Part 1

Two case studies regarding problems and issues with/ Read and discuss and give an
opinion

1. Aya Sophia

- 1934 transformation of Hagia Sophia from a Mosque into a museum. On the day
the court ruling was released, the Turkish President signed decree no 2729
opening the UNESCO world heritage site – once again – to Muslim worshipers.
Consequently, Hagia Sophia ceases to be a public museum, becomes a Mosque
again.

a. Liverpool port

Slide notes:
- Need to understand this well

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Principles for utilization of cultural heritage
- Economic
- Educational
- Environmental
- Experience
- Entertainment
- Interpretation of heritage- is how you tell the story
- Adaptive reuse is for example; taking a fort and making into a hotel or a
restaurant to generate an economic income out of the site
- Adaptive use or rehabilitation: to change and reuse the place and make it
meaningful/ generate income
- Example: Husn al Felaij ‫حصن الفليج‬- Oman, Important National events were
held there even though it’s an important heritage site.

How do we maintain the state of the object?

- Preservation
- Conservation
- Restoration

1. Cultural heritage
a. Interaction between people and natural environment in 199.
2. Tangible cultural heritage
a. moveable items. Ex: paintings.
b. Immovable culture. Ex, mountains
c. underwater objects. Ex, underwater ruins.
3. Natural heritage
a. It is natural sites with cultural aspects such,cultural landscape, biological
or geological formations.
4. Intangible cultural heritage: oral traditions.
5. World heritage
a. The 1972 convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and
natural heritage recognizes that certain places on Earth are of
outstanding universal value and should form part of a common heritage of
humankind.

6. Objectives of the world heritage Convention/ five Cs

a. Communication:
i. Increases public awareness

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 ii. interpretation of the sites, process of telling a story in an interesting
way
b. Community:
i. Enhance the role of communities in the implementation of the WHC
ii. important to give value to the community “the locals”. The
community are a part of the sites
c. Credibility:
i. Strength the credibility of the WH list.
ii. integrity and authenticity
d. Capacity building:
i. Promote the development of capacity building measures.
e. Conservation:
i. Enhance the effective convention of WH properties
ii. “don't touch, fragile, don't sit”. The overwhelming distance from the
sites and the people made it boring and uninteresting.

7. State Party:
a. countries that agrees to protect the world heritage and not only its own
heritage
8. World Heritage fund:
a. The World Heritage Fund provides about US$4 million annually to support
activities requested by States Parties in need of international assistance. It
includes compulsory and voluntary contributions from the States Parties,
as well as from private donations. The World Heritage Committee
allocates funds according to the urgency of requests, priority being given
to the most threatened sites (article 15)
9. World heritage committee:
a. 21 countries in term for six years it is responsible to implement the
convention and determine which sites to include based on the
recommendations of ICOMOS and IUCN.
10. Outstanding Universal Value OUV
a. A cultural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national
boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future
generations of all humanity.

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 11. Integrity & authenticity, to be a measure of the wholeness and intactness of
the cultural heritage and its attributes. Examining the conditions of integrity,
therefore requires assessing the extent to which the property:
a. include all elements necessary to express its OUV;
b. be of adequate size to ensure the complete representation of the features
and processes which convey the property’s significance;
c. suffer from adverse effects of development and/or neglect.

12.

Cultural Heritage

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 1. Monuments: architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting,
elements or structures of an archeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings
and combinations of features, which are of outstanding universal value from the
point of view of history, art or science;

2. Groups of buildings: groups of separate or connected buildings which, because

of their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the landscape, are of
outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science;

3. Sites: works of man or the combined works of nature and man, and areas
including archeological sites which are of outstanding universal value from the
historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view.

Natural Heritage
1. Natural features consisting of physical and biological formations or groups of
such formations, which are of outstanding universal value from the aesthetic or
scientific point of view;

2. Geological and physiographical formations and precisely delineated areas

which constitute the habitat of threatened species of animals and plants of
outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation;

3. Natural sites or precisely delineated natural areas of outstanding universal value

from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty.

Criteria for assessing the OUV

1. Represents a masterpiece of human creative genius
2. Exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within
developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town planning or
landscape design.
3. Bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a
civilization which is living or which has disappeared.
4. Be an outstanding example of a type of building or architecture or technological
ensemble or landscape which illustrates: significant stages inhuman history.
5. Be outstanding example of traditional human settlements or land use which is
representative of a culture,especially when it has become vulnerable under the
impact of irreversible change.

