Archaeological Documentation Based on Geomatics Techniques for Jerash Historical Site

Earthquakes are among the most destructive disasters worldwide, and they have had aserious impact on many civilizations and cultural heritage sites throughout history. Archaeological sites, in particular, are highly vulnerable to the effects of earthquakes, which could threaten their integrity. Turkey is a home to numerous important archaeological heritage sites, but as being one of the countries with a high earthquake risk, these sites are also at risk of earthquake damage. The recent earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023, was one of the most significant earthquakes to hit Turkey. The affected region has a long history of cultural continuity, and its archaeological sites have also damaged from the earthquake. In this study, the effects of earthquakes on archaeological heritage sites are examined through open source data and it is aimed to evaluate the situation of archaeological heritage sites in the earthquake zone in the case of the February 06, 2023 Earthquakes.

The study focused on discovering religious and heritage sites, and planning and managing them using the Geographic Information System (GIS). Storing, restoring, modifying, processing and displaying data, and drawing it on multi-layered maps. The study concluded a number of results, most notably: The management and development of religious and heritage sites using (ARCGIS 9.2) software saves time and effort by relying on aerial and satellite images and topographic maps with high accuracy, and conducting analyzes to access To accurate results in a very short period of time when compared to the time required when using traditional methods.

Heritage management is employed by many countries to facilitate site development as well as to assist in the preservation of heritage. Heritage management is particularly complex because public and private, and sometimes local communities are involved. Despite the fact that some literature is devoted to the protection and management of heritage sites, little research has compared the management practices between natural and cultural heritage and detailed comparative studies that are undertaken from this perspective are rare. Thus this study can be considered as one of the few, internationally, and possibly the first, locally, that compares the management process in the two main types of heritage: cultural and natural. Specifically, this study focuses on two main aspects of the management process, namely: the administrative and heritage legal system and local community involvement, aspects that have not been investigated in any prior research in Jordan. The study selected two case studies from Jordan: Umm Qais as a cultural heritage and Ajloun Forest Reserve as a natural heritage. The researchers adopted two methods in order to collect the required data. Personal interviews and direct observation were carried out at the archaeological site of Umm Qais as a cultural heritage site and Ajloun Forest Reserve as a natural heritage site. The study reveals that while Ajloun Forest Reserve is putting a lot of effort to manage its natural heritage, the main aim at Umm Qais is to attract more tourists. The study establishes that the heritage legal and administrative system in Ajloun forest reserve is stronger than the system applied at the archaeological site of Umm Qais, and that local community involvement is more well rooted in Ajloun Forest Reserve management policies than in Umm Qais. However implementing integrated legislation and involving the local community helps heritage managers towards public action and thoughts. Thus, this study may aid heritage operators to improve their policies in regard of heritage management.

The article examines the subject of illegal archaeological exploration, excavation, and other earthworks or underwater works at an archaeological heritage site (Part 1 of Article 298 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) as a key element of a criminal offense. It is argued that the domestic model of subjectivity retains its personalistic nature: the subject is exclusively a sane natural person who has reached the age of criminal responsibility, while special measures of a criminal law nature are applied to legal entities (Section XIV-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The combination of the age criterion and sanity/ limited sanity as interdependent prerequisites for liability is analyzed; the role of forensic psychiatric and comprehensive forensic psychological and psychiatric examinations in establishing the legal criterion at the time of the commission of the act is revealed. The applied significance of individualizing the roles of participants (organizer, perpetrator, accomplice) in cases of illegal archaeological exploration, excavation, other earthworks or underwater works on an archaeological heritage site is established; the increased risks of involving minors are identified; the need to classify the act as a combination of offenses, in particular with the incrimination of Article 304 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine in the case of involvement of minors in illegal archaeological surveys, excavations, other earthworks or underwater works, has been substantiated. The problematic area of legislative regulation has been outlined: although the «general subject» is typical for the basic composition, there are widespread cases of committing an act using official position, which increases public danger but is not reflected in Part 1 of Article 298 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. It is proposed to extend the enhanced liability regime to Part 1 of Article 298 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine by specifying the «official» variant of the act, which will ensure the consistency of sanctions with the actual scale of damage and reduce competition with «universal» official compositions. Methodological guidelines have been formulated for proving the subjective characteristics of illegal archaeological surveys, excavations, and other earthworks or underwater works at archaeological heritage sites, which ensure a balance between the protection of archaeological heritage and the principles of fair criminal response.

