Books by Hossam Mahdy
This book examines in depth the conservation history of a pearl of Islamic built heritage, the hi... more This book examines in depth the conservation history of a pearl of Islamic built heritage, the historic city of Cairo, to offer guidelines for cultural heritage professionals and students. The author, Hossam Mahdy, a former ICCROM fellow, presents an alternative view of the relationship between Islam and heritage, asserting that is a tenet of every Muslim’s faith and outlook to hold a deep respect for heritage. The author’s nuanced conservation history of Cairo traces Western and Islamic views that over time have given rise to decision-making frameworks with varying effects on the local communities. The book offers approaches to understanding the complex reality in Islamic cities today and the different layers of meanings, factors and stakeholders, explaining why measures that have successfully worked in some contexts do not work in Cairo and other Islamic cities. In support of this, he applies a range of conservation theories to resolve the hypothetical conservation of a medieval Islamic gate structure in a modern city setting. The exercise is designed to help conservation specialists think through the possibilities for sites, in full awareness of the cultural and other assumptions that underlie those decisions.
ISBN Number: 9789290772668
Glossary of Arabic Terms for Conservation by Hossam Mahdy
This is a working document within a project for Arabic Glossary aiming to initiate debate in Arab... more This is a working document within a project for Arabic Glossary aiming to initiate debate in Arabic in the field of conservation for cultural heritage. The Glossary should enable Arab specialists to understand international literature on cultural heritage conservation. It also supports dialogue and debate among conservation specialists across the Arab region.
Papers by Hossam Mahdy
Conservation of the built heritage is practiced and regulated in the Arab Region by national laws... more Conservation of the built heritage is practiced and regulated in the Arab Region by national laws, institutional structures and formal mechanisms that strive to be aligned with international best practices as guided by ICOMOS doctrinal documents, with different degrees of success. Informal attitudes are, however, a totally different story. Local communities often fail to appreciate values that formal practices propagate. In some extreme cases, the local community is considered the major threat facing formal efforts to conserve and manage heritage resources. It is ironic that conservation of cultural heritage could be rejected by mostly traditional conservative societies. The premise of this paper is that there is a need for a deep understanding of values related to the built heritage and its conservation, particularly in traditional societies, such as rural or historic quarters in urban settings. The paper will examine different levels and aspects of values in the Arab Region, such ...
The spread and put in action of the Principles’ text in the national context require, first of al... more The spread and put in action of the Principles’ text in the national context require, first of all, the translation of the original English version. It is not automatic and requires different considerations and challenges (as linguistic and cultural). For instance, some English terms have no known equivalent Arabic terms (such as landscape, vernacular and integrity), other terms have different equivalents used by different individuals or institutions, others (as bio-cultural diversity, conservation, heritage, sustainable development) require some specifications due to differences in worldview and value systems in the different national contexts (and according to different disciplinary sectors in the same national context). The Knowledge Cafe would encourage a multi-cultural discussion on building shared understanding of the issues and challenges regarding the translation and terminology. It will be organized as follows: Raffaella Laviscio will briefly introduce the topic and present...
HERITAGE 2022 - International Conference on Vernacular Heritage: Culture, People and Sustainability September 15th-17th, 2022 Valencia, Spain
While the debate continues on what exactly is vernacular architecture, what are its values and si... more While the debate continues on what exactly is vernacular architecture, what are its values and significance, how could it be conserved and revitalized, some pressing questions must be addressed without delay. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), climate change, the pandemic, armed conflicts, displacements and other disasters such as fires, floods and earthquackes are some of the main challenges that have been recently escalating and must be addressed collectively by all humanity without any delay. These challenges that do impact the cultural heritage greatly. On the other hand, cultural heritage should play a key role in addressing these challenges. ICOMOS, as the leading international organization in the field has an important role to play. The ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Vernacular Architecture (CIAV) endeavours to fulfil its duty in addressing these pressing issues and their impact on the protection, conservation and management of the built vernacular heritage. The specificity of vernacular architecture raises particular challenges as well as offers opportunities that are particular to CIAV. This paper proposes a vision for CIAV that aims to include its new duties, which were not as urgent in the initial vision at the time of its foundation and during the drafting of the Charter on the Built Vernacular Heritage, 1999 in Mexico. The ideas expressed in the paper aim to raise discussions not only among the members of CIAV and ICO-MOS but also for all those who are interested in the built vernacular heritage. As a result, CIAV may need to revisit its charter or issue a declaration to include the proposed new vision in its activities and discourse through its newsletter, conferences, publicaitons, webinars and other events.
