Protection Strategy of the Climate Change for Coastal Heritage Sites in Syria
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See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310951840 Protection strategy of the climate change for coastal heritage sites in Syria Conference Paper · July 2016 CITATIONS READS 3 462 2 authors: Maya Hassan Tarek Rahmoun Tishreen University Tishreen University 29 PUBLICATIONS 27 CITATIONS 19 PUBLICATIONS 25 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Identity and vision of the city View project The effect of climate change on heritage sites and buildings in Syria View project All content following this page was uploaded by Tarek Rahmoun on 03 August 2017. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. ISUF 2016 XXIII International Conference: Urban Morphology and the Resilient City Protection strategy of the climate change for coastal heritage sites in Syria Maya Hassan1,2,*, Tarek Rahmoun1,2 1 Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China 2 Faculty of Architectural Engineering, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria *Corresponding author: [email protected], +86 18580548971 Abstract. The climate changes will result in catastrophic human consequences, and will threaten archaeological sites and cultural inventory in many countries of the world, if rapid action is not taken to address them. This paper considers strategic urban planning can seriously help dealing with the expected impact of climate change in the coming years of the current century. Therefore, the development of appropriate defensive strategies for these areas must be considered as the basis for any future planning process, according to multiple stages of time that commensurate with the increasing problem of rising sea levels. The paper aims to develop a strategy for the protection of archaeological areas on the Syrian coast by creating a sustainable defensive lines are viable for growth and expansion, with a new idea in the protection of minatory coastal heritage areas of the main problem of climate change (SLR) which is based on the exploitation of natural and geographically elements of these areas, with new idea for economic investment and heritage promotion to have the sustainability of investment defenses step by step whenever widened. This coastal protection strategy of archaeological sites could be generalized in any coastal region in the world is threatened. Key Words: Climate Change, Sea level rise (SLR), Defense Strategy, Coastal heritage. Introduction The most important ancient civilizations originated on the banks of rivers and the seashores where the first human settlements formed near the water sources, seas, and rivers, and have been associated closely with life as an important source of food and essential transit for ways to maritime trade and communication civilization between the peoples of the East and the West. The twenty-first century has seen the emergence of new kinds of threats in climate change. The records of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for past changes in atmospheric composition over the last millennium demonstrate the increasing of the Earth’s surface temperature and the rapid rise in greenhouse gases that are attributable, primarily, to industrial growth since 1750. The global average sea level rose (SLR) between 0.1 m and 0.2 m during the twentieth century, It is projected to rise by another 0.09 m to 0.88 m between 1990 and 2100 (Nakicenovic, Nebojsa; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Working Group III, 2000). According to the research, the archaeological sites and some buildings have survived at least two periods of global warming around 1500–1200 BC and 800–1200 AD and intervening cold periods. With international scientific evidence mounting and the reliability of future climate predictions increasing (Cassar & Pender, 2005). Due to the challenges that faced both of English Heritage and the National Trust to manage the coastal heritage in the face of sea level rise, the frequent flooding, and the increase in the expected flood risk in the future of the River Thames on London fabric and its built heritage, English Heritage had the point of the 474 ISUF 2016 XXIII International Conference: Urban Morphology and the Resilient City research departure in 2002 to gather evidence on climate change as a possible cause of environmental instability of cultural heritage and to inform present and future planning (Cassar, May; Pender, Robyn, 2005). On the other hand, the adoption of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003 reflected the growing awareness of the interdependence between the world's tangible and intangible heritage and the overall importance of safeguarding cultural diversity. All of these coincided with the escalation of international concerns about the climate change risks, so in 2005 the World Heritage Committee in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies (IUCN, ICOMOS, and ICCROM) started determining the impacts of climate change on World Heritage to define