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 6. Be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or
with beliefs, with artistic or literary works of understanding universal significance.
7. Be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including
the record of life, significant ongoing geological process in the development of
landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features.
8. Be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and
biological process in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water,
coastal and marine ecosystems and communities or plants and animals.
9. Contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty
and aesthetic importance.
10. Contain the most important and significance natural habitats for in situ
conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species
of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

UNESCO WHC; Advisory Bodies

ICOMOS: The International Council on Monuments and Sites

1. to promote the application of theory, methodology and scientific techniques to the
conservation of the architectural and archeological heritage
2. To evaluate of properties nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List.

ICCROM: The International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of
Cultural Property
1. To carry out research, documentation, technical assistance, training and public
awareness programs

IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature

1. To bring together national governments, NGOs, and scientists in a worldwide
partnership.
2. Its mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to
conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of
natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.

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Questions:
1. Which of the following are international safeguarding campaigns launched before
the 1972 Convention for World Heritage?
a. The Nubian campaign launched in 1960
b. The Russian campaign launched in 1970
c. The Venice campaign launched in 1966
d. The Abu Dhabi campaign launched in 1967

2. To be included on the WHL list, sites must have an OUV, how can an OUV be
justified?
a. A property's OUV must be apparent through the material "attribution of the
property that reflects its unique nature and characteristic
3. Criterion (vi) to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions
with ideas or with beliefs with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal
significance. This refers to a property's intangible aspects
a. Belongs to the four cultural criteria
b. Enables properties to be included on the list primarily for their memorial
dimension
c. Can be seen as a like between ….
4. A property’s OUV must be apparent and thus deemed of the highest importance
to the international community as a whole, only if it adheres to certain cultural
criteria

Heritage ownership:

1. World Heritage: outstanding Universal Values

2. National: symbolizes a society shared collection
3. Local: communities need familiar landmarks
4. Personal tracing family history, origins

History of the World heritage convention:

- The Hague convention1954: “for the protection of cultural property” - because of the
event of armed conflicts.
- The nubia campaign 1960: where 22 monuments were lifted from under the water - the
process took 20 year to resolve and with the invasion assistant of other countries
- CASE STUDY OF EGYPT
- The Venice Campaign in 1965: due to flooding
- CASE STUDY
- The official convention in 1972 concerning the protection of the world cultural and
natural heritage was adopted
- They recognized that certain places on earth are of (Outstanding Universal value)
- Should be part of the common heritage of Humankind
- Came into force in December 1975

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How to maintain the state of an object:
1. Conservation; protection in a bigger concept
2. Preservation: principles for utilization of cultural heritage; restore
3. Restoration
- Conservation: to look after/ protect while allowing some sort of intervention),
- Preservation: to keep the place as it is, take care of it as it is with NO intervention.
- Restoration; the process of doing minimum intervention to preserve it and take
care of it/interpretation

The greatest goal is to conserve the place ( take care of it) second is to preserve with
minimum intervention, lastly is to restore by the purpose of maintaining the authenticity
of the place.
Absence and presence
- The void is still a part of what is there and what is still existing
- Absence is another form of presence,
- Example: two status in Afghanistan were listed as world heritage after they were bombed
and destroyed, which represents how dynamic heritage is, it was added to the unesco
world heritage sites without renovating/ fixing it

Selectivity and reconstruction

- Example: the two towers that were bombed in New York 9/11
- The place was renovated and turned into a park where at night lights create a shape of the
destroyed towers.
- The remains of the event was used in a human way by telling a story/ narrating human
perspective
- An empty island (jail) is kept and considered as heritage because the emptiness is seen as
an interesting absence as well as a story. Which leads to cultural heritage tourism
Criteria (vi) :
The absence significance (criteria 6)- it is the only criteria that represents a link between
something that is tangible and Intangible
- Example: Hiroshima, Japan

“To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or beliefs, with artistic
and literary works of outstanding universal significance” source: WHC.UNESCO.ORG

Preparation Questions:
1. The process of the world heritage center and how they reached the decision of to start
protecting heritage
2 incidents happened to monuments:
- The aposible temple
- The demps in egypt

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 - In 1960 they gathered and reached the decision to established the world heritage
center because of these two main incidents
a. The nubian campaign 1960
c. The venice campaign 1966
The concept of world heritage came because of these two points

