Strengthening the architectural identity of Makkah Al-Mukarramah’s buildings: an assessment of the impact of laws and regulations

Abstract The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s future vision (Vision 2030) focuses on the enhancement of the urban and architectural identity of cities, where in (2022) King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism was issued to improve residents’ quality of life through the establishment of architectural environments that emphasize cultural and environmental heritage while also simulating future developments. Makkah Al-Mukarramah is distinguished by its religious uniqueness being the ground of the Holy Mosque and a set of natural factors, all of this influenced the formation of its distinctive architectural identity over time, However, for the sake of development projects, and expansion of the Haram Al-Sharif, demolition of many of Makkah’s old neighborhoods occurred leading to declining the city’s historical urban fabric, this development was governed by regulations and rules that focusing only on organizational aspects without considering the architectural identity. This crystallizes the research problem in two main points: “What are the regulations and legislation that led to Makkah losing its distinctive architectural identity?” What function may legislation and laws possibly play in the long-term rehabilitation of Makkah’s distinct architectural identity? The purpose of this research is to define the architectural and urban identity, as well as the major factors that influence them. Also, investigate the impact of the urban development of Makkah on the city’s architectural identity. And the extraction of design requirements for the control of architectural identity. The research uses a theoretical approach to understand the principles of architectural identity and character, as well as to measure the influence of laws and regulations on preserving and enhancing the architectural identity. a descriptive-analytical approach to analyze the laws and regulations related to the architectural identity of several selected cities; to come at a set of criteria that contribute to preserving the identity, following that, a questionnaire is developed for the opinion of academic architects as well as engineers specialized in this field, to try to find the flaw that caused the loss of character and to make some recommendations to correct the flaws caused by lack of attention to architectural identity.