Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Four female Saudi engineers have swung into action to preserve the original identity and architectural beauty of heritage buildings as part of the ongoing restoration work in Jeddah's Historic Area that found a place in UNESCO's World Heritage List. The women are engaged in documenting A to Z information regarding these buildings and their rich urban heritage. The restoration work comes as part of the ambitious plan to develop the tourism mechanism in accordance with Vision 2030. Al-Anoud Al-Sheikh said that her role is to document historical buildings by photographing them with a drone and do their laser scanning after gathering information about each building. The documentation and collection of comprehensive information will be helpful in the event of their renovation by investors who may come forward to convert them into museums or restaurants, she said. Sarah Abu Al-Hamayel, who works in the restoration, reinforcement and rescue department, said her role is related to the renovation of dilapidated buildings and refurbishing them for future use. Dania Ba Issa is involved in work with consultants and contractors to ensure the buildings' standards and their conformity with UNESCO standards, in addition to routine work of building documentation. Lajeen Badreeq says that the nature of her work is to participate in implementing the strategic plan of the Historic Area with the UNESCO team in developing buildings so as to adhere to the standards to preserve the building's identity. The team is also tasked to ensure that the new buildings do not bypass the norms for the urban heritage identity of residential buildings in the Historic Area.
