Urban heritage areas in Baghdad

Abstract

The current research aims to identify the urban heritage and cultural, historical, architectural and artistic elements that have been inherited from generation to generation in cities and urban areas. This urban heritage includes historical buildings, markets, mosques, churches, old neighborhoods, museums, exhibitions and archaeological sites that are part of the cultural identity of urban communities. They have also become part of the history of the nation and people that express the authenticity of Arab architecture. Old cities with their traditional neighborhoods and shops express their historical morphological identity, despite the progress and development in the field of engineering and architecture within the city, its streets and corridors, this was far from the traditional areas, so that its neighborhoods and shops remain preserving their urban heritage and their expressive morphological history, because it represents the social, cultural and aesthetic values ​​of any society in the countries of the world. The research adopted the descriptive approach based on observing the phenomenon studied on the ground, as well as the historical approach that adopted the emergence of the city and the factors influencing its urban heritage areas. The research came out with a set of conclusions, including that the city of Baghdad contains many urban heritage areas, which are considered to have a long history that reflects the art and style of Baghdadi architecture. The research also showed that the urban heritage areas suffer from deteriorating services that have led to a decline in the apparent level of the area. It is also characterized by overcrowding, and a distortion of its general appearance as a result of continuous neglect.