2. To be included on the World heritage list, sites need an Outstanding Universal value,
how can OUV be justified?
2.1. Is right because it reflects the unique nature and characteristics that the ouv
represents Answer: A property’s OUV must be apparent through the material
“attributes” of the property that reflect its unique nature and characteristics
2.2. C. is wrong because it doesn't have to adhere to only cultural criteria but also to Natural
criteria
3. Criteria vi (6):this refers to a property’s intangible aspect,
It has to connect to a memory of the place or of something particular that happened in this site
4. Is wrong doesn't make any scene
4.1. correct, the site is tangible but represents an intangible event that occurred
4.2. The convention in 2003 for safeguarding on intangible heritage, in the sense of
what is really intangible such as music, crafts, process, and whatever is used to
describe cultures and authenticities.
- The main distinction between criteria vi and the convention in 2003 is that everything is still alive
in the criteria for 1972 as it can be changed and still used while the convention represents
whatever can’t be changed
5. There are several imbalances in the World Heritage list, which of the following
statements are true?
- the existence of a higher number of cultural rather than natural sites
- Regional spiritualities are not represented equally, if they would be all represented and
showcased equally in a universal nature then it
- Europe is particularly overrepresented

6. 3 things a site must have, Explain each one

6.1. OUV

6.2. Authenticity (something to do with the past)

6.3. Integrity (to keep it as it is with no significant changes that has no connection to
the site, to infer structures that has no relation to the site hence affects the
integrity of the place )

Terminology
1. State party: the parties/ members of the conventions who agree to follow the roles of the
conventions
2. World heritage committee: committee of 21 countries that follow the guidelines

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 3. The advisory boards:
4. Sovereignty: when the state acts as they want ( ‫) محمية المها‬
5. IUCN: International Union for the conservation of Nature
6. ICCOMOS: international council for - they look for the
These two are controlled by the navy
7. ICROM :
8. Tentative (limited): for any site to be on the list it has to be on the tentative list to
research, look into it, seek advisory before it gets approved
9. endangered list: like immediate risks like war and fragile places and conflict areas. A site
could still be listed even after they are demolished or destroyed and elements of their
authenticities is missed
10. Serial nomination: having several sites but not necessarily on the same place, they present
an integrated concept. Not all sites should carry a separate OUV, just the first one listed
and then the others could act as complementaries to the site and do not need an OUV

- Understand how the world heritage center works from the guideline
- Read and discuss and give opinion, You can prepare
-

After midterm notes

6/1/2022

Do you think virtual tours in their current format are a marketing and promotion tool or they
are a product in their own capacity and could be treated as an alternative to site visitation.

Pre-visitation (AIDA)

Creates awareness, interest, desire, Action

- If ppl book online (protect the environment)/ Action process

- Save money

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LBS- local based site (AI during the visit) (example Greece), Augmented, audio guides, VR
Good for planners (easier to manage)
conservation:GIS- GIS can be imposing maps of different sites and attractions
- Location
- Endangered
- Environmental state
Post visitations (to manage your site efficiently)
- Impression
- Feedbacks
- Reviews
- opinions
- Experiences

Visit faces of heritage

- Creates awareness of destroyed monuments
- It was used as an alternative of a product (raise funds)
- Used as a communication tool
Interpretation
- Needs a theme to compare and understand the sites
- Thematic order: organized according to categories
- Bring thematic interpretation and combining it with technology

How can I look at website initiatives for SDGs and sustainability?

- Encourage SMEs: ex book for a local guide; book for airlines, local restaurants
- Try to encourage visitors to visit local sites within a thematic itinerary
ICT contribution can take the following forms [ABCDE}
Access (physical or virtually)
- Information
- Limit crowdedness
- Google map of the location (guidance)
- Book ticket online
Better- LBS
- Visiting the physical site
- Means interpretation
- Augmented reality, VR
Connect
- Create knowledge
- Keep people in touch
- Connect locals to the visitors and service providers (to make it economic)
Dis-intermediation
- No need to manage my site through an agent
- Increases the encom to the local community
- People can book directly

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 - Make it local
Education
- Struggle: to educate a tour guide and local community (by creating training sessions)
- Different languages

Generating income by providing experience

- Video mapping (in location)
- VR (in location)
- AR using them highly for cultural heritage sites (in location)
- Archiving preservation
You can always relate this to economy

AR- you can see the reconstruction of the site ( individual technologies: tablets or phones)
It might be a bit expensive/ it is one-to one
- For sites you want to preserve

VR- can include many ppl at one place

Video mapping- concerned about the history of the place ex:hologram

https://www.europeana.eu/en/collections/topic/190-art

Culture and heritage class

Conservation and heritage economics

- Kintsugi is an art technique in japan (a concept), broken items to be connected

- ex:fixing things with diff materials, ex: construct new things by technology
- They create a new shape and create a story, new added value into life

Keep it as it is? Change it completely? Different concepts about it

- Terminology
- Conservation is the overall approach of project management, its the big umbrella, after it
comes preservation and restoration in the arab and european literature
- Viollet le duc architect: his approach was to follow the restoration line, using the same
material and not diff materials. To rebuild the sites to their original shape. Very high
intervention. It affects the integrity and authenticity when it comes to the whs, but as an
architect its technique. It does not have a kintsugi concept as it will not change.
- The british approach is very conservative, it is that they don't have any desire to change
so, they chose to do stabilization which means to maintain the site in the main current
condition, minimum intervention.