Conversaciones... con, 2020
Reconstruction of archaeological ruins is discouraged by international conventions and charters, ... more Reconstruction of archaeological ruins is discouraged by international conventions and charters, as Stanley-Price rightly states. He explains the arguments for and against reconstruction according to values. But what if ruins have different values due to different cultures, worldviews, and value systems? What if they have different values within the same society? The present essay endeavors to identify the values of ancient ruins in the context of the Arab Region as an essential step preceding the reconstruction discussion. I suggest that the coexistence of both modern and traditional views in the Arab Region today impacts the understanding and appreciation of archaeological ruins and consequently their conservation or reconstruction. Decision makers and conservation professionals adopt modern views, while local communities in old urban and rural settlements adopt traditional views. Each set of views form the values of ancient ruins and the attitudes towards their conservation. I take a step back and deconstruct the significance of ancient ruins in the region today for each set of views, using most examples from my country, Egypt. Before addressing the question of reconstruction for archaeological ruins, it is necessary to reconcile both sets of views and identify common values for ancient ruins in the region.
Vernacular Architecture in the Face of Change, 2019
In celebration of holding CIAV 2012 conference and annual meeting in the Arab region for the firs... more In celebration of holding CIAV 2012 conference and annual meeting in the Arab region for the firsttime, the author worked on an Arabic translation for the ICOMOS Charter on the Built Vernacular Heritage. The aim of the Arabic translation is to encourage and guide the conservation of the built vernacular heritage in the Arab Region.
Translating the Charter into Arabic raised a number of issues that can be discussed on three different levels:
1) Linguistic: What should be the methodology for translating terms such as “vernacular” into Arabic? Is there a need for Arabic terminology?
2) Cultural: Does “vernacular” mean the same and does it refer to the same category of values outside the European historical and cultural context?
3) Socio-economic: In the Arab Region, as indeed in all other developing countries where industrialization didn’t impact socio-economic values in the same way as in the industrialized developed countries, where is the place of the “vernacular” and its
conservation? Are modern informal houses “vernacular”?
The present paper uses the process of translating the Charter into Arabic to highlight issues that merit discussion in order for the philosophy and approach of the Charter to be relevant for the Arab Region. The Arabic translation of the Charter and a glossary of Arabic-English terms are appended to the paper.
ICOMOS -CIAV&ISCEAH 2019 Joint Annual Meeting & International Conference on Vernacular & Earthen Architecture towards Local Development, Pingyao, China, 2019
Conservation of the built heritage is practiced and regulated in the Arab Region by national laws... more Conservation of the built heritage is practiced and regulated in the Arab Region by national laws, institutional structures and formal mechanisms that strive to be aligned with international best practices as guided by ICOMOS doctrinal documents, with different degrees of success. Informal attitudes are, however, a totally different story. Local communities often fail to appreciate values that formal practices propagate. In some extreme cases, the local community is considered the major threat facing formal efforts to conserve and manage heritage resources. It is ironic that conservation of cultural heritage could be rejected by mostly traditional conservative societies. The premise of this paper is that there is a need for a deep understanding of values related to the built heritage and its conservation, particularly in traditional societies, such as rural or historic quarters in urban settings. The paper will examine different levels and aspects of values in the Arab Region, such as geographic and environmental factors, Islamic worldview and value system, Arabic language, local traditional norms, pre-modern systems of management, conservation and development as well as modernization processes, including the impact of Orientalism, colonialism and the establishment of modern nation states. The indicators resulting from the proposed in-depth investigations should inform the compilation of regional guidelines for the Arab Region of ICOMOS doctrinal documents such as the CIAV Charter on the Built Vernacular Heritage and the IFLA-ICOMOS Principles Concerning Rural Landscapes as Heritage.
