The reality of heritage houses in the city of Basra and ways to preserve them

Abstract

The aim of the research is to introduce the heritage houses (shanashil) in the city of Basra, especially those located in the old neighborhoods, as the reasons for their emergence go back to the Ottoman era of the nineteenth century and they continued to spread until the sixties and the following decade of the twentieth century, which is the stage of its urban prosperity, as it formed a fabric It was a distinct architectural feature of the luxury homes in the city, especially in the high-end residential shops at that time. Then the stage of decline, extinction, and neglect began, and this explains the survival of (97) homes in 2020 after decades ago they had constituted a cultural landmark for those with money and those with a prestigious status. It appears that the reasons are Its deterioration came as a result of economic and social transformations and modern urban technologies, which have a role in changing the designs of homes in general and heritage homes in particular. The research sheds light on the spatial distribution of heritage houses in the city of Basra and studies their internal structure and then identifies the most important problems that these houses suffer from and includes the most important ways to preserve their architectural heritage. During the research, field study was used to obtain information about heritage houses as well as satellite visualization. To measure its areas to complete the information required in the research.