Traditional Bukharian Houses and Mahallas: A Shared Vernacular Heritage at Risk

Abstract

[EN] Beyond being a form of community expression, the traditional Bukharian houses and mahallas – neighborhoods - illustrate a close relationship with the environment as the use of earthen materials and the design of its urban fabric respond to the harsh desert climate. This World Heritage listed vernacular architecture and mahallas in Uzbekistan are a vulnerable and rapidly changing heritage. Traditional techniques and know-how are getting lost and replaced by new construction techniques that most of the time are causing irreversible changes. In addition, their special attributes that make them unique are also disappearing due to changes of ownership, alterations, and adaptive reuse. In this context, a fragment of this heritage, the Traditional Bukharian Jewish Houses, was identified and included on the 2020 World Monuments Watch program to advocate for their preservation while maintaining the diversity and livelihood of the communities. Since the Watch inclusion, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) and International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS), in partnership with the Bukhara State University and other local partners, have been working on the Documentation and Conservation project. The team assembled for this project is carrying out an updated inventory of the three Jewish mahallas using digital technologies and documenting and assessing the physical conditions of the houses. Ultimately, the project seeks to create best practice conservation guidelines not only for the Jewish houses, but also for all the traditional Bukharian houses that will foster community awareness of traditional construction techniques. This paper presents the process, challenges, and preliminary results of the project contributing to the protection of this outstanding Bukharian vernacular and shared heritage.