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Qurh is an early Islamic city located in the al-Ula governorate, northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It dates to the Umayyad dynasty during the 1st/7th C AD and continued until the Abbasid era during the 6th/12th C AD. The city of Qurh occupies a strategic location on the Syrian pilgrimage route, on the bank of Wadi al-Qura, one of the most important sources that provided the city with abundant quantities of water for drinking and agriculture. The city contains a large number of buildings and various archaeological remains, some of which have been excavated and the rest, which constitutes the largest part of the city, is still under the sand. Since the main building material in Qurh is mud brick, the city's architectural structures are subject to deterioration and collapse. Mud brick is one of our ancestor’s precious legacies; however, they face changing factors of deterioration from harsh weather, which caused mud brick decay and mechanical properties reduction which need to be urgently consolidated. To our knowledge, it is the first report on the application of Calcium Hydroxide Nanoparticles Ca(OH)2. for the consolidation of mud brick deteriorated the archaeological city of Qurh in al-Ula. Nowadays, nanotechnology provides advanced concepts and new materials for the protection of mud bricks. In this study, a novel method for the consolidation of mud brick was proposed with Calcium hydroxide Nanoparticles Ca(OH)2. Mud brick was investigated, characterized by using different techniques and methods, such as Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDX), Polarized Microscopy (PLM), X-ray Folrences (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that Calcium hydroxide Nanoparticles have enhanced the surfaces of mud bricks. Therefore, this study aims to highlight the historical and architectural value of the city of Qurh, develop a plan to conserve the heritage buildings in the city, and treatment of mud bricks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a rich urban and architectural legacy that dates back to the numerous eras of Islamic civilization. This study investigates the environmental influence on Ottoman-style heritage structures in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly in the Hejaz Region. The region was chosen because of its diverse climates, which include a hot, dry environment in the middle of the Western Desert and a hot, humid climate on the Red Sea coast. Heritage buildings are examined from design, architectural, and urban perspectives to learn how environmental sustainability is achieved and to examine building materials and their sustainability. Furthermore, common architectural characteristics, systems, and designs are recognized to be integrated into modern building design for the contemporary era to maintain their design uniqueness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on architecture education during the lockdown in Saudi Arabia, as well as the new normal that has emerged. This indicates the potential to develop frameworks and strategies for adapting architectural pedagogy modes to unexpected situations. Design/methodology/approach - This study is based on qualitative research with phenomenological aspects, focusing on a phenomenon experienced by a group of people involved in a Bachelor of Architecture degree program. This paper uses data collected from a literature study, as well as interviews conducted at the College of Engineering and Islamic Architecture of Umm Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia; the data sources include tutors, students and recent graduates with common teaching and learning experiences in design studios. Findings - The study shows the feasibility of conducting part of the design course in a distance mode and the rest as on-campus attendance, to ensure effectiveness and to produce quality architectural designs with maximum detail. However, research reveals that both students and educators need greater awareness of the self-learning process. Originality/value - The research value lies in exploring how the imposition of a distance architecture design studio due to the COVID-19 lockdown has potentially established a new pedagogical model for teaching architecture design studio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to study the experience of local people in conserving architectural heritage and to benefit from that in preserving other historical sites. The need for this study is important because: • Conservation of cultural and architectural heritage is not merely a government responsibility. • The participation of local people in architectural conservation has many benefits. • Motivating people to preserve architectural heritage is the responsibility of cultural and educational bodies. The study discusses historical architectural sites in Saudi Arabia. It concentrates on the inhabitants' and owners' role in the conservation of architectural heritage, since, nowadays most of the historical sites were taken care of by the governments. The tools of this research are better than the previous working methods, because, previous models neglect the inhabitants' and owners' role in the conservation of architectural heritage, Methods of this study include literature review, site visits, and interviews with inhabitants and visitors of the Case Study. It also includes site visits to similar historical sites, lectures highlighting the importance of architectural heritage to improve public awareness and to motivate people to take part in the conservation of architectural heritage. The study found conserving, preserving, or rehabilitating traditional buildings cannot be the duty of the owner only or the responsibility of the governments alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses some lessons in architecture that can be gleaned using the Prophet's Mosque in Madīnah as a case study. The paper deals with the following main themes: the meaning and significance of Islamic architecture; function--form relationship; respect for the environment; cleanliness; comprehensive excellence; promoting just social interactions; safety; and the relationship between the indigenous and foreign influences in the spheres of Islamic architecture. Every theme discussed signifies a permanent feature of Islamic architecture which derives its strength and merit from the Prophet's experiences. Hence, a close analogy is drawn in the paper between those architectural features and the Prophet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of visual arts in general by local artisans and craftsmen in visible inherited traditional architecture has always been influenced by the existence of three main factors; suitable climate, local raw material, and the social context expressed through the approval of the authority of religious milieu. The paper argues that despite that these factors can be rarely found suitable in harsh desert climates in the Gulf region, yet it will be quite surprising and notable to find that 'desert culture' is replete with such 'abstract visual arts', particularly in textiles - that it became a trade mark and an emblem of this culture that exists within harsh conditions. Moreover, the paper argues that careful inspection of aspects of architecture that evolved in harsh conditions can reveal quite astonishing outcome of innovation, abstraction, and original precedents in terms of the use of forms of visual arts in unique shapes, let alone the long association and devotion expressed by artisans and craftsmen in 'desert milieus'. This paper investigates the use of palm tree in the ornamental compositions in the architecture of the Ihsa'a region in Saudi Arabia. This research explores the central role of the palm tree in Arab culture in general, in desert milieu and in Ihsa'a region in particular. This narrative critical review explores the pivotal role palm tree has played in forming a distinguished aesthetic taste in the consciousness of artisans and craftsmen in Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia and in Ihsa'a region. The research also goes beyond the physical analysis of parts of the architecture to explore the social context embedded in the physical shapes and examines the attachment to the palm tree from a socio-religious dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]