Community Participation in Conservation Proposals of Islamic Pilgrimage Sites

Abstract

There is increasing pressure on urban landscapes surrounding Islamic pilgrimage sites to accommodate growing numbers of pilgrims. Recent developments have responded to this issue with comprehensive clearance of historic urban landscapes, constructing grand open spaces and dislocating local residents. The traditional expansion of Islamic pilgrimage sites was characterised by a layering of interconnected structures with continuous functions that merged gradually over time into the surrounding landscape. The rift between the traditional urban growth and the recent expansion approach across the Muslim world is inconsistent with international developments that seek to incorporate sustainable development into urban heritage conservation. To achieve sustainability, developments should meet intergenerational equity and protect the interests of stakeholders including the community. Literature has established two operational characteristics for sustainable development that helps gauging the extent to which it is integrated into practice: Stakeholder participation and strategic planning. Participatory processes create shared visons among stakeholders and facilitate long-term directions. However, in non-Western contexts where decision-making power and financial control reside in the central state, participation is either considered a threat to the state or its potential benefit is unrecognised. This paper argues where conservation objectives are determined by experts in isolation from the community’s interests, the plans fail to be achieved. This will be demonstrated by undertaking a comparative analysis of conservation proposals prepared by international heritage experts for Islamic pilgrimage sites of Mecca, Medina, Kāzimayn and Shiraz. Visited by millions of pilgrims annually, the four sites have similar clearance and expansion patterns. This paper analyses the extent of community participation integrated into these proposals as one of the significant operational dimensions of sustainable development and a crucial link that enhances strategic planning. Finally, by reflecting on site specifics and social methods, this paper recommends participatory methods to enhance community engagement.