الحفاظ على العمارة الواحاتية بالمجتمعات الصحراويه "دراسة حالة منخفض الباويطي الواحات البحرية" Preservation of the Oasis Architecture in Desert Communities "A case study of Al-Bawiti Low Surface, Bahariya Oasis"

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Associate Professor of Architecture & Urban Design, Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University

Abstract

The oasis architecture in the desert communities was numerous, distinguished by its construction with simple natural materials from the surrounding environment, and it helped to highlight the vocabulary and architectural elements that resulted in positive human interaction with the elements of nature around him, so he expressed it with solutions that summarize his thought and belief and overcome the forces of nature, to reach architectural and urban solutions that are capable achieve preservation and protection in order to reduce as much  exposure to external climatic conditions as possible.
This necessitated its study and the clarification of its ideas that were based on the foundations of the studied concepts and their suitability with the capabilities of the surrounding environment and the nature of society. It is necessary that this development be accompanied by the preservation of the oasis architecture by increasing its efficiency and functional benefit, and the preservation of the privacy in the urban fabric of those traditional environments.
The study comes within a strategic framework for dealing with oasis architecture, within the concept of preserving the structure of architecture and urbanization in the desert community, as it contains heritage values ​​that are an integral part of desert communities, and to preserve their special character, the desert community in which they live, and its existing aspects of activity must be preserved. The study aims to highlight the cultural and social importance of the oasis architecture in desert societies, and its role in identifying methods of dealing with the compatibility and principles of sustainability in desert societies, and the call to transform heritage sites in oasis architecture into permanent economic resources for the local population and the state. The research deals with the study of the design elements and considerations of the oasis architecture and its impact on the natural environment in the “Bawiti low” of the Bahariya Oasis, and the extent to which it is possible to come up with standards of planning mechanisms to preserve desert communities and the degree of interaction with the surrounding environment.

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