The Role of Urban Transformations in Highlighting the City's Landmarks - Case Study of Old Karbala

Abstract

The urban fabric of old cities witnesses multiple transformations, which makes it prone to crumbling. Things like the development projects or events such as war affect the morphology of the city and its urban features. The old cities represent the most critical part of the larger city, usually representing the original city’s ancient essence. The importance of those urban landmarks in this historical center enhances the attractiveness of the old part of the city and are considered the origin of this fabric. This research will aim to analyze the urban transformations resulting from urban development projects or wars in central Karbala city. The transformation of the urban fabric was developed during three-time phases that contributed to highlighting the holy landmarks in the city. The first stage starts with the basics before the development process. The second stage is the initial development stage and the events of 1991 that destroyed parts of the city. The third stage represents the analysis of the last urban development project of the Karbala Centre, which is under implementation. The results showed a discrepancy in the areas occupied by the city's landmarks. The highest percentage of the landmark area was achieved in the third phase, and the lowest was in the first phase, due expand the spaces surrounding most of the landmarks of the Al-Taf event, to be more dominant. Also, the project aims to highlight the landmarks of the original city through the method of access and ease of perception by the recipient and providing nodes and paths that are consistent with the movement of the Al-Taf event.