Rupestrian World Heritage Sites: Instability Investigation and Sustainable Mitigation

Rupestrian World Heritage Sites, including Petra, face significant instability due to natural and human-induced factors. These sites, often carved into soft rock with unconfined compressive strength (UCS) less than 25 MPa, are vulnerable to rapid-onset hazards like earthquakes and extreme weather events, as well as slow processes such as erosion and climate change impacts. The study highlights the importance of interdisciplinary investigations to understand degradation processes and causative factors, followed by field conservation work that prioritizes traditional knowledge and sustainable practices. This approach, applied in sites like Bamiyan (Afghanistan), Lalibela (Ethiopia), Petra (Jordan), and Vardzia (Georgia), aims to mitigate rockfall risks while preserving cultural heritage.

Margottini, C., Bobrowsky, P., Gigli, G., Ruther, H., Spizzichino, D., & Vlcko, J. (2017). Rupestrian World Heritage Sites: Instability Investigation and Sustainable Mitigation. Advancing Culture of Living with Landslides, 23–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59469-9_2