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 - Camillo bioto: allow ppl to enjoy but this kind of material will be completely different, u
will be able to distinguish where the changes happened. The good thing with this
restoration tech is that you have a huge variety of constructions.
- Visitors center or site museum - when site is difficult to understand, we direct ppl away
from the site and transfer the site into a story and minimize the intervention
- Example of site museum: Stonehenge- uk most famous world heritage site.making
interpretation away from the site, creating an attraction away from the site itself
- The paradox of heritage- the challenge comes in private ownerships,
- The challenge is that it becomes Selective: heritage sites become selective, ex: govt
owning a fort and that's why heritage becomes boring. Selective bc it's not about
everybody, not having a connection to bahla fort. This is the big challenge. The big
monument reflects leaders and not the life of everybody. That's why there is no
relevance to the people.
- The challenge of conservation comes from private ownership (private heritage)
- Hilat al husn: its private owned
- Gentrification-
- repossession
- Partnership between govt can happen but not in oman yet, govt can help for taxes and
should be open for visitors

Heritage is not a liability

- Liability is 5sara or mklfa, expense
- Looking at properties not as a liability but to look at it as an asset, if i invest in it what
revenue will i get out of it?
- How can i think to generate revenue, if i don't make it in a way that creates income, how
much will it cost u and how is it a liability
- For private ownership, how to preserve it and get incentives from the govt and how can
the govt support
- Bayt yakan: Heritage funding where ppl can take loans as they are contributing to the
economy with the heritage sites

Non governmental organizations

- They raise money to manageme these type of houses (private ownerships)
- Look at the link in the slide as they manage all the houses in the uk

If i have a private home how can i generate money out of it?

- What should people pay?
- Other ways to generate money: Special events; example night in the museum, they
charge a lot of money, open for weddings, host events
- They sell items, membership schemes ex: annual payments
- Converting properties into restaurants
- Retailing: merchandising, the tools and products has to connect to the place

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Heritage works
- Legislation- ex: if your house is more than 100 years, you are not allowed to destroy it.
- Gentrification and compensation: is when you own a property and then you compensate
and turn it into smth completely different.
- Examples of the schemes/ incentives
- ROT schemes: someone Rents the area form the govt, renovated it and invests in it,
then give the site to the govt or the owner

Legislation in england, liverpool

- Although its a private heritage site, and they site in the worlds heritage, then you are not
allowed to change anything or change the site.

Challenges that private owned heritage face and what can we do to support them?
- How can they protect it?
- Suggest a way to protect it and turn it into an asset

Case studies for the final:

- Perling route- study it for the final
- The aflaj of oman- case study
- U should be able to distinguish the diff types of school of thoughts
- How can we deal with private heritage
- Challenges facing private heritage and what are the options to deal with it
- Be able to write about how could heritage stop being liability and become a
source to the government

Class revision:
Heritage and sustainable development:
- Knocking down of buildings is a bad aspect to tourism
- Re using building for any purpose that is a sign of sustainable development

Heritage innovation happens

- Bahrain: old houses converted to heritage and culture centers, some for music, art,
library.. They become tangible and intangible sources
- The innovative part is the way that those places got funded, they were owned privately,
big organizations that play a role in the scheme and turn the houses into culture centers
(go back to the recording)
- Another example is in Egypt: new Thermopolis; they created and built a cultural hotel, on
an old concept of a city that existed already. They recreated the agriculture, food, craft
and the look of the old capital city in egypt,
- Csr: asking companies to pay some money to the community to be able to maintain their
site
- Economy and conservation go hand in hand, the challenge comes from sufficient
funding.

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 After- Midterm
Intangible Culture Heritage Convention 2003
They have listed a number of cultural expressions and practices, which are now commonly
referred to as Intangible Cultural Heritage

ICH, intangible cultural heritage

1. the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments,
objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and,
in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.
2. Cultural space like majlis, even though the majlis is something tangible, here we are
listing the concept. Even though a majlis is placed, but there is no fixed shape for it, it
comes in diff forms so here we are protecting the concept and the tradition.

How is this convention different from the 1972 convention?

1. It is a new undertaking of heritage, the idea of the world heritage convention before, was
that it was passed through time and that it is fixed, however; this convention is that
heritage, does not only include monuments and buildings or natural landscapes, but also
include cultural expressions and practices that we refer to as intangible heritage. Ex,
dances, recipes, …
2. From the approach side,
a. 1972, that the sites are OUV unique and extraordinary
b. 2003, that the sites are representative and more democratic. That the heritage is
living and it represents what the people are still doing. The heart of this
convention is the community, ppl who practice the heritage.

