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Al Asmakh historic district in Doha, Qatar: from an urban slum to living heritage PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Al Asmakh historic district in Doha, Qatar: from an urban slum to living heritage

Profile image of Djamel BoussaaDjamel Boussaa
https://doi.org/10.1080/13556207.2014.888815
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15 pages

Abstract

In the face of rapid economic development, population growth, people's increasing needs and their changing lifestyles, most historic centres in the Arab world have experienced problems. Located in a central position in the growing urban areas, these historic districts have to function as city centres. Previously, they kept the medina alive and they participated in the economic growth of the city; however, today this is not generally the case, as many of these centres have been erased, replaced by modern shopping malls and hypermarkets. Despite the fact that the trend for building modern skyscrapers is still popular, it is possible to counterbalance this drift by preserving the few remaining historic areas. We believe that one way of rediscovering the cultural identity of Doha is to go back to its initial roots and try to sustain them in harmony with the present and future trends of the city. Fareej (district) Al Asmakh, a model of Qatari heritage in the heart of Doha, presents an urgent case for urban conservation. Fareej Al Asmakh should be recognized as a valuable resource for future development. It is a reflection of Qatar's cultural identity in the heart of Doha, and thus should be sustained in the face of the proliferation of alien high-rise developments around and adjacent to it. This research focuses on the role of Fareej Al Asmakh and other districts in reviving and injecting new life into the heart of Doha. In other words, the question is: can urban conservation be an adequate strategy to revive and sustain Fareej Al Asmakh, thus strengthening the city's cultural identity while participating in its growth and development?

Key takeaways
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  1. Fareej Al Asmakh's conservation is essential for preserving Qatar's cultural identity amid rapid urbanization.
  2. Doha's population reached 2,068,050 by November 2013, predominantly composed of expatriates.
  3. Historic districts have faced severe threats due to modernization and neglect since the 1960s oil boom.
  4. The proposed conservation strategy includes mixed-use development and pedestrian-friendly initiatives.
  5. An integrated management network is crucial for successful heritage preservation and urban development in Qatar.
Figures (12)
Historic centres in the Gulf have been adversely affected by the rapid urbanization that fol- lowed the discovery of oil during the 1960s and 1970s. In addition, the influx of Asian workers who replaced the original inhabitants in their houses has greatly transformed these dwell- ings by subdividing rooms and adding external kitchens and bathrooms to accommodate many tenants in one house. Therefore, these actions have harmed the existing structures and threatened their survival. Since its independence in 1971, Qatar has launched numerous large-scale urban development projects. Doha has witnessed a mushrooming of office and commercial high-rise towers along the West Bay Corniche and, while more concentrated urban development took place in the city, low-density residential development has been expanding outwards. A fter three decadec anf ranid nrhanizatinn and orawth in which urhan heritage received little
Historic centres in the Gulf have been adversely affected by the rapid urbanization that fol- lowed the discovery of oil during the 1960s and 1970s. In addition, the influx of Asian workers who replaced the original inhabitants in their houses has greatly transformed these dwell- ings by subdividing rooms and adding external kitchens and bathrooms to accommodate many tenants in one house. Therefore, these actions have harmed the existing structures and threatened their survival. Since its independence in 1971, Qatar has launched numerous large-scale urban development projects. Doha has witnessed a mushrooming of office and commercial high-rise towers along the West Bay Corniche and, while more concentrated urban development took place in the city, low-density residential development has been expanding outwards. A fter three decadec anf ranid nrhanizatinn and orawth in which urhan heritage received little
backwardness. Furthermore, the flow of oil revenues encouraged the development of more spa- cious houses that could accommodate more than one car, with rooms for servants, drivers and gardeners. For economic gain, the original owners demolished the old dwellings and replaced them with high-rise buildings in order to generate more money from rent. In addition, there was no law concerned with saving cultural heritage until 1980, when the first legislation was established to preserve archaeological sites and single buildings only. RR ae SE Nee tn! ee a Se SE Sa e Coes eee A See i; a eee POM Meee atte OED OE, 0 Re Te SE ater Tet SS, Sere ean ae
backwardness. Furthermore, the flow of oil revenues encouraged the development of more spa- cious houses that could accommodate more than one car, with rooms for servants, drivers and gardeners. For economic gain, the original owners demolished the old dwellings and replaced them with high-rise buildings in order to generate more money from rent. In addition, there was no law concerned with saving cultural heritage until 1980, when the first legislation was established to preserve archaeological sites and single buildings only. RR ae SE Nee tn! ee a Se SE Sa e Coes eee A See i; a eee POM Meee atte OED OE, 0 Re Te SE ater Tet SS, Sere ean ae
Figure 3. Showing the remaining historic districts in Doha (patches in dark colour); Faree; Al Asmakh is located between Msheireb and Najada. Courtesy of Alice Bianchi, QMA, Qatar.
Figure 3. Showing the remaining historic districts in Doha (patches in dark colour); Faree; Al Asmakh is located between Msheireb and Najada. Courtesy of Alice Bianchi, QMA, Qatar.
Figure 4. Doha city in 1958, showing the traces of the old wall built in 1888 (courtesy of Mr. Mohamed Ali Abdulla).
Figure 4. Doha city in 1958, showing the traces of the old wall built in 1888 (courtesy of Mr. Mohamed Ali Abdulla).
Figure 5. Aerial of the City of Doha in 1959. Urban Planning and Development Authority, Qatar Essence of the Past, The Centre of GIS, p.21.
Figure 5. Aerial of the City of Doha in 1959. Urban Planning and Development Authority, Qatar Essence of the Past, The Centre of GIS, p.21.
Figure 7. High-rise buildings replacing the low-rise traditional houses in old Doha. In order to create the new modern image of Doha, land reclamation started in 1978 to provide space for the mushrooming new high-rise concrete and glass towers. During the 1970s Doha’s
Figure 7. High-rise buildings replacing the low-rise traditional houses in old Doha. In order to create the new modern image of Doha, land reclamation started in 1978 to provide space for the mushrooming new high-rise concrete and glass towers. During the 1970s Doha’s
Figure 6. Timeline shows important events for Qatar development.
Figure 6. Timeline shows important events for Qatar development.
Figure 8. View of the mushrooming skyscrapers in the West Bay of Doha.
Figure 8. View of the mushrooming skyscrapers in the West Bay of Doha.
Figure 9. View of the Sheraton hotel in the West Bay built in 1983. —— heen ene ee ee a a Miraculously, Souk Wagif, along with a small number of districts and a few buildings, escaped damage. It was not until 2004 that a major rehabilitation of Souk Waqif was launched. While the strategy followed in reviving the area lacked authenticity, the souk has been given a new heart. After long years of decay it has become a major attraction for tourists and locals; it is bustling with life, day and night. Following this project another comprehensive reconstruction project has been undertaken in the Msheireb historic area, with the aim to rediscover the heart of Doha. Work started in 2008 and is still ongoing; it is due to finish in 2017. While the intention to revive the heart of Doha is important, its implementation led to the destruction of many historic
Figure 9. View of the Sheraton hotel in the West Bay built in 1983. —— heen ene ee ee a a Miraculously, Souk Wagif, along with a small number of districts and a few buildings, escaped damage. It was not until 2004 that a major rehabilitation of Souk Waqif was launched. While the strategy followed in reviving the area lacked authenticity, the souk has been given a new heart. After long years of decay it has become a major attraction for tourists and locals; it is bustling with life, day and night. Following this project another comprehensive reconstruction project has been undertaken in the Msheireb historic area, with the aim to rediscover the heart of Doha. Work started in 2008 and is still ongoing; it is due to finish in 2017. While the intention to revive the heart of Doha is important, its implementation led to the destruction of many historic
Figure 10. Doha, location of Faree) Al Asmakh B (left), Asmakh A (centre) and Najada (right). In the back- ground we can see the Msheireb project. Courtesy of Mohamed Al Moslamani, QMA, Qatar. AE: Le ir ee ee Fe Most of the houses in the Al Asmakh area go back to the beginning of the twentieth century, before the arrival of the first cement shipment in Doha in 1949. Due to the increasing land value, most of the original owners replaced their low-rise houses with middle-rise hotels and apartments on the edges of Al Asmakh. Houses in the district have been rented to low-income single workers living in multiple occupation conditions. Thus, its conservation has become an urgent issue. Once this area is conserved it can serve as a model for other districts to follow in an attempt to redis- cover and sustain what remains of old Doha. Marino the 107Nc ceonnceryvatinn atteamnte were nnknnawurn af herance there wad nn artive can_
Figure 10. Doha, location of Faree) Al Asmakh B (left), Asmakh A (centre) and Najada (right). In the back- ground we can see the Msheireb project. Courtesy of Mohamed Al Moslamani, QMA, Qatar. AE: Le ir ee ee Fe Most of the houses in the Al Asmakh area go back to the beginning of the twentieth century, before the arrival of the first cement shipment in Doha in 1949. Due to the increasing land value, most of the original owners replaced their low-rise houses with middle-rise hotels and apartments on the edges of Al Asmakh. Houses in the district have been rented to low-income single workers living in multiple occupation conditions. Thus, its conservation has become an urgent issue. Once this area is conserved it can serve as a model for other districts to follow in an attempt to redis- cover and sustain what remains of old Doha. Marino the 107Nc ceonnceryvatinn atteamnte were nnknnawurn af herance there wad nn artive can_
Figure 11. Demolition of an old house in Al Asmakh. most of Al Asmakh’s houses and a few conservation attempts were conducted by the Ministry of Media and Tourism, but these actions were piecemeal and not documented. During 2000-2012 the Department of Building Engineering in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture and the National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage undertook some restoration work on selected buildings suffering from advanced deterioration (Figure 11).
Figure 11. Demolition of an old house in Al Asmakh. most of Al Asmakh’s houses and a few conservation attempts were conducted by the Ministry of Media and Tourism, but these actions were piecemeal and not documented. During 2000-2012 the Department of Building Engineering in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture and the National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage undertook some restoration work on selected buildings suffering from advanced deterioration (Figure 11).
Figure 12. Proposal for a Management Heritage framework.
Figure 12. Proposal for a Management Heritage framework.

