Re-use of historical buildings in the holy city of Makkah: case study selection guidelines

Abstract

When dealing with heritage conservation, the holy city of Makkah comes as one of the most sensitive cases to deal with. This is mainly due to the pace of development in the central area surrounding Almasjed Alharam (The Holy Mosque). This paper explores the standards of rehabilitation and re-using of historic buildings in that special region. The importance of the study arises from the urgent need to address issues of heritage and conservation amid fast developments and transformations of the urban fabric of the holy city of Makkah. The methodology is based on both theoretical and applied analytical approaches. Theoretically, the research contextualizes for the development of the holy city of Makkah, by introducing its heritage, socio-economic, cultural and political factors that have been on the scene for long. Finally, the study concludes by presenting a case study for dealing with heritage buildings within the context of development that is taking place in the area.