented as a heritage attraction, and that ‘heritage' is being manufactured for tourist consumption.

In fact, there is a growing number of hotels and resorts that are distinctly seeking a ‘historic' and often vernacular style as a selling point. Such practices not only devalue heritage, they detract from the value of what little remains of the authentic.

By fuelling the belief that heritage can be reconstructed using modern materials wherever and whenever it is convenient, the fledgling urban conservation movement in the region is only further destabilised.

The team felt it was fundamental to adopt a conservation-led rather than a tourism-led approach to revitalising the historic quarters of the city.

Sound conservation practices, recognisable results, adopting a realistic approach to authenticity and local engagement are seen as the only way to facilitate tourism development and create destinations that are neither fake nor archaeological relics.

Building conservation

Internationally established conservation principles, such as those set out in ICOMOS (International Council of Monuments and Sites) charters and by UNESCO in the Operational Guidelines of the World Heritage Convention dictate material, technique and context sensitive approaches to conservation.

Authenticity and integrity are the underlying principles of conservation. Repairing rather than rebuilding and using traditional materials ensures that the intervention is authentic and that the integrity of the monument or historic place is preserved.

But buildings located in a living urban environment are not relics and, as such, part of the process is to upgrade them to fulfill the needs of contemporary living without compromising their cultural or architectural significance.

Across the region there are those who are keenly researching and recording the history of their towns and cultural traditions.

Nevertheless, most architects and planners in the region are trained only in the techniques and principles of new buildings and not in the rehabilitation or conservation of old buildings.

In the absence of sufficient funding and necessary expertise, well-intended conservation projects can result in further damage to the historic fabric.

The most significant concern, however, is the lack of skilled craftsmen to carry out conservation work. For most construction work, the region has become largely dependent on an immigrant labour force that is wholly unfamiliar with the historical context of the region.

In many places, local craftsmen have not plied their trade for decades and, in that time, many skill sets have been forgotten or simply become obsolete.

For example, in Jeddah, there are just two craftsmen who still retain the skills to repair the hundreds of surviving tower houses of the old town. Likewise, the team's enquiries in Yanbu Al Bahr revealed no more than a handful of craftsmen possessing the historical skills.

Put simply, no one is passing on their skills to future generations because they feel they are irrelevant or because the younger generations are simply uninterested. Even continuing the Red Sea tradition of employing Egyptian craftsmen has become impossible amidst a growing shortage of skills there too.

Adaptive re-use

Conservation is considered the management of change and yet there is little reason to conserve buildings if there is no viable end use for them. Finding appropriate and viable new uses for a large number of abandoned buildings has become a major undertaking.

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