REDEFINING BEST PRACTICES: A NEW APPROACH TO BUILT HERITAGE PRESERVATION IN ALULA, SAUDI ARABIA

Rut Ballesteros Carrion; Michael Jones

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Submission

Paper Title

REDEFINING BEST PRACTICES: A NEW APPROACH TO BUILT HERITAGE PRESERVATION IN ALULA, SAUDI ARABIA

Authors

Rut Ballesteros Carrion
Michael Jones

Modality

Abstract

Subject area

4. Contemporary Challenges in Heritage Discourse - A critical examination of the state of the art in heritage discussions, considering the evolving perspectives and challenges that have emerged since the inception of the Venice Charter. Examining the relevance of the Venice Charter in the current context, with a focus on challenges posed by the Western divide between nature and culture, the growing importance of metropolises, social inequities, the environmental impact of human activities, disasters and conflicts, among others.

Publishing Date

11/04/2025

Country of Publishing

Brazil | Brasil

Language of Publishing

Inglês

Paper Page

https://www.even3.com.br/anais/icomos-scientific-symposium-2024-439820/838149-redefining-best-practices--a-new-approach-to-built-heritage-preservation-in-alula-saudi-arabia

ISBN

978-65-272-1284-3

Keywords

AlUla Old Town, AlUla, Saudi Arabia, rehabilitation, Venice Charter, Burra Charter, Nara Document

Summary

The AlUla region in northwest Saudi Arabia is the setting for one of the Kingdom’s mega-projects being carried out in the framework of ‘Vision 2030’ (https://www.vision2030.gov.sa/en/). The project is led by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). RCU was founded in 2017 for the safeguarding and promotion of cultural heritage in AlUla in collaboration with the L’Agence française pour le développement d’AlUla (AFALULA). AlUla Old Town, in the framework of RCU’s development agenda, provides a pertinent example of how a traditional and abandoned Hijazi village can be adapted to serve contemporary needs. By challenging the tenets of the Venice Charter, a new expression of cultural identity has spurred a national revitalization of heritage and rehabilitation within a Saudi cultural idiom. Conservation of heritage in Saudi Arabia has emerged in recent years as a new unifier of cultural identity within the framework of social and economic changes driven by the Crown Prince, Muhammad bin Salman. Discovery of and research into the Kingdom’s cultural heritage have provided not only material for academic research but is serving to promote social, educational, touristic and economic development. Western conservation ideology has had to be reinterpreted and adapted to include hitherto neglected or misunderstood aspects of cultural heritage such as vernacular buildings, their materials and social history. Conservation of traditional, vernacular mudbrick architecture was not considered by the authors of the Eurocentric Venice Charter (1964). AlUla Old Town, abandoned by local inhabitants by 1983, provides an excellent opportunity to examine the way that an historic context with all its associated significance for the former inhabitants and heritage specialists, can be re-purposed to serve a modern function. This paper will discuss these aspects of cultural heritage preservation in Saudi Arabia with particular reference to on-going works in AlUla.

Title of the Event: ICOMOS SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM 2024
City of the Event: Ouro Preto
Title of the Proceedings of the event: ICOMOS 2024 Scientific Symposium Proceedings
Name of the Publisher: Even3
Means of Dissemination: Meio Digital

How to cite

CARRION, Rut Ballesteros; JONES, Michael. REDEFINING BEST PRACTICES: A NEW APPROACH TO BUILT HERITAGE PRESERVATION IN ALULA, SAUDI ARABIA.. In: ICOMOS 2024 Scientific Symposium Proceedings. Anais...Ouro Preto(MG) Convention Center / UFOP/ UFMG Campus, 2024. Available in: https//www.even3.com.br/anais/icomos-scientific-symposium-2024-439820/838149-REDEFINING-BEST-PRACTICES--A-NEW-APPROACH-TO-BUILT-HERITAGE-PRESERVATION-IN-ALULA-SAUDI-ARABIA. Access in: 29/06/2025