Surveying World Heritage Islamic Monuments in North Africa: Experiences with Simple Photogrammetric Tools and no Previous Planning

A novel approach to surveying Islamic monuments in North Africa demonstrates the feasibility of using simple photogrammetric tools—such as a single camera and laser meter—without prior planning, yielding high-quality metric documentation for heritage sites lacking existing records. The study highlights the effectiveness of opportunistic surveys conducted during scientific meetings, capturing detailed data from World Heritage-listed landmarks like the Almohad gates in Rabat and Marrakech, the al-Badi palace, and the mosque of Tlemcen. By leveraging low-cost tools and spontaneous fieldwork, researchers successfully documented previously unrecorded or poorly documented monuments, proving that even unplanned surveys can contribute valuable insights to heritage preservation. The methodology, refined through CIPA (International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) collaborations, underscores the importance of user-driven documentation in acquiring knowledge from these sites.

Almagro, A. (2013). SURVEYING WORLD HERITAGE ISLAMIC MONUMENTS IN NORTH AFRICA: EXPERIENCES WITH SIMPLE PHOTOGRAMMETRIC TOOLS AND NO PREVIOUS PLANNING. ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, II-5/W1, 13–18. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsannals-ii-5-w1-13-2013