Identifying Cultural Heritage Attributes in Beirut Blast Damaged Areas - An Information Session

The session aims to present the UNESCO Historical Urban Landscape approach and methodology and how it applies to Beirut within a framework of identified layers, values and attributes.

Within the framework of the UNESCO project Identifying Cultural Heritage Attributes in Beirut Blast Damaged Areas and in close consultation with the Directorate General for Antiquities, the Beirut Urban Lab at AUB held an information session titled Historic Urban Landscapes as an Approach to Cultural Heritage Identification in Beirut Blast Damaged Areas. This is part of a greater study that aims to identify and map cultural heritage in the blast-impacted area of Beirut in view of setting an action plan for the protection and sustainable management of the historic urban landscape of these areas. The aim of the session is to present the UNESCO Historical Urban Landscape approach and methodology and how it applies to Beirut within a framework of identified layers, values and attributes.

The UNESCO-funded study was launched by the lab on July 1st, 2021 and is focused on the area including parts of these sectors: Port, Saifi, Rmeil and Medawar and seeks to identify modern heritage, both built and landscape, in the areas impacted by the Beirut Blast. To this end, a team of six experts was formed: Howayda AlHarithy, Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at AUB and research lead at BUL; Hana Alamuddin, Principal of Almimariya Architects and Designers; Robert Saliba, Professor of Architecture, Urban Design and Planning at AUB; Jala Makhzoumi, Adjunct Professor of Landscape Architecture at AUB; Serge Yazigi, Adjunct Professor of Urban Planning at AUB; and Habib Debs, Principal of URBI.

The Historic Urban Landscapes (HUL) Recommendation, reaching its 10th anniversary this year, understands the area “as a result of the historic layering of cultural and natural values and attributes”. Therefore, the session addressed the following questions: What is Historical Landscape in the Beiruti context? What are its layers and drivers for change? And how can we identify its key attributes in the selected historic quarters of Beirut most impacted by the blast? To watch the recording of the session, click here.