The paper presents and discusses nine selected concepts from the philosophical and theoretical Ar... more The paper presents and discusses nine selected concepts from the philosophical and theoretical Arabic-Islamic heritage. They are atlaal, haram, taher, ‘ibra, ‘urf, ‘amara, fiqh al Hifaaz, Naf’ These concepts should be useful tools for conservation in the Arab region. Furthermore, some or all of them may be an interesting Arabic contribution to the theory and application tools for conservation of cultural heritage globally
Although Arab-Muslim lands extend at present to North Africa and a big part of the Middle East, i... more Although Arab-Muslim lands extend at present to North Africa and a big part of the Middle East, it is essential to understand the context of pre-Islam Arabs who lived in the Arabian Peninsula in order to fully comprehend Arabic concepts.
Another layer of meaning can be added by exploring Islamic values and instructions, which often enhanced and elaborated already existing and well-established pre-Islam Arab concepts and added to them spiritual, legal and cultural dimensions.
Besides pre-Muslim Arab traditions and Islamic instructions, the spread of Islam outside the Arab peninsula added further layers of meanings and cultural phenomena from the cultures and pre-Islam heritage of the Middle East and North Africa.
Similar to other Arab-Muslim cultural phenomena, the study of gardens and courtyards should pay attention to Arabic language, which was the pivotal and most elaborate cultural achievement of pre-Islam Arabs, and then the most important source of Islamic instructions through the Qur’an. Hence, the spread of Islam outside the Arabian Peninsula was accompanied by the adoption of Arabic as the first spoken language in present day twenty Arabic speaking countries, and the second language in more than fifty Muslim-majority countries.
The encounter of, and colonization by, modern Europe starting from the late eighteenth century and up to mid-twentieth century brought many changes to Arab-Muslim cultures. However, the scope of the present study is limited to pre-modern Arab culture.
A spectacular site like Shali in Siwa
oasis in Egypt was only legally protected when it
was liste... more A spectacular site like Shali in Siwa
oasis in Egypt was only legally protected when it
was listed as an “Islamic historic building” by
the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) as
late as 2007. This protection doesn’t cover the
integrity of the site as a living vernacular
heritage. The administrative mechanism of SCA
and its legal mandate do not protect the living
and intangible aspects of the heritage of the
settlement. Furthermore, SCA doesn’t oversee
the integration of the site within its natural
setting in the oasis. Tens of thousands of sites of
vernacular heritage throughout the Arab region
do not even enjoy this limited protection by the
relevant governmental institutions. Meanwhile
the pace of modern life and development
endeavours are sweeping away so much of the
heritage across the region.
Shali. A Matter of Conservation, 2009
The aim of these notes is to suggest an approach to recognizing and addressing the vernacular her... more The aim of these notes is to suggest an approach to recognizing and addressing the vernacular heritage and its conservation in Egypt.
Terra 2008: The 10th International Conference on the …, Jan 1, 2011
Raising Awareness of the Value of Earthen Architecture for Living and Working in the Nile Valley,... more Raising Awareness of the Value of Earthen Architecture for Living and Working in the Nile Valley, Egypt Hossam Mahdy Abstract: This paper aims to find a ... Photo: Hassan Fathy.© Rare Books and Special Collections Library, The American University in Cairo Bank of Luxor as ...
Al-Azhar University Engineering Conference - Cairo, 2003
English Summary Mud houses, pigeon towers, reed huts, water wheels, little rural mosques, among o... more English Summary Mud houses, pigeon towers, reed huts, water wheels, little rural mosques, among others, were-and still are-the components of the architectural identity of the Egyptian rural countryside. Over many centuries, the Egyptian rural countryside was known with its distinctive identity and its wonderful harmony with the natural characteristics of the Nile valley. Many travelers found the village and the rural landscape very beautiful and represented it in many literary and artistic works. Today, with all the new technologies and cultural and social changes, great changes are occurring in a very fast pace. Thus, a question must be urgently answered: should we conserve the identity of the rural countryside before it is gone for good? The present paper presents an initial list of the components of the identity of the rural countryside from field observations and literary sources. The place of these components in the Egyptian collective memory is highlighted by the use of creative literary works. The paper is structured as follows: 1) Why should we conserve the identity of the rural countryside? 2) What is the identity of the rural countryside? 3) The importance of accepting the rural part of our own identity in order to be able to conserve it. 4) How shall we conserve the rural identity? The paper concludes by a proposal for a national strategy for the conservation of the Egyptian rural countryside.
The Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts in Sohag, South Valley University, 2003
يعتبر الفهم الدقيق للمبنى الأثري بجميع جوانبه وأبعاده ضرورة أساسية للوصول لقرارات صائبة فيما يخص ... more يعتبر الفهم الدقيق للمبنى الأثري بجميع جوانبه وأبعاده ضرورة أساسية للوصول لقرارات صائبة فيما يخص الحفاظ والترميم المعماري له. وتتناول هذه الدراسة مبنى المدرسة المنصورية بالنحاسين كنموذج. حيث تعتبر مجموعة قلاوون بصورة عامة، والمدرسة المنصورية بصورة خاصة، من أكثر مباني القاهرة التاريخية تفرداً، وإثارة للدهشة والتساؤلات. وتهدف الدراسة إلى الإجابة على أكبر قدر ممكن من الأسئلة التي يطرحها المبنى الأثري لفهمه من التاحية المعمارية الأثرية، وحتى تكون قرارات الحفاظ والترميم المعماري له أقرب ما يمكن من الصواب
أبحاث المؤتمر الثالث للدراسات العثمانية في مصر, 2004
Proceedings of the symposium on mosque architecture, Jan 1, 1999
Established in 2008, the Department of Conservation of the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority ... more Established in 2008, the Department of Conservation of the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi)
1
undertakes research, policy development, programming and implementation of conservation activities within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi‟s rich heritage
includes archaeological sites dating to the Bronze and Iron Age; earthen and stone masonry vernacular buildings dating from the Islamic period up to 1950s; the living cultural landscapes of the oases which attest to a long history of settlement and farming employing the
“
falaj
” system of irrigation
; and, the architectural and urban heritage of post-Oil Abu Dhabi. In order to properly understand, assess, protect and conserve the cultural heritage of the Emirate,
TCA Abu Dhabi‟s Conservation Department
follows guidelines and principles laid out in international charters and conventions. Given the range of values embodied by the buildings and sites under its care (aesthetic, historic, scientific, social, spiritual, political or cultural values), TCA Abu Dhabi has adopted the internationally recognized value-based conservation approach established since 1964 with the Venice Charter and further developed and matured through subsequent charters, particularly the Burra Charter. The paper will first discuss the importance of value-based conservation through a review of existing literature, and then review how different values-based approaches are applied to understand, assess and conserve
Abu Dhabi‟s cultural heritage resources.
Abu Dhabi’s rapid development has been a result of the fortuitous discovery and the export of oil... more Abu Dhabi’s rapid development has been a result of the fortuitous discovery and the export of oil since the 1960s, and was spurred by a desire to catch up with neighboring developing countries. Heritage preservation has only recently become a concern in the region. In 2011, the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) launched the Modern Heritage Preservation Initiative with the aim of inventorying the extent of remaining post-Oil resources and establishing criteria for significance and nomination for protection. The goal of the initiative is to develop strategies, policies and economic incentives that will ensure that these resources are protected and appreciated for their inherent merit while seen as boosters in the competitive real estate market, and valued as assets in Abu Dhabi’s growing cultural portfolio. This paper will introduce some of the contextual challenges for leading this initiative and provide the preliminary results, key findings, and discuss possible guidelines and principles.
Over-shadowed by its rapid growth and new developments, the historic environment of Abu Dhabi is ... more Over-shadowed by its rapid growth and new developments, the historic environment of Abu Dhabi is in fact rich in cultural heritage that dates back to the 3rd millennium BC and is comprised of cultural landscapes, archaeological sites, and vernacular buildings built with traditional materials such as earth or stone. The fragile condition of these buildings and archaeological sites has required immediate action. The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage launched the first comprehensive program for Emergency Conservation in
2009.The program, intended as a “first response,” addresses the
urgent conservation needs of these structures by ensuring their safety and stability until further measures can be planned. The program was first developed on a building-based approach; however, it was difficult to prioritize interventions and only six buildings were stabilized in 2009. To better prioritize across multiple buildings and sites, a task-based approach was adopted. A system for rapid assessment, prioritizing and planning intervention tasks, and implementation and reporting was developed. For each task, the material resources and time needed were estimated. Tasks are then rated, organized and scheduled based on a set of priorities into 6-month cycles. The progress of a task is tracked and documented with standardized forms. The Emergency Conservation Program has thus been very successful in rapidly tackling a large number of issues among numerous buildings and sites, and ensuring that they are stable before carrying out longer-term conservation. 85% of emergency issues have been addressed since
the program’s inception with over 36 sites in stable condition. This
paper will present the methodology developed for this program and demonstrate how it can be applied in response to emergency situations such as natural disasters.
