The process of urban heritage (Case study: Baalbek)

Baalbek, once a thriving cultural and administrative hub with significant heritage value, now faces severe social, economic, and political challenges that threaten its urban continuity. Despite its historical importance as the center of agricultural and tourist activities in Lebanon, including hosting the renowned Baalbek International Festivals (1955), the city has struggled to maintain its identity due to failed state-led development projects. These projects lacked comprehensive regional or national integration, leading to a loss of social cohesion and cultural meaning. The study highlights that Baalbek's decline is a result of systemic failures in urban planning, compounded by economic crises and political instability, which have distorted its heritage morphology and isolated it from broader developmental narratives.

husni el hajj, M. (2022). The process of urban heritage (Case study: Baalbek). Arts and Architecture Journal, 3(1), 99–125. https://doi.org/10.21608/aaj.2022.242303