Many aspects of our environment that reflect our customs and traditions as Saudis have been lost amid globalization and technological advancement, so the customs of social occasions no longer reflect our identity but have instead become copies of other cultures.
The same is true of our architectural and urban identity; we find it has begun to decline and disappear due to misguided efforts by non-specialists. We no longer see buildings that reflect our values and our architectural and urban heritage, but rather buildings copied from global civilizations that in no way reflect our past as a sign of our civilization’s continuity; In fact, many of these buildings lack any distinct identity; they are merely dark, gloomy boxes in which one would not expect people with a glorious urban civilization to live.
In most countries around the world, people cannot abandon their identity—whether it be their native language, their noble customs, or their urban heritage. The reason for this lack of attention may stem from the indifference of experts and the efforts of others, or it may result from official institutions" failure to prioritize our architectural heritage so that we may benefit from it architecturally, economically, and in terms of tourism.
Despite all this, we are beginning to see efforts to preserve our heritage being undertaken by the General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities, and Historic Jeddah is a prime example; and I hope this focus will be extended to all historical sites and that our architectural heritage will be preserved and utilized throughout the Kingdom.
We must also reflect this architectural heritage in all our cities, neighborhoods, and modern buildings, and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs should take an active role in this regard by scrutinizing and reviewing designs and establishing specific requirements to incorporate architectural styles from our civilization into future buildings.
@abdulnassersa