Cultural sensitivity is a vital issue in heritage site management, encompassing a profound respect for cultural variety, traditions and values. This delves into the significance of cultural sensitivity in heritage site management, emphasising its function in maintaining cultural authenticity while ensuring a high-quality traveller revel in. Heritage site management necessitates a cautious and respectful method to the maintenance of cultural authenticity. Cultural sensitivity entails recognising the cultural significance of heritage sites, the groups that defend them and the sacred rituals that imbue these sites with ancient and cultural value. Cultural sensitivity is important for heritage site management. It shows how respecting these locations and their communities' cultural legacy is essential to cultural authenticity. By creating a harmonious balance between conservation and a meaningful vacation experience, cultural sensitivity ensures that background sites have a good time and shield their cultural authenticity. This also explores diverse techniques for promoting cultural sensitivity in heritage site management, consisting of network involvement, regulatory frameworks, collaborative partnerships and addressing cultural insensitivity. It emphasises the significance of instructing traffic, setting respectful behaviour codes and engaging with neighbourhood groups to ensure the maintenance of cultural and heritage. Cultural sensitivity serves as a cornerstone in heritage site management, guiding the sensitive dance among retaining cultural authenticity and offering a memorable experience for site visitors. It is a fundamental principle that guarantees heritage sites are reputable, celebrated and preserved in a way that aligns with their cultural importance while fostering a respectful and tasty tourist experience.

Over the ages, Egypt has been known for its flourished history with the ability and the power to fascinate mankind. Its great heritage appears in several forms that include monuments, tombs, temples, and documents revealing past events, but until the beginning of the 21st century only a minimum share of the secrets and the mysteries were exposed. Egypt’s monuments are deteriorated and out of the spot and has been left without maintenance and development. Numerous monuments and historical sites are ignored and not even considered as a destination for tourists because of the absence of virtuous marketing and propaganda. The planning and management of cultural heritage buildings through digital 3D models has become a necessity to protect and conserve the existing history. Building Information Modelling BIM is considered a main tool adopted by the Architecture, Engineering and Construction AEC sector for its qualities and capabilities. Due to the complexity of cultural heritage buildings the concept of Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM) which concerns the modelling, documentation, and virtualizing the heritage. This research will focus on the use of HBIM technology by implementing augmented reality mobile application to upgrade the quality of branding of historical sites in Egypt. The AR will augment Al-Baron Palace, which is the chosen case study. The methodology adopted is literature review, comparative analysis on international case studies of sites that applied augmented reality, and an experiment followed by a questionnaire answered by users to evaluate the usage of such mobile application. The research will conclude with a framework that will provide guidelines for applying augmented reality technology system in order to enhance and promote Egypt’s heritage.

Cultural resources, like natural resources, are finite. Every country has cultural resources that reflect local history and prehistory and are vital both economically for tourism and socially as a foundation of cultural identity. This material cultural record is part of world heritage, something recognized by UNESCO since 1972 (http://whc.unesco.org). As archaeological and historical sites occur in relatively restricted areas, they are a limited resource that should be cared for, curated, and preserved for local, national, and international communities. Like natural resources, cultural resources are sensitive to human and natural intervention. Unfortunately, over the past 4 years, more than any other region on the planet, archaeological heritage sites in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East have suffered destruction at an alarming rate. Political instability, war, extreme ideologies, economic downturns, and other factors have led to the wanton destruction of heritage sites. As part of the University of California Office of the President Catalyst Grant project “At-Risk Cultural Heritage and the Digital Humanities,” the TerraWatchers Crowdsourcing platform is being used to involve citizen scientists in monitoring archaeological site destruction in war-torn Syria and Iraq using satellite imagery. This chapter presents an overview of TerraWatchers, how it relies on the expertise of the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) Cultural Heritage Initiatives to identify at-risk sites in the region, and how university students in a classroom setting were trained to participate in this digital cultural heritage experiment.

The role of the archeological and cultural heritage sites in the process of urban regeneration in UNESCO’s protected areas becomes more and more important for the natural and cultural heritage protection in the touristic cities with urban expansion. However, there is no clear methodological approach for the inclusion of these important natural and cultural heritage sites in the process of urban regeneration of the cities. The purpose of this study is to analyze how two contemporary urban planning tools, sustainable urban mobility plans and heritage impact assessments, contribute to the protection and sustainable use of archeological sites. The methodology that is used in this study is dual, theoretical, through literature review, and empirical, through the appliance of the case study method and expert observation and mapping of the most valuable archeological sites in Boka Bay. The results of this study show that practical usage of the two proposed tools in the process of urban regeneration could help in cultural and natural heritage protection and their inclusion as drivers of sustainable urban planning and cultural heritage management. The results of the study confirm the authors’ hypothesis that the role of the archeological sites in the process of urban regeneration is evident in the touristic cities in the coastal area of Montenegro, concluding that urban mobility principles and heritage impact assessment studies must be considered in the process of urban regeneration while at the same time cultural (archeological) heritage management is an integral part of this process.

