Sustaining heritage in Souk Al Mubarakiya

Abstract

Souk Al-Mubarakiya, located in Qibla, is one of the most prominent heritage, commercial and tourist attractions in Kuwait, and one of the oldest markets in the Gulf region. Despite the development of the markets in Kuwait, their urban expansion and their modern designs, the “Mubarakiya” market has its own character, as it is considered one of the most prominent heritage landmarks in Kuwait due to its uniqueness with an architectural style dating back more than 120 years. This research includes an analysis of the architectural elements present in the old Kuwaiti houses (before oil discovery) and their compatibility with the Mubarakiya heritage market to prove that there is a sustainability of Kuwaiti heritage in the Mubarakiya market, and in order to help designers and decision-makers to apply the Sustainability Experience of Souk Al Mubarakiya to other markets that wish to obtain an authentic heritage style in order to preserve the heritage identity. The researcher made several visits to Souk Al Mubarakiya, where he audited, observed and codified the various architectural elements, and one of the most important observations is that similarity plays An important role in the analysis of the model to be measured in this research. Some elements look more similar to each other than others and, therefore, represent the style more strongly than others.

Keywords

• al-mubarakiya market
• kuwaiti heritage
• sustainability
• identity