Heritage conservation in Saudi Arabia

In 2001 the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCTA) in Saudi Arabia commissioned a team of more than 60 consultants to assist in the preparation of the first national tourism strategy for the Kingdom. I was fortunate enough to be part of that team, working for nearly two years on several aspects of the strategy including assessing the likely social impacts of the emergence of a strong tourism sector in Saudi and leading the team that looked at how the Kingdom’s rich and varied cultural heritage assets (tangible and intangible) could be developed. One of the recommendations that we put forward in the first strategy was for a co-ordinated programme of conservation across the country, focussed on protecting, preserving and adapting for tourism usage of a representative sample of historic villages and towns.

Between 2006 and 2008 I led the team that prepared masterplans for the historic cores of four small cities on the coast, plans that although well received have yet to be implemented because of a lack of funding. So it was with considerable satisfaction that I have finally been able to see progress on the wholesale conservation of a historic village in Saudi Arabia. I have been asked by UNWTO – the World Tourism Organisation – to advise the successor organisation to the SCT – the Saudi Council for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) on what international awards their Historic Villages Conservation programme might be eligible for. Other than the internationally respected Aga Khan Awards (www.akdn.org) there are very few heritage or conservation awards for projects in the Arab World. My research has thrown up several awards for new architecture (inspired no doubt by the massive urban expansion across the GCC area but little that could, if awarded, bring to this innovative programme the international attention that it merits.

The photos are of a couple of the restored buildings in Al Ghat, a small town of around 12,000 people on the fringe of the Najd desert, some 250 km north of Riyadh. The traditional mud-brick houses and public buildings were abandoned around 30 years ago but because of the arid desert environment, have remained in fairly good shape since. In order to secure the support and participation of the community, a co-operative has been established by all of the property owners to take ownership of the project (all property rights have been transferred into the co-op) and to raise the funds necessary for the conservation of the buildings and their adaptation for tourism uses. A signature, pilot project has been funded directly by the SCTA, converting the former Amarah (governor’s palace) into a local history museum and the municipality has ensured that all essential services (water, electricity, sewerage, telecoms) are installed. Finally, a loan of SAR 7 million (more than £1.15 million) has been obtained from the government to kick-start conservation works across the whole village. One house, the traditional home of the Sudairi family, has already been completed and furnished as an 8 room lodge. More will follow as the village is developed and marketed as a destination mainly to the domestic market. Other attractions in the area include a new national park, many date farms (Al Ghat is famous for its high quality dates) and some amazing sand dunes.

On Sunday I head off to the mountains of Aseer in the west of the country to see Rijjal Al Maa, a village I first visited back in 2001 and where there has been sustained investment for a number of years, mainly by the community but also by the SCT/SCTA and also the municipality. Built from stone and decorated with quartz, the tower houses of Aseer are very different from the mud brick (adobe) buildings of the Najd and represented very different conservation challenges. But the opportunities for introducing tourism uses into the buildings are the same, and I will be interested to see what changes have been made since my last trip in 2005.

For more information on the SCTA’s work on conserving architectural heritage, visit http://www.scta.gov.sa/sites/english/Antiquities_and_Museums/InternationallyRegisteredSites/Pages/conference_on_heritage.aspx