The challenge of preserving heritage: A Neighbourhood case in Ardabil, Iran

Abstract

The view that heritage is not merely a physical entity has raised the attention paid for its intangible part. The problem is the dilemma between the present priorities of a society and its contradictory preservation practices. The dilemma is felt stronger in societies with experienced radical transformations throughout their history. The historic residential neighborhoods of Ardabil City are examples of this dilemma with a unique social and cultural history and its intangible heritage shaped on that base, which is visible today in the dissolutions in their physical heritage. This study presents the outcomes of the in-situ research in the historic Uch Dukkan Neighborhood in Ardabil City with its spatial configurations, historic functions and current conditions. It is discussed that, due to the controversies between differing political and economic priorities of different eras, the intention to preserve the historicity of the neighborhood remains challenging in terms of adapting the intangible content of the heritage and the contradicting premises of the current local life to each other. This study intends to demonstrate how blurred the boundary between preservation and conservatism can be.