The need for sustainable management to document the remaining Baghdadi heritage houses

¹ Department of Civil Engineering, Al-Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad 10052, Iraq
² Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, 26, Yaroslavskoye shosse, Moscow, 129337, Russia

^* Corresponding author: hussainjuboori87@gmail.com

Abstract

Heritage buildings and houses are not only places that were previously inhabited, but rather living places that reflect the behavior, culture and lifestyle of the ancestors at that time, and it is an existing means to link previous generations with future generations, but there is a clear absence of documentation of these buildings, which are characterized by being environmentally friendly and comfortable in housing. These buildings have unique architectural and engineering characteristics such as the Shanasheel, and it was necessary to document them from a while before they reached what they are now. Al-Bataween area, which was used for housing at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, was chosen as a model for typical heritage buildings, and the houses that remained for periods of more than 100 years were photographed to show the engineering and architectural features. A questionnaire was conducted to explain the reasons for not paying attention to documenting these buildings previously when they reflected their beautiful features. The questionnaire showed a number of reasons behind the lack of interest in these important buildings. There is an urgent need to document what remains of the heritage buildings that will soon disappear.