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Books by Hossam Mahdy
ISBN Number: 9789290772668
Glossary of Arabic Terms for Conservation by Hossam Mahdy
Papers by Hossam Mahdy
Translating the Charter into Arabic raised a number of issues that can be discussed on three different levels:
1) Linguistic: What should be the methodology for translating terms such as “vernacular” into Arabic? Is there a need for Arabic terminology?
2) Cultural: Does “vernacular” mean the same and does it refer to the same category of values outside the European historical and cultural context?
3) Socio-economic: In the Arab Region, as indeed in all other developing countries where industrialization didn’t impact socio-economic values in the same way as in the industrialized developed countries, where is the place of the “vernacular” and its
conservation? Are modern informal houses “vernacular”?
The present paper uses the process of translating the Charter into Arabic to highlight issues that merit discussion in order for the philosophy and approach of the Charter to be relevant for the Arab Region. The Arabic translation of the Charter and a glossary of Arabic-English terms are appended to the paper.
Another layer of meaning can be added by exploring Islamic values and instructions, which often enhanced and elaborated already existing and well-established pre-Islam Arab concepts and added to them spiritual, legal and cultural dimensions.
Besides pre-Muslim Arab traditions and Islamic instructions, the spread of Islam outside the Arab peninsula added further layers of meanings and cultural phenomena from the cultures and pre-Islam heritage of the Middle East and North Africa.
Similar to other Arab-Muslim cultural phenomena, the study of gardens and courtyards should pay attention to Arabic language, which was the pivotal and most elaborate cultural achievement of pre-Islam Arabs, and then the most important source of Islamic instructions through the Qur’an. Hence, the spread of Islam outside the Arabian Peninsula was accompanied by the adoption of Arabic as the first spoken language in present day twenty Arabic speaking countries, and the second language in more than fifty Muslim-majority countries.
The encounter of, and colonization by, modern Europe starting from the late eighteenth century and up to mid-twentieth century brought many changes to Arab-Muslim cultures. However, the scope of the present study is limited to pre-modern Arab culture.
oasis in Egypt was only legally protected when it
was listed as an “Islamic historic building” by
the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) as
late as 2007. This protection doesn’t cover the
integrity of the site as a living vernacular
heritage. The administrative mechanism of SCA
and its legal mandate do not protect the living
and intangible aspects of the heritage of the
settlement. Furthermore, SCA doesn’t oversee
the integration of the site within its natural
setting in the oasis. Tens of thousands of sites of
vernacular heritage throughout the Arab region
do not even enjoy this limited protection by the
relevant governmental institutions. Meanwhile
the pace of modern life and development
endeavours are sweeping away so much of the
heritage across the region.
1
undertakes research, policy development, programming and implementation of conservation activities within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi‟s rich heritage
includes archaeological sites dating to the Bronze and Iron Age; earthen and stone masonry vernacular buildings dating from the Islamic period up to 1950s; the living cultural landscapes of the oases which attest to a long history of settlement and farming employing the
“
falaj
” system of irrigation
; and, the architectural and urban heritage of post-Oil Abu Dhabi. In order to properly understand, assess, protect and conserve the cultural heritage of the Emirate,
TCA Abu Dhabi‟s Conservation Department
follows guidelines and principles laid out in international charters and conventions. Given the range of values embodied by the buildings and sites under its care (aesthetic, historic, scientific, social, spiritual, political or cultural values), TCA Abu Dhabi has adopted the internationally recognized value-based conservation approach established since 1964 with the Venice Charter and further developed and matured through subsequent charters, particularly the Burra Charter. The paper will first discuss the importance of value-based conservation through a review of existing literature, and then review how different values-based approaches are applied to understand, assess and conserve
Abu Dhabi‟s cultural heritage resources.
