Hala Al-Qahtani
While most European cities try to preserve their historical identity of which they are very proud, we see many Arab cities embracing modern architectural styles, totally ignoring their heritage.
A picture of any Italian city reflects Italians’ tremendous love for their ancient architecture and town planning. It looks as if they have copied the same style of architecture all over the country. They have also preserved old forts, engravings and pillars as well as the ancient Roman theaters and stadiums as they are proud of the great Roman history and civilization. They publicize Roman architecture through pictures, greeting cards and souvenirs, which are available at airports and shopping centers.
Islam has been successful in developing a great civilization and a unique architecture and town planning, quite different from other civilizations. The Islamic architecture and construction have been successful in accommodating previous styles.
Saudi Arabia, the land of the two holy mosques, is honored to host and serve millions of pilgrims who come to the country to perform for Haj and Umrah. I believe it will be impossible to preserve the built heritage in Makkah while implementing massive expansion projects. However, efforts must be made to protect the city’s architectural heritage such as porticoes, balconies, decorations and designs in some manner.
When we construct buildings we often ignore the identity of the place. When a visitor tours Riyadh for example he or she can witness the culture and civilization of Yamamah and Najd and the history of Daraeya fort, but when they pass by the main streets of the city they will be surprised to see western style buildings that do not reflect the identity of Riyadh or the Arabian Peninsula for that matter.
Even in Jeddah we cannot see the city’s beautiful architectural style and built heritage except in the historical region. Authorities should have preserved the city’s built heritage while constructing government buildings or public facilities to protect its identity.
The Kingdom’s southern region is distinguished for the Asirian architectural heritage that highlights the artistic capabilities of its people in constructing beautiful homes with wood, stone and mud works. The Eastern Province is also rich in built heritage. One can see attractive architectural designs in Al-Ahsa, Qatif, Saihat, Safwa, Al-Khobar and Dammam.
But no one now feels that he or she is on the eastern coast except during the Eid festivities. There is no objective planning for construction of buildings in the region to preserve its culture and heritage. The disorganized buildings will force you to think that the Eastern Province has no cultural identity.
Every region of the Kingdom has its distinct culture and heritage that makes it different from other parts of the country. But up till now no initiative has been taken to protect and project these identities. I believe that the work of an architectural engineer is not only ensuring quality of the building work but also projecting a city’s distinct identity.
Although we are incapable of forcing individuals to build their homes incorporating the city’s architectural heritage, mayoralties and municipalities can at least apply them on government buildings and other public facilities to preserve the heritage in different regions.
The built heritage should not be restricted to tourist villages. We need to revise our town planning policy to deepen our historical and heritage identity. We wish our streets and squares would be transformed into museums and exhibition centers that carry the city’s identity and add to its beauty.
We cannot see now any outstanding art works in our big squares. It is high time we decorate our streets by installing small models of historic forts and other monuments that reflect our heritage.
