Cultural Preservation and Celebration in Babylon

The proposal is a heritage and cultural centre situated on a flat Greenfield site near the UNESCO World Heritage site in Babylon, Iraq. The scheme offers research facilities and private accommodation for archaeological teams. It also enables mass education about ongoing heritage management activities through the auditorium, by hosting events concerning discoveries as well as a gallery where replicas of vital artefacts can be displayed and the stories of local Iraqis who have participated in archaeological expeditions, can be told. The scheme also promotes tourism by serving as a starting point for a proposed boat cruise northwards along the River Euphrates, to the heart of the heritage site where most of the excavated ruins are situated. The river cruise can also be used by research teams heading back to the scheme with artefacts for further research. Local residents are encouraged to experience the scheme through the proposed pedestrian bridge connection with the opposite riverside in Hillah town. This morphs into an elevated walkway within the landscape which is adjacent to the well shaded seating steps that stretch on the western frontage, and borrow from the ‘Hanging Gardens of Babylon’ mythology. The elevated walkway has branches which provide additional shading in conjunction with the vegetation mainly date palm, with the walkway ending up at a view point on the eastern façade. Adjoining to this, is a food and retail section where cultural and religious norms have been respected with a separate women only space. The scheme relies heavily on vernacular typology mainly the courtyard design that provides thermal comfort in this high temperature region as well as the use of flat roofs, buttresses for structural support and fortification and the adaptation of the ‘Mashrabbiyah’ or enclosed balconies. The proposed scheme would be built predominantly of local fired clay brick which has a yellow sandy tint. Certain section including the gallery and auditorium spaces are proposed with precast concrete due to their need for long pillar free spans. The scheme adds value towards cultural celebration in Babylon as it provides an additional venue for the Babylon International Festival which was on hiatus between 2002 and 2020, while bringing closer to home archaeological research facilities to enable better heritage management in Babylon, through UNESCO in partnership with the Government of Iraq. The project would be managed by the SBAH (State Board of Antiquities and Heritage) under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities.

Annette Gathingo

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