Lecture 4. West and South Asia

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Kathryn Rogers Merlino


from the module:

Global Conservation: Preservation, Reuse And Sustainability

The regions of West and South Asia have been critically valuable to both western and eastern civilizations due to the constant historic trade routes that brought economic viability and supporting settlements over thousands of years. In South Asia, historic sites are threatened by over -population and growing tourism pressures. Unresolved conflicts in West Asia that have plagued the area over the past several decades have made heritage concerns low among the region’s priorities, and political solutions and stability are a prerequisite before the advancement of sustainable building or architectural conservation can be considered a priority. In this lecture, the diverse heritages of West and South Asia will be explored beginning with historic layering of sites and complex histories, and presenting approaches of successive periods responding to conflict and population pressures, restoration approaches, threats to heritage security with little resources, as well as alternate methods of preserving sites when physical preservation is impossible or impractical. Themes: Heritage tourism urban overpopulation educational famine technical preservation challenges digital preservation tools trauma and violence heritage recovery urban renewal Case Study Sites: Buddhists Stupas and Monasteries, Takht-i-Bahi, Pakistan, 1st century CE, (religious) Ajanta Rock-cut Caves, India, 2nd century BCE – 6th century CE, (religious) Derawar Fort, Cholistan, Pakistan, 9th century CE, (civic) Humanyuns Tomb, New Delhi, India 1569-70 CE, (civic)

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