Preservation of Urban Fabric: Towards Sustainable Development of Tarim City in Hadhramout Valley, Yemen

Abstract

The Old Hadhrami Cities such as Tarim are famous for many luxurious palaces whose buildings integrated both the
Hadhrami architectural original style and the Asian one. Thus the use of local construction materials in the city's
luxurious palaces made of mud clearly indicates the concept of active participation of the inhabitants in determining
the quality of the architectural heritage which emerged from their social and cultural traditions and customs. This
special use of local construction materials in buildings gives the city a distinguished position among other cities in the
region. The present study aims at highlighting mainly the source of available facilities of urban development as well
as the preservation of the city with regard to the available land space for sustainable development and the possibility
of including some new services and projects to meet the needs of inhabitants. The large number of mosques, clay
houses and religious schools in Tarim, all these buildings together, constitute a unique identity in the architectural
construction in the city which appear clearly in the availability of a network of main and secondary roads located in
the city under study. Further, the study aims to find out if it is possible to link the palaces in Tarim with other
surrounding buildings in the area of the city through the suggested roads and passageways there. Finally, the study
seeks to investigate the instructions and guidelines necessary for the city's sustainable development through making
use of the empty spaces and areas which may be useful for the meeting of the city's visitors. All these supporting
facilities are necessary for the urban renovation of the city under study for they might help in improving the economic
situation for this region. Moreover, they might provide the city with the necessary services as well as connecting it
with the other surrounding regions for the sake of tourism investment as an alternative for the crafting and industrial
ones in the heritage environment. The city inhabitants' increasing awareness of the heritage environment supports the
preservation of those historical cities and as a result, encourages the inhabitants to settle in that area.
Keywords: Preservation, Urban fabric, Sustainable Development, Architectural Heritage, Rehabilitation.