The course will be attended by 20 mid-career conservation professionals working with earthen architecture from the North Africa, Middle East, and South Asia regions. This area of the world is known for its exceptional earthen heritage sites, many of which face the threat of deterioration and abandonment without proper conservation efforts in place. The course will train architects, engineers, conservators, and archaeologists to develop sustainable conservation methods for these important sites, as well as provide the technical skills necessary to conserve similar building types in their home countries.
Al Ain is home to hundreds of earthen buildings and archaeological sites, many of which form part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tradition of earthen building in the region can be traced as far back as the Bronze Age, and sites of note include the Hili Archaeological Park, Jahili Fort, and Muwaiji Fort, among others. Several of these buildings have been conserved through adaptive reuse, and there is an active team of experts at DCT Abu Dhabi working to protect them.
“The GCI works to bring courses like this to the region and to provide participants with a toolkit of resources for preserving earthen architecture. This is a rare opportunity for professionals to spend four weeks immersed in this subject,” says Benjamin Marcus, project specialist at the GCI and a course manager. “As part of its continued mission to advance conservation practice around the world, the GCI has partnered with DCT Abu Dhabi to offer this course in a region known for the pride it takes in its built heritage, and which has the expertise and local support required to make this event a reality.”
Throughout the four-week course, participants will use Al Ain as an open-air laboratory to learn practical, hands-on methods for preserving earthen buildings and archaeological sites. Participants will be led by local and international experts who specialize in conservation strategies for earthen sites and will work both in the laboratory and field learning critical assessment, analysis and intervention methods. The course will also include site visits and field work case-studies that provide hands-on conservation experience for participants. A number of case studies will be used to demonstrate the conservation process, including a one-week visit to the ancient city of Manah, Oman, to study conservation and management planning for earthen architecture in an urban context.
In 2017, representatives from DCT Abu Dhabi and the GCI signed a Memorandum of Understanding acknowledging common goals and areas of common interest for joint collaboration in the fields of preservation and conservation, and specifically for offering training in the conservation of earthen architecture. This course is an outgrowth of the initial agreement.
“We are delighted that the GCI chose our emirate for the location of this globally important course, as this supports DCT Abu Dhabi’s efforts for building capacity in heritage conservation for the region,” said Amel Chabbi, conservation section manager at DCT Abu Dhabi. “Several of our local experts will be involved in teaching the course, which demonstrates the expertise and reputation that Abu Dhabi has built up over the years in this field.”
The GCI brings to the course more than three decades of work with earthen architecture, a summary of which can be found at Earthen Architecture Sustaining Heritage, Diversity, and the Environment.
Find more information about the course and a list of current GCI projects in Earthen Architecture at the Earthen Architecture Initiative.
The course is also generously supported by the Oman Ministry of Heritage and Culture, the Oman Ministry of Tourism, and the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH).