The Heritage Jewel of Saudi Arabia: A Descriptive Analysis of the Heritage Management and Development Activities in the At-Turaif District in Ad-Dir’iyah, a World Heritage Site (WHS)

Abstract

This study explores the change over time in the World Heritage Site (WHS) of Diriyah over three critical periods, focusing on three aspects: physical, social, and economic. Using a mixed-method approach, the site’s heritage management practices and development impact are investigated, and the impact of WHS inscription on the field of heritage in Saudi Arabia is demonstrated. A methodological approach is used in this study, which includes temporal analysis, analysis of historical images and photographs, non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews with key informants, site fieldwork, analysis of archival research, the content of official documents, related media, and promotional materials. The study concludes with a three-aspect matrix demonstrating Historic Diriyah’s various development and change over time. Historic Diriyah is a WHS, and it can still project a successful massive makeover development if a sustainable development approach is used, and visual integrity and site authenticity are preserved. The site of Historic Diriyah and its surroundings were critical in promoting the site as a national identity, an international destination, and presenting a new development agenda for the entire kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It has a significant impact on policymakers who are interested in how heritage sites can be integrated into a larger vision.

Urban Heritage in Saudi Arabia: Comparison and Assessment of Sustainable Reuses

“…The concept of adaptive reuse is relatively recent in Saudi Arabia, whether applied to a historical urban heritage site or the built environment [7,43,49].…”

“…More projects are going in this direction under Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to enhance the value of national heritage conservation according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework promoted by the United Nations since 2015 [51]. Bay et al [7] used a sustainable development approach to analyze the heritage practices adopted at Diriyah, a World Heritage Site (WHS) close to the city center of Riyadh.…”

“…In conclusion, there is still a need for a more specific description of the characteristics and possible limitations of adaptive reuse projects concerning heritage sites, particularly in reference to various intervention typologies, especially for urban heritage. Several scholars have recommended the establishment of protocols and a framework of collaboration between ministries and governmental institutions to overcome the gap in legislation relating to built heritage [4,7,49]. A review of the literature highlights a practical knowledge gap [19,24,29,48,50,53] in assessing interventions in urban heritage reuse and evaluating the sustainable strategies adopted by private and governmental institutions.…”

“…The aim is to lead a national transformation based on valorizing local culture, values, heritage, and resources to promote sustainable future growth as part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's national vision for 2030 [1]. In the literature, it is noted that the history of the country is mainly based on oil discovery and exportation; several scholars [5][6][7] present urban development in the Arabian Peninsula as a sequence of three periods: the pre-oil architecture period up to the 1930s; the oil architecture period from the 1930s to the 1990s, characterized by the discovery and intensive exploitation of oil wells; and the post-oil architecture period based on the development of new economic sustainable strategies and a post-oil economy. During the oil period, the Arabian Peninsula's main cities shifted from vernacular settlements into modern planned cities.…”

“…During fieldwork, a small area survey was conducted with various participants (instructors, students) and local stakeholders (local community members, visitors, tour guides, and governmental representatives). The sustainable urban heritage reuse assessment methodology was based on the literature review [3,4,7,40,50,58]. One important definition of conservation is protection from the risk of loss that extends heritage value from the past to the future [29,59,60].…”