The Impact of Symbolic Values in Regaining Lost Heritage Buildings After War: A Case Study from the Modernist Architectural Heritage in Mosul

Abstract

AbstractArchitectural heritage endures damage and loss due to the violence that accompanies wars and conflicts inside cities. The damage could be due to the exposure of heritage buildings to negative or positive events and experiences, which remain in the memory of the city’s population, and give heritage buildings symbolic meanings. This phenomenon raises the question about the impact of such periods of violence on the decision of how to regain the lost building. This paper aims at investigating this relationship, and clarifying the peculiarity of the symbolic values in architectural heritage as a reflection of the collective memory of the city. After clarifying the values attributed to architectural heritage, the research, relying on previous studies, moves to explore the theoretical basis for the relationship between architecture, violence, collective memory and the mechanisms of regaining heritage buildings upon loss. Thus, a case study from Mosul is examined, represented in the building of “the National Insurance Company”, a modernist building, by the late Iraqi architect Rif'at Chadirji. The building suffered during the period of violence (2014–2016) during the control of ISIS of Mosul and the liberation war that followed. The case is investigated through a questionnaire/sample survey from the Mosul community on the values they cherished in the building and their preference for the mechanism of its regain. The research found that negative symbolic values deposit in such architectural heritage due to the community's collective memory influences public opinion towards restoring lost heritage with renovation projects despite its significant original architectural values.KeywordsHeritage symbolic valueViolence of warCollective memoryMosul National Insurance Company buildingRifat Chadirji