Due to the recent - and rather rapid - developments in Saudi Arabia, there is a serious lack of understanding and appreciation of the cultural landscape. This research discusses and develops a method of evaluating and understanding the cultural landscape in Saudi Arabia, based on the indigenous usage of the environment. The initial cause for this study is the conflict that emerged between new imported planning systems - brought about by the process of 'modernization' - and the culture and behaviour of the natives of Arabia. The major aim was to look at the problem from a different perspective, that of a native, towards the establishment of a more culturally-authentic model. In order to achieve the goals of this thesis, a series of studies were undertaken: first, the theoretical background related to the main issues of this study is reviewed and the issues defined according to Saudi Arabian beliefs, values and way of life. This is followed by the evaluation of a selected case-study - the 'Asir region as a potential cultural landscape site - through the course of its development. To conclude, a number of recommendations are put forward for the use of native landscape architects, environmental-preservation agencies, managers and policy makers as a planning tool. This reseach is mainly concerned with a very particular field of landscape architecture; that of cultural landscape. Accordingly, the organization of the research is aimed at handling a gradual introduction to the subject of cultural landscape as represented in chapter one. It discusses the problem as dealt with in the research, the aims and the reasons for selecting 'Asir region as a case-study and so forth. It also deals with one of the main models of cultural landscape assessment - Melnick's model - as a preliminary step towards identifying available assessment models and planning tools for the use of this research.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:641140 |
| Date | January 1992 |
| Creators | Atwah, Ali Yahya Ali |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/19827 |
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