UAE: How Great Arab Minds Winner Helped Preserve Palestine's Historic Buildings

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

According to Palestinian architect and researcher Souad Al-Amri, preserving historic buildings is not only about protecting stones and streets, but about safeguarding memory, identity, and belonging. Her decades-long work in documenting, restoring, and repurposing historic architecture was recognised when she was named the winner of the Arab Great Minds Award in the Architecture and Design category last month.

“There is absolutely no conflict between preservation and modern urban needs,” she said in an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times.“Historic buildings and centres can be rehabilitated to fulfill modern needs, while remaining human scale spaces that are attractive to both residents and visitors.”

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On December 14, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced Al-Amiry as a winner in a post on X, praising her pioneering contributions to preserving Palestinian architectural heritage. He highlighted her role in restoring historic buildings, reviving old town centres, and involving local communities and craftsmen in conservation efforts using traditional building materials.

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Important housing stock

The post also referenced her participation in one of the largest architectural documentation projects in Palestine, which resulted in a national register of more than 50,000 historic buildings and contributed to the revival of 50 historic centres across the country.

Al-Amiry, the founder of the Popular Architecture Centre, Riwaq, said the recognition affirms a belief she has held throughout her career, that heritage preservation is inseparable from social and cultural survival.

She added that historic centres also represent an important housing stock, particularly for lower income communities, and should be seen as assets rather than obstacles to development.

Between 1993 and 2003, Al-Amiry led a decade long documentation project that brought together hundreds of architecture students, architects, archaeologists, and historians. The resulting geographic information system database and three-volume publication now serve as a foundation for urban planning and architectural research in Palestine.

“We need to know what we have before we start planning any work,” she said.“Protecting the most important 50 villages alone would safeguard around half of Palestine's rural architectural heritage.”

Beyong physical loss

Al-Amiry also warned of deeper risks when heritage disappears.“The loss is environmental, cultural, and social,” she said.“Most importantly, it creates estrangement from our surroundings and a disconnect from centuries-long traditions. In the Palestinian case, it also threatens the evidence of whom this land belongs to.”

She said a defining moment in recognising the wider impact of her work came in the early 2000s, when restrictions on Palestinian workers led to widespread job losses.

“That was when we realised conservation and rehabilitation could and must become a source of job creation,” she said.“Historic buildings could be restored while creating work for local communities.”

One such initiative involved convincing owners of historic buildings to grant temporary rights of use to local organisations, in exchange for restoration funded and managed by Riwaq. The approach allowed buildings to be saved, communities to benefit, and heritage to remain alive rather than frozen in time.

For Al-Amiry, being selected as one of the Great Arab Minds holds deep personal meaning.

“It meant a lot to me, first because it is about the Arab world, and second because it recognises the importance of an idea I believed in and worked on all my life, the protection of architectural heritage in Palestine,” she said.

About The Great Arab Minds awards

The Great Arab Minds award ceremony is scheduled to take place on January 15, bringing together winners from across disciplines including science, technology, culture, and design.

The Arab Great Minds initiative was launched to spotlight exceptional Arab thinkers, scientists, and innovators whose work has had a lasting global impact. Announced annually, the initiative aims to celebrate excellence across fields including science, technology, medicine, culture, and the humanities, while encouraging future generations to pursue research and innovation.

Winners are selected based on the depth, influence, and long term contribution of their work, with a focus on ideas that advance human knowledge and development both regionally and internationally.

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