best practices for the strategy especially in developing countries. In 2007 UNESCO presented 26 case studies from selected natural and cultural World Heritage sites in order to illustrate the impacts of climate change that have already been observed, including Canadian Herschel Island, world Heritage sites of the City of London, and Venice and its Lagoon. Other reports have been published later on predicting and managing the impacts of climate change on World Heritage and Strategy to assist States Parties in implementing appropriate management responses and reducing disaster risks at world heritage properties. (a) (b) Figure 1: Case study location: (a) Syrian coastal zone. (b) Tartous coast. Syria is characterized by geographical and historical elements that made it a cradle of the ancient civilizations and a cultural meeting point between the east and west. Syria had the greatest share of the sequence of civilizations for thousands of years, that appeared in the human discovery of the secrets of agriculture and the invention of the first alphabet and musical note in Ugarit, and the appearance of urban development systems represented by the buildings that the civilization had left, such as palaces, ports, castles, towers for watching and protection which still exist till now in Syrian coast. The coastal province geographically limited with narrow coastal plain and high population density concentrated in the coastal cities about six times more than the rest of the areas within the region, its coastline extends for a distance of 183 km with an area 185.180 km2. The population of about 23 million in 2012, although it constitutes 2.5% of Syria space, it includes 11% of the number of Syrians. (Fig.1a). The strategic importance of the Syrian coast beside the significant specifications and support for the national economy as 475 ISUF 2016 XXIII International Conference: Urban Morphology and the Resilient City regards trade and tourism and agricultural activity, including the attributes of the newly discovered oil; emphasise the importance of protecting the human history, populations, and activities from the risk of SLR. (Rahmoun, Tarek; Hassan, Maya; Alhasan, Wael, 2016). The paper focuses on the vital and the future growth area of Tartous city and its coastal heritage, and urban sites threatened of SLR problem, (Fig.1), which is an important area for starting take protection measures with the possibility of expanding the model later to different areas of the Syrian coast. Taking into account the most optimistic scenario of rising sea levels in the northeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea basin, as well as the most pessimistic scenario, the water level rise of 0.5-0.75 m in 2100, So we have to seek for a formula of the solution, starting from the current situation and the growth of the problem, considering that the level of risk is not specified. (a) (b)Tartou s old city (d)Tartou s city (b) seafront (a)Arwad historic (c) island (c)Histori c Amrit (d) Figure 2: Tartous stone heritage and urban sites are threatened by SLR: (a) Historical Arwad Island. (b)Tartous old city. (c) Historic Amrit and its sectors. (d)Tartous city seafront 476 ISUF 2016 XXIII International Conference: Urban Morphology and the Resilient City Case study sites: The coastal heritage and urban sites threatened of SLR problem in Tartous city presented by the historic Arwad Island, Tartous old city, historical Amrit and its sectors, and Tartous city seafront. (Fig.2). Amrit site registered as a national heritage, while the national cultural heritage sites of Tartous old city, historical Arwad Island have been submitted to the world heritage tentative list since 1999, that stopped registration after 2011 due to Syrian war and Syrian heritage sites and buildings have classified in danger since 2013. a. Arwad Island, the only island opposite the Syrian coast, was founded by the Phoenicians as a maritime trade base for them, and they built a defensive wall of huge stone square form for protection from high waves and attack enemy ships. As well as the remains of Phoenician defense wall and submerged underwater antiquities, Arwad island contains the old rock ruins and caves carved into the rocks in the western facade of the island, which back to the mother rock that Arwad Island and was built on in the ancient time. As well the archaeological buildings represented by the Citadel, tower and the remains of the Ottoman bath, and the traditional residential buildings belong to various periods. b. After Phoenicians had founded Arwad Island, they moved to Tartous coast, where they found good soil for agriculture and established the Kingdom of Amrit in the south of the current city near a small river is known as Amrit River as a site for their activities, sports, and cemeteries for their people. Historic Amrit site has the remains of the temple in the middle of a large square court defined by a colonnade, and Hellenistic sport stadium with the residential area, funerary monuments, tombs and stone sarcophagi dating back to the third century B.C.