The Conservation of Coral Buildings on Saudi Arabia's Northern Red Sea Coast

Abstract

The northern Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia is known for its distinct traditional buildings made from coral stones. Oil wealth and changing lifestyles have largely rendered these buildings redundant and many have not been lived in for 30 years. A lack of maintenance and ongoing weathering is causing the buildings to progressively deteriorate and a valuable cultural heritage asset is being lost. Evidence of recent attempts at conservation of these buildings further highlights the loss of knowledge base and skills in traditional building and repair techniques. This paper examines the traditional building techniques of the region in order to start making pragmatic recommendations for how these buildings can be conserved and meaningfully reused.