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After the 1972 convention, UNESCO realized that these are not the only sites they must include
and protect. Also that these WH sites always have a political dimension, the governments are in
control of what to include and not. They do not consider the community role.

UNESCO's attempts to include intangible heritage

1. Human treasure program,
a. They asked the member states to identify people who have talent tradition, for
example who can handicraft, or dance in the proper way or know a language that
is only known to the natives (jabali, in salalah). They asked to put these talents as
bearers and practitioners for these traditions for the future generations.
b. They attempted to find these talents and list them at the national level and protect
them.
2. Proclamation ( means announcement) of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible
Heritage of Humanity
a. Again they went to the government. And asked them to find elements, music,
games, songs, etc. not to the world but it has to be representative of their own
culture.

After this convention, the government alone cannot list the sites, its community has to list it too.

The 1972 convention had only one list, either natural or cultural or mixed sites, so 1 list for the
10 criteria.

The 2003 convention has a system of 3 lists (and 5 criteria ):

1. The List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
2. The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
3. The Register of Best Safeguarding Practices.
a. Here they are listing the way they get the element alive, so they're listing the
practice of preserving it.

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The ALESCO, Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, they have listed
its like the UNESCO, operating in the arab world. They work on listing intangible elements and
why they have listed it.

The 1972, was focused mostly in Europe, while the 2003, was focused on developing countries
in Asia, also in some cases it has more than one country sharing the same tradition together. Such
as Falconry, camel racing.

In the new convention we are only safeguarding it and not stopping it from evolution as it is still
alive. For example, we can add new ingredients to a traditional recipe. It is constantly recreated.
Giving them a sense of identity and continuity to promote respect for cultural diversity and
human creativity.

The purpose of the convention

1. To safeguard the intangible cultural heritage;
2. To ensure respect for the intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups and
individuals concerned;
3. To raise awareness at the local, national and international levels of the importance of the
intangible cultural heritage, and of ensuring mutual appreciation thereof;
4. To provide for international cooperation and assistance

The Five Criteria " what the art means to the community":
1. Communities, groups, and, in some cases, individuals, recognize them as part of their
cultural heritage.
2. The items must be “transmitted from generation to generation”,
3. These elements must be: “constantly recreated by communities and groups in response
to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history”
a. Things ppl consistently do, it is alive and does not stop.
4. Items must provide communities with “a sense of continuity”.

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 a. This identity function of Intangible Cultural Heritage is an important element in
the 2003 Convention that does not appear in the 1972 Convention.
5. The final criterion is that these practices must “be compatible with existing international
human rights instruments, as well as with the requirements of mutual respect among
communities, groups and individuals, and of sustainable development
a. For example they cannot force children to camel race, and abuse them to do so.

Domains ( what they're listing):

1. Oral traditions and expressions including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural
heritage
2. Performing arts (such as traditional music, dance and theater)
3. Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
4. Social practices, rituals and festive events
5. Traditional craftsmanship

Characteristics
1. Traditional, contemporary and living at the same time
2. Inclusive, meaning identity and responsibility.
3. Representative
4. Community-based

Main Challenges
1. What is tangible and what is intangible and what are we protecting?
a. All intangible elements have a tangible aspect of them but we are not protecting
the tangible aspect we are only protecting practice.

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 b. Oman listed the alafraj according to 1972 and UAE listed them according to 2003,
what's the difference?
i. UAE Intangible heritage, by this they protected knowledge associated
with them, how to dig the falaj, how to clean it.. how to protect it. It is
the knowledge of processing them. The social practices.
ii. Oman has a tangible heritage, by this they protected 5 aflaj….. They
listed them and chose and so they protected the physical form of it only.
2. Place an inventory system, it requires us to list this heritage dynamic without it
becoming fixed as it can still evolve.
a. It's very time consuming and so they placed a limit for the amount of items they
list yearly.
3. The community is very heavily involved
a. Community is not always homogeneous. Tension could exist between different
parts of it.
b. They need to explain the text to the ICH and understand process of identifying
heritage that fits within the criteria.

Heritage Interpretation

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Interpretation:
The full range of potential activities intended to raise awareness about and enhance
understanding about a culture site – this can be on-site or off site.

Presentation:
The more carefully planned communication of interpretive content interpretative information,
physical access, interpretive infrastructure at a cultural heritage site, walking tours, information
panels

Interpretive infrastructure:
physical installations, facilities and areas connected to a cultural site that is specifically used for
presentation

Site interpreters:
staff or volunteers at a cultural heritage site.

