AL-ΚAQR: ARCHITECTURAL VALUES AND THREATS TO SITE’S SIGNIFICANCE and not as a mere object of preservation. There is strong reason to believe that the object of heritage management in Oman has been the latter. • The settlement is currently largely uninhabited. This is a result of demographic shift, both generally from the predominantly rural interior to larger urban centres in the region, as well as towards the capital, Muscat. There is also a general lack of interest in living within traditional environments resulting from significant social change and ‘modernisation’. Depopulation and abandonment rather than overcrowding is the problem of Omani vernacular settlements. This Heritage Management Plan proposes to address this problem by broadening the usage focus of the site and by re-establishing the appeal of the site. • A number of houses are currently still inhabited by both locals and expatriates. The lack of utilities and basic services for this community has resulted in the accumulation of large amounts of waste which pose a health risk, and severely affect visitor numbers. • The unchecked reconstruction of houses by the inhabitants in concrete and cement with no concept of sustainability or preservation of townscape have severely affected the visual qualities of al-ΚAqr. • The use of cement or concrete to make roofs watertight has instead resulted in destabilising the structures and bringing them to collapse. • The continued lack of day-to-day maintenance and conservation arising from the above situation is a significant threat. To address this, the Ministry of Heritage and Culture (MHC) has taken the first step
by commissioning and supporting work on this documentation and management plan. • Tourism, in so far as there is any, is as yet not professionally managed and does not follow any strategic guidelines and guides are often inadequately informed. • The wide range of constructional, structural and architectural issues arising from neglect poses an extremely important threat. Structural failure arises from unchecked weather and bacterial action on the built fabric, as well as altered levels of stress and strain on building materials and components resulting from fluctuating levels of humidity and collapsed structures. Key architectural features of the settlement are being lost through erosion and collapse. In addition to the decay of structures due to the eroding action of the elements (Fig. 5.4), abandonment and resulting dilapidation, the inevitable loss of the richness and cultural/material value of the earthen architecture is caused by repair/ maintenance malpractices. This report provides a comprehensive understanding of the extent of constructional problems. • The lack of an adequate storm-water runoff system is continuously damaging the foundations of structures and weakening them further • Figures 6.8, 6.9 respectively map and describe the state of preservation of the settlement by broad categories, by: • indicating the degree of preservation of the building units; • showing it by means of sample photos;
Figure 5.5 al-ΚAqr, decorated ceiling
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