This article discusses some of the possible contributions of GIS technology (Geographic Information System) to the analysis, planning and management of heritage sites, focusing mainly on the study of the effects produced in such sites by processes related to the tourism exploitation. To this end, it adopts as its object of inquiry the old core of the city of Tiradentes, in Minas Gerais, Brazil – protected by the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional since 1938 and characterized as one of the main tourist destinations in the country today –, for which it is proposed, firstly, the construction of a digital base in the QGis software and then, based on bibliographic and documentary sources, an analysis of its historical evolution, current conformation and main ongoing processes. A comparative analyzes between the characteristics of land-use verified on the site in the years 1980, 2001 and 2017 is also carried out. As a result, besides creating such a database for the municipality, a further study of the relationships between the transformations observed in the mentioned characteristics and the increase in tourism activity in the area is provided. Considerations are also presented regarding the effects generated on the preservation of local heritage as a result of these same transformations, along with possible recommendations for the effective and sustainable management of Tiradentes' cultural heritage.

As very fragile natural ecological areas, the spatiotemporal ecological environment (EE) analysis of World Natural Heritage Sites (WNHSs) is particularly important for their conservation and sustainable development. Timely, objective and quantitative evaluation of the spatiotemporal EE change characteristics of WNHSs is of great significance for ecological, environmental protection and government policy formulation. This study quantitatively evaluates the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the EE of the Kalajun–Kuerdening WNHS by selecting the Remote Sensing Ecological Environment Index (RSEI) for 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021. We studied the spatiotemporal differences of the EE in buffer zones and nominated sites in the heritage sites and their change patterns and trends. The EE changes and land use changes from 2006–2011, 2011–2016 and 2016–2021 were overlaid and analyzed to explore the relationship between EE evolution and land use changes in the heritage site. The results show that (1) the heritage site was in a state of ecological change equilibrium from 2006 to 2011, and a form of slight decline in EE quality from 2011 to 2016 under the influence of natural factors, but it maintained a stable state with a small degree of fluctuation, and a state of ecological change recovery from 2016 to 2021. The areas with better EE grades were located in the northwest region (Kalajun) and northeast region (Kuerdening) of the heritage site. (2) The EE grade change in the heritage site shows the characteristics of neighborhood change without a large number of leap changes. (3) From 2006 to 2021, the EE quality in the nominated site was better than that of the buffer zone, but from 2016 onward, the difference between the two gradually decreased until 2021. The average EE quality was basically the same until 2021, but, spatially, the EE quality of most areas in the buffer zone was better than that in the nominated area. (4) The types of land use transformation that caused EE enhancement in the heritage sites were barren–grassland, snow/ice–barren and barren–snow/ice, while the types of land use transformation that caused EE quality reduction were grassland–barren and barren–snow/ice. The results of this study help improve the knowledge of the EE background of the WNHS and its evolutionary process and provide scientific guidance for ecologically related decision making and management of global natural heritage sites. The change in snow and ice cover is an essential factor in the shift of the EE of the Kalajun–Kuerdening World Natural Heritage Site.

The World Heritage Convention chartered by UNESCO in 1972 is a milestone in the history of preservation as it puts forth the concept of the preservation of cultural and natural properties in a global scale. As a result of the developments in the 40 years since the initiation of the World Heritage Convention, cultural properties that hold a special place in the history of culture on a global scale are now defined as “World Heritage,” ensuring that their preservation by the relevant state is a priority. Turkey signed the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in 1983, hence undertaking to identify and protect its cultural and natural properties in accordance with global criteria. An analysis of the ten properties which Turkey has included in the World Heritage List shows that most of them are archaeological. The efforts of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to introduce archaeological heritage sites on the list demonstrate that Turkey regards including archaeological sites that easily meet the “outstanding universal value” as well as “authenticity” and “integrity” criteria of the World Heritage List for reasons of prestige (demonstrating the special position of the country in the history of universal culture) and for the tourism it generates. Here, it is worth noting that, to be included in the list, besides being of outstanding importance or unique, the site must meet other criteria that are relevant to its present-day profiling, such as sustainable management. Archaeological sites comprise only a small part of the World Heritage List, while they make up most of the listed sites of Turkey.This article summarizes the legal and institutional dimensions of the preservation approach that evolved from the first Turkish legislation regarding the preservation of archaeological heritage from 1869 to the present. Emphasis is particularly on its relations with international conventions. In addition to addressing legal and institutional organization, the approach of the local administrations, NGOs, the public, and the press to the preservation of the archaeological heritage in recent years, particularly in terms of the special meaning given to the World Heritage List concept, will be considered. On the other hand, the policies pursued in the preservation of archaeological sites that are not on the agenda of the World Heritage List and their presentation to the public, and public sensitivity to the issue, will be explored. The new standpoint brought by the concept of World Heritage to archaeological heritage as a whole will be discussed.KeywordsCultural HeritageArchaeological SiteCultural PropertyWorld HeritageHeritage SiteThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

