Vernacular Built Heritage in the Arab Region

Hossam Mahdy, Ph.D.
Consultant on the Conservation of Built Heritage

Hossam is an independent researcher and a freelance consultant on the conservation of cultural heritage. His research and consultancy work focus on Islamic views on the conservation of cultural heritage, Arabic terminology of conservation, and the translation of conservation literature from English into Arabic and vice versa. He is the vice-president of ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Vernacular Architecture (CIAV) and worked on the documentation, study and conservation of vernacular built heritage in the Arab region. Previous roles were head of Conservation Section at Abu Dhabi Authority for Tourism and Culture, UAE; head of Heritage Unit at AlexMed, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt; Lecturer at the Conservation Department, South Valley University, Egypt; and freelance conservation architect contributing to numerous projects of architectural and urban conservation in the Arab region.

Vernacular Built Heritage in the Arab Region

The Arab region is rich with vernacular built heritage of different types, and in different environments, including deserts, rural, urban, coastal and mountainous contexts.

What are the challenges facing their conservation in rapidly changing communities?

Will the slums of today be the vernacular built heritage of tomorrow?

How does the war in countries like Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya affect the vernacular built heritage?

Is the conservation of vernacular buildings desirable? Why? How? By who? And for who?

The lecture discusses the definition of vernacular architecture, its scope, typology and place within Arab-Muslim cultural context today. The aim is to point to issues and challenges and discuss questions rather than offer answers.