International Course On the Conservation of Earthen Architecture

Improving the practice of earthen heritage conservation by providing practical training for mid-career professionals in targeted regions

Project Details

Group wearing hard hats and florescent vests look towards a brick structure

About

Goal

Though the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia hold much of the world’s earthen architecture, there are few targeted training opportunities on the conservation of earthen heritage for professionals working in the region. The International Course on the Conservation of Earthen Architecture (EAC) aims to improve the practice of earthen heritage conservation by providing a monthlong practical training course for mid-career professionals from the Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian regions.

Outcomes

  • Developed and delivered courses in 2018 and 2022
  • In 2018, twenty-two professionals in conservation of earthen heritage from North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia received training
  • In 2022, twenty professionals from from Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, India, Morocco, Nepal, Bangladesh, Spain, the United States, and Ecuador received training
  • Participants received instruction in practical methods and theoretical foundations for the conservation of earthen buildings and archaeological sites including conservation theory, material analysis, documentation and diagnosis, as well as preventive conservation, structural interventions and rehabilitation, and the conservation of urban settlements.

Background

In many regions of the world, including in the Arabian Peninsula, earth has been used as a construction material for millennia. In the World Heritage Site of Al Ain, for example, there are numerous earthen archaeological sites dating from the Bronze and Iron ages (ca. 3000-1000 BCE), as well as historic houses, forts and mosques constructed in earth. While these significant sites are being protected and preserved, earthen structures around the world are rapidly disappearing due to abandonment, demolition, and replacement with modern materials.

Approach

Project Team

Conservation Institute: Benjamin Marcus, Project Manager, Project Specialist; Ifrah Asif, Getty Graduate Intern (2023–2024); Claudia Cancino, Senior Project Specialist; Susan Macdonald, Head of Buildings and Sites; Nichole Valliere, Senior Project Coordinator

Supporters

Support for the course in Oman is provided by Ministry of Heritage and Tourism–Oman. The course is also supported by a grant from the ALIPH Foundation.

Contact the Team

Resources