This paper considers the role that heritage sites as visitor attractions play in the creation and reinforcing of identities at different levels through individual visitor experiences. In-depth interviews with participants at three heritage sites in Scotland reflect the role archaeological heritage can have in creating and reinforcing identities at different levels. Archaeological heritage, and its associated artefacts, creates a tangible link to ‘the past’, providing legitimacy for the creation of particular narratives of the past. In contrast, perceptions of individual identity are often bound up within broader notions of identity and place, but also reflect less obvious but equally valid personal interpretations of heritage sites. Personal identity manifest in different ways in the interviews, through engagement with tangible remains alongside authoritative accounts of ‘the past’. The results show the complex nature of identity when considering visitor experiences at heritage sites, and how recognised narratives of identity may be reimagined and reconstructed through individual experiences on site.

Since the mid-nineteenth century, anthropogenic activities, primarily industrialisation and greenhouse gas emissions, have significantly contributed to global ocean warming and sea level rise (SLR), posing substantial threats to coastal heritage sites. Between 1901 and 2018, sea levels rose by approximately 0.20 metres, largely driven by human-induced climate change. This study examines the impact of climate change on Fort San Juan de Manzanillo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Historically part of Spain’s Carrera de Indias military trade route, the fort faces increasing risks from coastal erosion and SLR. Using a Geographic Information System (GIS), this research integrates historical data from nautical charts, aerial photographs, and remote sensing images to estimate coastline changes between 1854 and 2023 and assess the site’s vulnerability. The findings aim to inform strategies for protecting cultural heritage in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action.

Abstract. Cultural heritage sites worldwide are increasingly vulnerable to disasters and climate-related risks, threatening their physical integrity and cultural value. In Malaysia, iconic sites such as Masjid Kampung Laut and Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad have experienced the impacts of such hazards. However, heritage conservation efforts in the country still largely rely on conventional methods, lacking the integration of advanced technologies like Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Building Information Modeling (BIM). These tools offer significant potential for comprehensive disaster risk assessments and proactive site management, yet their application remains limited. The absence of GIS and BIM in Conservation Management Plans (CMPs) has resulted in reactive conservation practices that leave heritage sites susceptible to irreversible damage caused by environmental threats and urban encroachment. This study investigates the sufficiency of technology adaptation in the monitoring criteria of Malaysia’s heritage management plans, particularly for sites located in disaster-prone areas. Employing a qualitative research design, the study conducts a detailed content review of selected CMPs and on-site observations of the two heritage sites. The findings reveal a significant gap in the incorporation of technology-driven risk assessment, indicating an urgent need for reform in the monitoring and conservation practices. The study highlights the importance of GIS in spatial risk classification and BIM in structural analysis and mitigation planning. Aligning with UNESCO’s “Managing Disaster Risk for World Heritage” manual, the study advocates for a technology-enriched conservation framework that promotes data-driven, predictive, and resilient strategies for safeguarding cultural heritage in Malaysia.

In a world where tourism has become the leading industry on the market, sustainable tourism has found its place and is becoming a major player in the network of traveling Internet users. Hospitality, solidarity and conviviality are essential are giving meaning to sharing. This “extra soul” has the capacity to enrich moments, places, attractions and heritage. Archaeological heritage sites constitute an important factor for the economic and social life of a large number of countries, the development policy came to emphasize the safeguard and the preservation of landscapes and natural or man-made sites, against the attacks which have impoverished the cultural heritage, this heritage which represents a historic imprint for future generations. Archaeological sites exert major tourist attractions. Successfully managed cultural tourism can capture the appeal of archaeological heritage and generate significant funds which will then be used to finance studies, conservation, maintenance and the presentation of this heritage to the public. This is how tourism has become, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the world’s leading industry. Algeria contains archaeological sites which are classified as world cultural heritage by UNESCO. Unfortunately, reality shows that most of these sites are left to deteriorate without any real intervention. It is important to point out the importance of putting in place a work plan aimed at developing tourism that preserves archaeological sites considering social, environmental, cultural dimensions, etc. We will conduct this analysis based on a problem built around this main question: How to preserve our cultural heritage to achieve sustainable tourism? Through this research work, it is a question of examining the problem of integrating the conservation and enhancement of archaeological sites in the context of producing sustainable tourism for the city of Annaba and for Algeria. a global way.