2009.The program, intended as a “first response,” addresses the
urgent conservation needs of these structures by ensuring their safety and stability until further measures can be planned. The program was first developed on a building-based approach; however, it was difficult to prioritize interventions and only six buildings were stabilized in 2009. To better prioritize across multiple buildings and sites, a task-based approach was adopted. A system for rapid assessment, prioritizing and planning intervention tasks, and implementation and reporting was developed. For each task, the material resources and time needed were estimated. Tasks are then rated, organized and scheduled based on a set of priorities into 6-month cycles. The progress of a task is tracked and documented with standardized forms. The Emergency Conservation Program has thus been very successful in rapidly tackling a large number of issues among numerous buildings and sites, and ensuring that they are stable before carrying out longer-term conservation. 85% of emergency issues have been addressed since
the program’s inception with over 36 sites in stable condition. This
paper will present the methodology developed for this program and demonstrate how it can be applied in response to emergency situations such as natural disasters.
ISBN Number: 9789290772668
Translating the Charter into Arabic raised a number of issues that can be discussed on three different levels:
1) Linguistic: What should be the methodology for translating terms such as “vernacular” into Arabic? Is there a need for Arabic terminology?
2) Cultural: Does “vernacular” mean the same and does it refer to the same category of values outside the European historical and cultural context?
3) Socio-economic: In the Arab Region, as indeed in all other developing countries where industrialization didn’t impact socio-economic values in the same way as in the industrialized developed countries, where is the place of the “vernacular” and its
conservation? Are modern informal houses “vernacular”?
The present paper uses the process of translating the Charter into Arabic to highlight issues that merit discussion in order for the philosophy and approach of the Charter to be relevant for the Arab Region. The Arabic translation of the Charter and a glossary of Arabic-English terms are appended to the paper.
Another layer of meaning can be added by exploring Islamic values and instructions, which often enhanced and elaborated already existing and well-established pre-Islam Arab concepts and added to them spiritual, legal and cultural dimensions.
Besides pre-Muslim Arab traditions and Islamic instructions, the spread of Islam outside the Arab peninsula added further layers of meanings and cultural phenomena from the cultures and pre-Islam heritage of the Middle East and North Africa.
Similar to other Arab-Muslim cultural phenomena, the study of gardens and courtyards should pay attention to Arabic language, which was the pivotal and most elaborate cultural achievement of pre-Islam Arabs, and then the most important source of Islamic instructions through the Qur’an. Hence, the spread of Islam outside the Arabian Peninsula was accompanied by the adoption of Arabic as the first spoken language in present day twenty Arabic speaking countries, and the second language in more than fifty Muslim-majority countries.
The encounter of, and colonization by, modern Europe starting from the late eighteenth century and up to mid-twentieth century brought many changes to Arab-Muslim cultures. However, the scope of the present study is limited to pre-modern Arab culture.
oasis in Egypt was only legally protected when it
was listed as an “Islamic historic building” by
the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) as
late as 2007. This protection doesn’t cover the
integrity of the site as a living vernacular
heritage. The administrative mechanism of SCA
and its legal mandate do not protect the living
and intangible aspects of the heritage of the
settlement. Furthermore, SCA doesn’t oversee
the integration of the site within its natural
setting in the oasis. Tens of thousands of sites of
vernacular heritage throughout the Arab region
do not even enjoy this limited protection by the
relevant governmental institutions. Meanwhile
the pace of modern life and development
endeavours are sweeping away so much of the
heritage across the region.
1
undertakes research, policy development, programming and implementation of conservation activities within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi‟s rich heritage
includes archaeological sites dating to the Bronze and Iron Age; earthen and stone masonry vernacular buildings dating from the Islamic period up to 1950s; the living cultural landscapes of the oases which attest to a long history of settlement and farming employing the
“
falaj
” system of irrigation
; and, the architectural and urban heritage of post-Oil Abu Dhabi. In order to properly understand, assess, protect and conserve the cultural heritage of the Emirate,
TCA Abu Dhabi‟s Conservation Department
follows guidelines and principles laid out in international charters and conventions. Given the range of values embodied by the buildings and sites under its care (aesthetic, historic, scientific, social, spiritual, political or cultural values), TCA Abu Dhabi has adopted the internationally recognized value-based conservation approach established since 1964 with the Venice Charter and further developed and matured through subsequent charters, particularly the Burra Charter. The paper will first discuss the importance of value-based conservation through a review of existing literature, and then review how different values-based approaches are applied to understand, assess and conserve
Abu Dhabi‟s cultural heritage resources.