The Rosetta stone story

From moving the item from behind the glass, to the people where they can touch it, examin it.

Repatriation of heritage
That some items in the museums are dislocated, and now people are trying to repatriate meaning
to get these items back to their place.

Merchandising
For example selling the items, for example the berlin wall. People are selling stones from the
wall to tourists.

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Heritage can be used by politicians if the government is in control of the site.
Ardogan converted the site into a mosouq to fulfill his political agenda by pleasing his people.

Heritage ownership
The heritage be owned by private or government sector
Ex, bait al zubair museum is a private heritage, they have the right to dictate the narrative.

Interpretation is not only creating narratives for historical sites but also for natural sites ( she
mentioned pearls)

“Interpretation is an educational activity which aims to reveal

meanings and relationships through the use of original objects,
by first-hand experience, and by illustrative media, rather than
simply to communicate factual information", (Tilden, 1957).

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The principles of Heritage interpretation
1. Any interpretation that does not somehow relate with what is being displayed or
described to something within the personality or experience of the visitor, will be sterile.
a. Relate it to ex, death, happiness, birth.
2. Information, as such, is not interpretation. Interpretation is revelation based upon
information. But they are entirely different things. However all interpretations include
information.
a. The art of putting together, how to present it.
3. Interpretation is an art, which combines many arts, whether the materials presented are
scientific, historical or architectural. Any art is in some degree teachable.
4. The chief aim of interpretation is not instruction, but provocation.
a. Shit she said she might bring this in the exam and we explain it with examples.
b. I want to communicate a message and provoc people in a specific way. I want to
tell the ppl that Oman has a strong nation so I tell them about the history that
Oman defeating the Portageas. So I need to know my message well.
5. Interpretation should aim at presenting the whole picture (i.e. history, meaning, aspects)
rather than a part or specific facts of the concerned heritage.
a. I'm using this small item to present the whole story. For example, explain how the
item is made or represents diff regions, and place it in a map.
b. The symbolism about the items and stories.
6. Interpretation addressed to children (say, up to the age of twelve) should not be a dilution
of the presentation to adults, but should follow a fundamentally different approach. To be
at its best it will require a separate programme.

Alone the item does not mean anything but with a story it means a lot and can have an effect
that's interpretation.

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Interpretation technique
1. Guided – Personal
2. Non Personal – self guided
3. Lead visitors to actively construct their own experience through their own interaction
with heritage sites

Underground Metro Station Athens, Greece

1. In a metro station in athens, they found historical remains, they kept the heritage and
added text to interpret it for the people to understand.
2. Commuters encounter archaeology as part of their daily routine.
3. Take heritage to people and not people to heritage

Augmented reality is sharing the site by viewing how it was while dVirtual reality does not deal
with heritage much it deals with 3D…

Digitisation of Heritage

The virtual tour is an alternative to the site visitoation, it is a product from the marketing point of
view, or as a marketing tool.

When we think about the ICH site, we need to think from the consumer's perspective in
three stages:
1. Pre-visitation
a. Information and technology to create awareness and interest. Facilitated visits, by
allowing visitors to book their tickets online. By this they can avoid crowds in
lines at the entrance.

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 2. During visitation LBS
a. Location based services, looking at what I'm going to do during the visit.
b. Talk about interpretation, augmented reality, smart tours, etc. encourages the
people to facilitate the interpretation process.
c. Through remote sensing to facilitate the people to less crowded places.
3. Post visitation
a. How can technology help after the visit?
b. User generated content, reviews in Tripadvisor.

3D printing (IT) to restructure heritage sites can be very helpful. But for that to happen they must
have proper imagining and detailed information of how it was before.

From another level, how can GIS contribute to the conservation sites?
We can use it by overlaying different maps, for example, overlaying the site map with the
underground map. If I overline them together then I can see if the site is undergoing a threat by
flooding as an example. Or a remote sensing where I can see how close they are from other
centers. We can use it to map the sites and find what damages they can be suffering from.

IT can help in the interpretation of the site in a thematic way. Can even help in booking the tour
through the site.
How can I link this initiative to the sustainable goals?
I can encourage SMEs, book for tour guides , etc book my potential visitor to this guid, by
encouraging to book for a local guide, local restaurant, local hotels through the informational
aided technology.

ICT Contribution can take the following forms

1. Access
a. Physical or conceptual access ( knowledge about the site) . I can get information
from the site. I can book my ticket, get information, and get location info.