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Historic cities in the Gulf and North Africa are struggling to survive in rapidly emerging global environments. While many significant historic centers and districts are often demolished to pave way for alien environments, others just die out of neglect and dilapidation. When a few of them have survived, they face other issues such as, overcrowding, dilapidation and disrepair making them look like "urban slums" in the heart of the main cities. This situation raises important questions; what should be the future of these historic centers? Will they be demolished to provide more space for more ambitious growth or can they be conserved and sustained for present and future generations? Will the historic city, the heart of urban life and the main protector of our identities, survive and maintain its place in the emerging global city of today and tomorrow? Tensions over land use, changes in the nature of local economies, and the continued consumption of historic assets place considerable pressures on those distinctive values that make historic cities attractive places in which to visit, live and work. Such pressures have brought into focus the extent to which sustainable development policies can participate in managing rapid change in historic cities. This paper explores some of the conceptual issues raised by the sustainability/historic city discourse, and examines the degree to which sustainable development policy is emerging in the historic cities of the Gulf and North Africa. In order to place this discussion and debate in a real context, two case studies will be explored from the Gulf and North Africa; respectively old Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and the Casbah of Algiers in Algeria. These historic cities present clear experiences of dealing with urban conservation within their surrounding global environments. A comparative analysis between these two cases attempts to uncover the successes and weaknesses of each experience. Furthermore, this will set the ground to establish a number of guidelines to ensure "a future of the past" for these historic cities to survive and withstand the pressures of the globalization trends.

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References (12)

  1. Habibur Rahman, The Emergence of Qatar: The Turbulent Years 1627-1916 (UK: Kegan Paul, 2005).
  2. O'Connor, Kadri, The Changing Face of Qatar; Ronin Tanitim (Istanbul, 2011).
  3. O'Connor, The Changing Face of Qatar; Ronin Tanitim, 68.
  4. Qatar Museum Authority, Draft Report, Old Doha Preservation Restoration and Urban Rehabilitation of the Traditional Architecture in Asmakh and Najada (Doha: QMA, April 2012), 7-11.
  5. ICOMOS (1987) International Charter on the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas (Paris, ICOMOS). Notes on contributor With a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Algiers in 1984, Djamel Boussaa obtained his Master of Philosophy in Architecture from the University of York, UK in September 1987. He taught as an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Architecture, University of Blida, Algeria for eight years. He joined UAE Uni- versity in September 1996 and worked for ten years before moving to the University of Bahrain for three years. He finished his PhD from the University of Liverpool, UK in December 2007, and the title of the thesis is 'Urban Conservation in the Gulf and North Africa; Problems, Challenges and Opportunities'.
  6. Since September 2009, he has been an Assistant Professor at Qatar University, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning. Additional Reading Al-Kholaifi, M. J., (2006). The Traditional Architecture in Qatar, Doha, Qatar: National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage, Museums and antiquities Department.
  7. D. Boussaa, Urban Conservation in the Gulf and North Africa; Problems, Challenges and Opportunities (Germany, VDM Verlag: Dr. Müller, 2010).
  8. D. Boussaa, (1 July 2012), American Transactions on Engineering & Applied Sciences, The Casbah of Algiers, in Algeria; From an Urban Slum to a Sustainable Living Heritage, 335-350.
  9. D. Boussaa, Towards an Inter-Emirate Urban Conservation Strategy in the United Arab Emirates, RICS Foundation, Our Common Sense Journal (April 2001), London, April 2002.
  10. K. Hadjri and D. Boussaa, Architectural and Urban Conservation in the United Arab Emirates, Open House International 32, no. 3 (2007): 16-26.
  11. D. Boussaa, Dubai: The Search for Identity', in People Places and Sustainability, ed. G. Moser, E. Pol, Y. Bernard, M. Bonnes, J. Corraliza and V. Giuliani (Germany: Hogrefe & Huber Publishers, 2003), 51-60.
  12. Jaidah, I.M, & Bourennane, M., (2009). The History of Qatari Architecture (1800-1950), Italy, Skira.