2009.The program, intended as a “first response,” addresses the
urgent conservation needs of these structures by ensuring their safety and stability until further measures can be planned. The program was first developed on a building-based approach; however, it was difficult to prioritize interventions and only six buildings were stabilized in 2009. To better prioritize across multiple buildings and sites, a task-based approach was adopted. A system for rapid assessment, prioritizing and planning intervention tasks, and implementation and reporting was developed. For each task, the material resources and time needed were estimated. Tasks are then rated, organized and scheduled based on a set of priorities into 6-month cycles. The progress of a task is tracked and documented with standardized forms. The Emergency Conservation Program has thus been very successful in rapidly tackling a large number of issues among numerous buildings and sites, and ensuring that they are stable before carrying out longer-term conservation. 85% of emergency issues have been addressed since
the program’s inception with over 36 sites in stable condition. This
paper will present the methodology developed for this program and demonstrate how it can be applied in response to emergency situations such as natural disasters.
forever transformed the modest fishing, pearling and Bedouin settlements and farms of Abu Dhabi to
cosmopolitan metropolises and fully-fledged towns. While the export of oil was the trigger to the astonishing
urban transformation of Abu Dhabi over the past fifty years; today, the stock of the modern buildings that
were witness to Abu Dhabi’s historic metamorphosis is quickly disappearing because of rapid development,
real estate speculation and rising land value.
A pilot project by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority was conducted at Rumeilah, an Iron Age site excavated over the past forty-five years. The project consisted of a full-scale site-management planning process including documentation
and assessment of the site conditions and of its administrative context to demonstrate the benefits of applying value and community-based site management
planning processes to ‘invisible’ heritage. The process resulted in the development of a management plan which identifies continued explorations at the site and in the involvement of local schools and universities in the activities that will be able to sustain its long-term preservation.
sophistication in preserving cultural heritage, with great emphasis on intangible heritage, but these
traditions have been marginalized and ignored by modern, Eurocentric conservation practices. As a result,
local stakeholders in the Arab region have been indifferent, even hostile, to professionally managed heritage.
Despite recent shifts toward values-based conservation and the democratization of heritage practices,
practitioners have failed to understand Islam as a worldview, a way of life, and a value system. A number of
related issues are examined from an Arabic-Islamic perspective, and recommendations made to address
them.
◆ ◆ ◆
Why are cultural heritage conservation efforts consistently failing to win the interest and
approval of conservative traditional communities outside the West, such as Arab Muslim
communities? The present paper strives to investigate the causes of conflicts in attitudes
and differences in values and methods between conservation professionals and Islamic
perspectives in traditional Arab contexts in order to reach an understanding of how to
bridge the gap for more effective and relevant conservation and management of cultural
heritage.
Arabic-Islamic conservation traditions have developed over more than fourteen centuries
and reached a high level of sophistication in preserving cultural heritage, with a great
emphasis on intangible heritage, particularly the “word” both oral and written, including
religious texts such as the Qur’an and hadith (the Prophet’s sayings), and secular texts
including poetry and prose.1 However, these traditions have been marginalized and
ignored by modern conservation practices, which were first introduced to the Arab region
by European colonizers and Orientalists, and later adopted by Arabs and Muslims
specializing in heritage-related fields. Prevailing Eurocentric theories and practices of the
international conservation movement since the mid-twentieth century encouraged the
continuation of separate approaches to intangible and tangible heritage, and the
exclusion of Arab-Islamic traditions of conservation from approaches and methods of
tangible cultural heritage. This may explain why for many decades local communities and
various stakeholders were indifferent or even hostile to professionally conserved,
managed, and presented cultural heritage in the Arab region.
With a few exceptions, the situation remains the same up to the present, despite shifts in
conservation theory over the last two decades toward values-based conservation, the
democratization of heritage practices, and the adoption of contextual notions of
authenticity.
