Conservation of Earth Vernacular Settlements. A Case Study of El-Dakhla Oasis, Egypt

The significance of urban vernacular heritage is manifested in being a pillar in the preservation of
the native culture and identity; besides, it is a touristic, economic resource and a foundation for the
local community development. However, a myriad of earth vernacular settlements suffers from
negligence and deterioration. Hence, the need to conserve such areas arises. The research tackles
the study of El-Dakhla oasis as a case where the earth vernacular settlements suffer from negligence
and incoherence of policies; hence, the region decays and gradually vanishes. The research aims at
studying the reasons which lead to the deterioration of earth vernacular settlements, in addition to
studying and listing the factors which lead to achieving the optimal sustainable preservation of
these areas. The research targets the elicitation of benefits of previous experiences so as to preserve
earth vernacular settlements in the oasis. Nevertheless, in order to achieve the objectives of the
research, the inductive approach is adopted. Literature review is conducted as well as the basic
concepts and theories relevant to the topic of conservation and vernacular architectural heritage.
Furthermore, the comparative analytical approach is adopted through the analysis and evaluation
of the factors of conserving the architectural heritage in an experiment which targets At-Turaif
District in the historical area of Ad-Dir'iyah in Saudi Arabia and Kasr of Ait-Ben-Haddou in
Morocco; whose circumstances are very similar to the circumstances of El-Dakhla oasis. The
research concludes that the dedication to provide the factors which contribute to the conservation
of the vernacular architectural heritage ensures the success of such places. It is also necessary to
avoid the errors which occurred during the analysis of the examples. The research, also,
recommended the importance of implementing the plans of training the native inhabitants to master
the various crafts which are part and parcel of the conservation process besides enabling the
inhabitants' participation and activating the role of the civil community institutions in the
conservation of vernacular heritage areas, as well as developing and promoting them, whether in
the stage of planning or implementing the projects of conservation