FAQs

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AI

What key changes occurred in Al Asmakh's urban fabric since the 1930s?add

Al Asmakh has experienced significant transformations, losing many historic structures due to neglect and urban pressure, while also retaining a coherent fabric of old Qatari houses within its 326,333 m² area.

How does Qatar's oil wealth impact heritage conservation efforts?add

The influx of oil revenues post-1949 led to rapid urbanization and neglect of historic areas, equating modernization with new construction, which culminated in a 600% population increase by 1970.

What is the current demographic composition of Al Asmakh district?add

Today, Al Asmakh is primarily inhabited by low-income workers under overcrowded living conditions, with essential services poorly integrated into traditional houses.

What conservation strategies are proposed for Fareej Al Asmakh?add

Recommended strategies include stopping demolitions, documenting remaining structures, restoring buildings progressively, and enhancing pedestrian accessibility to ensure vibrant mixed-use activities.

What role does local governance play in Al Asmakh's revitalization?add

Urgent intervening actions are advised to coordinate efforts among heritage institutions, ensuring a comprehensive management network that integrates conservation with urban development.

About the author
Djamel Boussaa
Qatar University, Faculty Member
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The authenticity of place-making Space and character of the regenerated historic district in Msheireb, Downtown Doha (State of Qatar)
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Rehabilitation as a Catalyst of Sustaining a Living Heritage: The Case of Souk Waqif in Doha, Qatar
Dr. Djamel Boussaa

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    Mapping the Growth of an Arabian Gulf Town: The Case of Doha, Qatar
    Robert Carter

    Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 2017

    This paper is based on research undertaken for the Origins of Doha Project. It is a unique attempt to interrogate the construct of the Arab city against rigorously collected evidence and meticulous analysis of historical urban geography. We have found that Doha in its urban layout, physical development, architecture, and pre-oil demographics, combined its disparate cosmopolitan elements into a blend that probably typified the historic Gulf town, simultaneously encapsulating aspects of the generalised “Arab and Islamic town.” We have found strong structural principles at work in both the traditional and the early modern town, many of which correlate strongly with tribal social organisation, although the historic population of Doha was neither overwhelmingly tribal in character nor entirely Arab in origin. Rather, these constituted prevailing ideologies, social structures, and identities in a diverse and cosmopolitan population

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    The vernacular architecture of Doha, Qatar
    Robert Carter

    Post-Medieval Archaeology, 2017

    The urban history of the Gulf states has been largely neglected with historical studies of Qatar focusing on its political and economic development. This article presents an overview of the vernacular architecture of Doha that incorporates non-elite buildings. The life histories of these building tell the story of Qatar's rapid development in the 20th century and the dramatic changes to the society and urban fabric of its capital. Rapid development threatens to destroy this aspect of Qatar's past and we accordingly aim to record the diversity of the historic built environment of Doha.

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    A Holistic Overview of Qatar’s (Built) Cultural Heritage; Towards an Integrated Sustainable Conservation Strategy
    Mahmoud Alsaeed

    Sustainability, 2019

    Historic urban cores are the backbone of a city’s cultural identity. Maintaining and preserving the socio-cultural, environmental and economic characteristics of the built heritage is vital for cultural identity survival. The Gulf region gathered important architectural and urban richness observed through the massive military towers, mosques, houses, palaces and grand souks. The state of Qatar is under huge pressure to preserve its cultural identity, which resulted from the rapid development, population growth, urban expansion and economic boom since the 1970s. The cities of Qatar are facing difficult challenges to preserve the cultural identity and built heritage without compromising the need for development. Consequently, this study aims to define a set of heritage restoration-preservation tools and an integrated sustainable conservation strategy as part of deliberate planning and design processes. This, certainly, will help achieve sustainable future scenarios for the survival of...

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    Rodent-Related Zoonotic Pathogens at the Human–Animal–Environment Interface in Qatar: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
    Ahmad Mahmoudi

    International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021

    Rodents are one of the most diversified terrestrial mammals, and they perform several beneficial activities in nature. These animals are also important as carriers of many pathogens with public health importance. The current systematic review was conducted to formulate a true depiction of rodent-related zoonoses in Qatar. Following systematic searches on PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science and a screening process, a total of 94 published articles were selected and studied. The studied articles reported 23 rodent-related zoonotic pathogens that include nine bacterial, eleven parasitic, and three viral pathogens, from which the frequently reported pathogens were Mycobacterium tuberculosis (32 reports), Escherichia coli (23), and Salmonella spp. (16). The possible pathway of entry of the rodent-borne pathogens can be the land port, seaports, and airport of Qatar through carrier humans and animals, contaminated food, and agricultural products. The pathogens can be conserv...

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