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 2. Better - LBS
a. Smart quiquing, virtual reality.
3. Connect
a. Connecting the visitors with the locals. Create awareness and engage
4. Dis-intermediation
a. Be able to use the IT to book. To taking out international organization.
5. Education
a. Interpretation and educating the guids. Providing training courses enabling them
to tell their heritage probably. Offering this online provides accessibility to
everyone and involves everyone in.

LBS Local based services

It is connected to increasing the economic returns from that site. We can use the follow:
1. Video mapping
2. Virtual reality
3. Augmented reality
4. Archiving for preservation, approach

It also encouraged people to extend their stay and increase their revenue.

Heritage and the 4th Industrial revolution

They reconstructed the statue.
Heritage at risk in Syria, Iraq and Yemen
Risk includes both destruction, looting and above all lack of awareness;
Interpretation, virtual reality, etc.

With AR, we need to use certain technology enable the iphone and provide ipads for example so
its expensive. While VR or video mapping, to reenact the history that happened, tell the history
what happened use hologram maybe. With AR, we are making people more imaginative,
reconstructing the images.

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Heritage Economics An innovative Approach; Conservation

1. Conservation: is the main approach to heritage management in European literature

under the main approach comes concepts like preservation refers to minimum
intervention
2. Preservation: in the main approach to heritage management in the US literature
and under that approach comes the term conservation which refers to minimum
intervention.Adaptive reuse is for example; taking a fort and making into a hotel
or a restaurant to generate an economic income out of the site
3. "‫ الترمیم‬Restoration
4. Adaptive use or ‫ عادة التأھیل‬Rehabilitation rehabilitation: to change and reuse the
place and make it meaningful/ generate income
a. Example: Husn al Felaij ‫حصن الفليج‬- Oman, Important National events were
held there even though it’s an important heritage site.

Conservation School of thoughts - 3

1- Viollet le duc architect:
His approach was to follow the restoration line, using the same material and not diff
materials. To rebuild the sites to their original shape. Very high intervention. It affects the
integrity and authenticity when it comes to the whs, but as an architect its technique.

2- British Approach
very conservative, it is that they don't have any desire to change so, they chose to do
stabilization which means to maintain the site in the main current condition, minimum
intervention.

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3- Camillo Bioto:
allow ppl to enjoy but this kind of material will be completely different, u will be able to
distinguish where the changes happened. The good thing with this restoration tech is that
you have a huge variety of constructions.

Visitors center or site museum

when site is difficult to understand, we direct ppl away from the site and transfer the site
into a story and minimize the intervention
Example of site museum: Stonehenge- uk most famous world heritage site. making
interpretation away from the site, creating an attraction away from the site itself

The challenge is that it becomes Selective

heritage sites become selective, ex: govt owning a fort and that's why heritage becomes boring.
Selective bc it's not about everybody, not having a connection to bahla fort. This is the big
challenge. The big monument reflects leaders and not the life of everybody. That's why there is
no relevance to the people.

Heritage is not a liability but can be an investment

Bayt yakan: Heritage funding where ppl can take loans as they are contributing to the
economy with the heritage sites

Gentrification and compensation

It is when the property is owned by someone. Bought by someone els then use
commercial use to generate money.

Understand the concepts of private heritage and how to deal with it, best approach?
- What should people pay?
- Other ways to generate money: Special events; example night in the museum, they
charge a lot of money, open for weddings, host events
- They sell items, membership schemes ex: annual payments
- Converting properties into restaurants
- Retailing: merchandising, the tools and products has to connect to the place

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Legislation- Historic England
- ex: if your house is more than 100 years, you are not allowed to destroy it.
- Although its a private heritage site, and they site in the worlds heritage, then you are not
allowed to change anything or change the site.
- Consequences of failing to obtain listed building consent
Carrying out works requiring listed building consent without permission is a criminal offence
carrying penalties of substantial fines or prison sentence or both.

Challenges facing private heritage and what are the options to deal with it

Challenges :
1. Insufficient funding
2. Economy and conservation go hand in hand, the challenge comes from sufficient
funding.
How to deal with it/ solution:
1. ROT, rent operate and transfer.
2. PPP, public-private partnership.
3. Heritage for investment / Sources of Revenue
1. Users Fees
2. Special events
3. Retailing Lodging and catering:
4. Grants: Leaders and Interreg; Ford Foundation
5. Sponsorship
6. Donations

Innovative approach
1. Houses privately owned in Bahrain were purchased by the center with the support
of big corporations, etc they changed it to a
2. Heritage 4 d development in egypt creating a hotel that represents the old houses.
a. Another example is in Egypt: new Thermopolis; they created and built a cultural
hotel, on an old concept of a city that existed already. They recreated the
agriculture, food, craft and the look of the old capital city in egypt,

Case Studies

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Aflaj of Oman, it's quite complicated because they protected the tangible element of the al falaj.
The problem is that the Intangible is the most important, the knowledge and the skills, from the
farmers and community. But according to the convention in 1972, its not protecting knowledge
it's protecting the falaj only. (slide 4).

