Urban Heritage in the Arabian Peninsula, the Experiences of Jeddah and Dubai

Simone Ricca

doi:10.1186/bf03545713

Abstract

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates feature ultra-modern cities with millions of residents that developed in opposition to the physical patterns of traditional historical settlements. In the past years, however, there has been a renewed attention to urban heritage and two metropolises, Jeddah and Dubai, have decided to aim for World Heritage status and to leverage historic city centres as engines of economic development and tools for the reinforcement of national identity. In Dubai, the conservation and reconstruction of historic neighbourhoods gives residents an urban historic depth previously unrecognised, favouring the integration of different ethnic communities while contributing to the tourist development of the Emirate. In Jeddah, the preservation and revitalisation of the historic centre is part of a larger strategy focusing on the reinforcement of the private sector to trigger new urban dynamics building upon its rich heritage. Recent strategies and plans are briefly discussed, underlining the specificities of the Arabian Peninsula context and its complex and evolving relationship with history and heritage. It is argued that the nominations for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List have been a catalyser for the definition of new planning and conservation policies integrating urban heritage into urban development strategies.

Highlights

Since the 1990s, Dubai urban elites began to question the systematic adoption of Western architectural and urban principles—often unsuitable for the climatic and social environment of the Gulf—and started looking back at historic settlements for alternative solutions and answers
The urban conservation plans of Dubai and Jeddah demonstrate the catalysing role played by the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the relevance of contemporary international approaches to urban revitalisation and development in the Arabian context
What takes place in these cities since 2010 is an important breakthrough, and shows how international best practices can be creatively adapted to the specificities of the Arabian Peninsula context

Summary

Introduction

Since the 1990s, Dubai urban elites began to question the systematic adoption of Western architectural and urban principles—often unsuitable for the climatic and social environment of the Gulf—and started looking back at historic settlements for alternative solutions and answers. The new urban conservation and revitalisation plan is based upon a complete inventory of the Old City, including an assessment of the static conditions of the historic buildings, and upon a new set of urban regulations elaborated within the World Heritage Nomination process (Figure 10). In this context, conservation-related issues are of paramount importance, and in 2012 an external specialised Saudi company was contracted by the Municipality to provide technical support in architectural conservation (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2013). The scheme, supported by a Royal Decree, states that every owner who wants to restore his historic house can receive a loan without interest from the government if he presents a plan proposing the reuse of the structure for cultural-tourism activities (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2013)

A Long-term Planning Approach

Findings

Conclusion