This essay is from Avrami, Erica, Susan Macdonald, Randall Mason, and David Myers, eds. Values in Heritage Management: Emerging Approaches and Research Directions. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, 2019.
http://www.getty.edu/publications/heritagemanagement/.
دولية. وتسعى السلطات على المستويين الوطني والمحلي، في البلدان العربية
جميعها، للحفاظ على هذه الثروة العظيمة. فالأكاديميون، والمهنيون المختصون،
وصانعو القرار يبذلون كل جهد ممكن للمساهمة في حفظ تراثهم الثقافي.
غير أن مقاربة تقوم على المشاركة تبدو صعبة التحقق. وليس أمرا غير عادي
أن نلاحظ وجود عدم المبالاة، أو عدم الإكتراث، أو حتى العداء الذي تبديه
المجموعات السكانية المحلية نحو المواقع الأثرية. وإذا كان رجل الشارع يبدي
ً حقا اهتماما بتراثه الثقافي، فلماذا لا يشارك إذن في جهود الحفاظ عليه؟ ومن
ناحية أخرى، إذا كان غير مهتم بحفظه، فلمن نعمل نحن إذن للحفاظ على التراث
الثقافي؟
من الجلي أن هناك ازدواجية في وجهات النظر الإجتماعية، والإقتصادية،
والثقافية في العالم العربي، شأنها في ذلك شأن العديد من جوانب المجتمع المدني
ّ في دوله. فالمختصون وصانعوا القرار يشكلون القطاع الرسمي، بينما يشكل
الناس العاديون القطاع غير الرسمي. ويوجد اختلاف كبير جدا في المواقف بين
ّ القطاعين الرسمي وغير الرسمي. وليست المشكلة مجرد افتقار للوعي؛ بل إن
المشكلة تكمن في صلب نظم القيم الإجتماعية والثقافية.
These are notes from a training module within ATHAR course on conservation of cultural heritage for Arab professionals.
By Wayde Brown.
London and New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2019.
Xii + 214 pp., 75 b&w illus.
ISBN: 9780367532222.
Philip Jodidio. Munich: Prestel and the Aga Khan Historic
Cities Program, 2019. 400 pp., 614 color illus. ISBN
9783791358567.
Rescue and Reuse: communities, heritage and architecture
Merlin Waterson, edited by Ian Morrison,
RIBA Publishing, 2019,
166 pages, two black and white and
106 colour illustrations, hardback,
ISBN 978 1 859467 78 7, £35
يتمتع التراث الثقافي المادي بمكانة مهمة في المشروع الحداثي المصري، كما أنه يعاني من الإشكاليات التي يعاني منها المشهد الحداثي. ولذلك فمن الضروري وضع التراث الثقافي في هذا السياق وتحليله وفهمه. تعود جذور إشكاليات الحداثة في مصر إلى بداية المشروع الحداثي الذي بدأ بالحملة الفرنسية على مصر ثم مشروع محمد علي لإنشاء دولة حديثة والحركة الوطنية المصرية ثم ثورة يوليو 1952 وصولاً إلى الحاضر. يتتبع البحث الجذور التاريخية للمشروع الحداثي وموقع التراث الثقافي منه ليحدد الإشكاليات التي تتسبب في ضعف الوعي المجتمعي بالتراث الثقافي. ويخلص البحث إلى التوصية بأهمية التنظير الخاص بالحالة المصرية أخذاً في الحسبان الجذور التاريخية والأسباب لاستمرار إشكاليات المشروع الحداثي.
Abstract
Cultural heritage plays an essential role in the Egyptian modernization project and suffers from the challenges that face Egyptian modernity. It Is crucial, therefore, to place cultural heritage in this context to analyse and understand it. The roots of the challenges that face the Egyptian modernization project go back to the French occupation in the turn of the nineteenth century, Muhammad Ali's efforts to establish a modern nation state, the Egyptian national movement and finally the post-Independence Egyptian various governments up to the present. This research Investigates the historic roots of the modernization project and the place of cultural heritage in order to identify the challenges that face societal awareness of cultural heritage. The research concludes by recommending embarking on theoretical endeavours that address the specificity of the Egyptian case taking into consideration the causes and historic roots of the challenges facing the modernization project.