What is tangible and what is intangible and what are we protecting?

1. All intangible elements have a tangible aspect of them but we are not protecting the
tangible aspect we are only protecting practice.
2. Oman listed the alafraj according to 1972 and UAE listed them according to 2003, what's
the difference?
a. UAE Intangible heritage, by this they protected knowledge associated with them,
how to dig the falaj, how to clean it.. how to protect it. It is the knowledge of
processing them. The social practices.
b. Oman has a tangible heritage, by this they protected 5 aflaj….. They listed them
and chose and so they protected the physical form of it only.
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1207

UAE - Intangible, Convention 2003:

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity ( from the listing)

1. Oral traditions, knowledge and skills of construction, maintenance and equitable water
distribution are a source of pride for the associated communities.
2. underground tunnel to conduct water over long distances from an underground source to a
basin, where the community can access it
3. includes a network of surface channels
4. The Al Aflaj system is based on inherited knowledge and practices related to nature and the
universe. It also relies on traditional skills in finding water sources based on types of
vegetation and other indications, as well as drilling skills for maintaining the irrigation system
and ensuring the equitable distribution of water.

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 5. Community members contribute to maintaining Al Aflaj and clearing the tunnels of mud; this
knowledge and experience has been passed down for 3,000 years.
6. Related knowledge is transmitted through instruction and shared experience as well as by
other means such as field trips for school students.
7. Throughout the centuries, the Al Aflaj have served to provide drinkable water for humans
and animals and to irrigate farms in an arid environment, demonstrating the community’s
creativity in the face of water scarcity and the desert environment.

In relation to the 5 criteria:

1. The community does recognize it and it also has been maintaining it for 3,000years.
2. Transmitted from generation to generation
a. Inherited knowledge and practices related to nature and the universe.
3. Consistent
a. Community members contribute to maintaining Al Aflaj and clearing the tunnels of
mud;
4. A sense of continuity
a. Served to provide drinkable water for humans and animals. School field trips
5. Compatible with international rights and does not harm the environment or the people.

Oman (tangible aspect)

Omani alaj falls under Criteria 5 (v): to be an outstanding example of a traditional human
settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human
interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of
irreversible change;
➔ In this case the collection of Aflaj irrigation systems represents some 3,000 still
functioning systems in Oman. Ancient engineering technologies demonstrate long
standing, sustainable use of water resources for the cultivation of palms and other
produce in extremely arid desert lands. Such systems reflect the former total dependence
of communities on this irrigation and a time-honored, fair and effective management and
sharing of water resources, underpinned by mutual dependence and communal values.

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Integrity: The components of the property contain the key elements of the aflaj cultural
landscapes
➔ irrigation channels
➔ agricultural land
➔ settlement areas
➔ traditional management practices
- The inscribed property reflects the integrity of the whole aflaj system.
- Date palms continue to dominate the agricultural areas, and extant historic buildings
generally retain their original building material.
- good continuity of use and function across the property, illustrative of it being a living,
working cultural landscape.
- The key falaj channels continue to distribute water to irrigate agricultural land. The falaj
system also continues to depend on traditional techniques and management practices.
- the water systems are maintained in good order
- There are issues around the continued use and maintenance of many of the
traditional buildings in these landscapes.
➔ New development can compromise the setting of the Aflaj as well as increasing
demand for water excessively,
➔ while palm plantations have sometimes been replaced by new houses.
➔ Road construction across or alongside channels can be damaging.

Authenticity The basic layout of the nominated aflaj is wholly authentic.

There are some modern interventions such as
- the use of concrete for lining shafts,
- cement for reinforcing the tops of the mother wells and access shafts, at some of the
shari’a,
- in the distribution channels to individual agricultural plots,
- new building around the settlements.
- the authenticity can be seen in the underground channels which still *consist of old
traditional materials*.

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 - Aflaj provides examples of some of the old techniques of sustainable land use which still
continues to this day. The agriculture system still functions using traditional methods. A
wide range of old building settlements are constructed of traditional materials.

Protection and management requirements

- the attributes of *Outstanding Universal Value*, buffer zone, the historic buildings,
monuments, traditional practices and agricultural land within the property are being
legally protected by the government.
- The environment around the channels is protected by the Law on protection of sources of
potable water from pollution.
- the traditional handicrafts in the Aflaj society are encourage and protected by the Public
Authority for Handicrafts Industry which was established in 2003

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