Page 90 - أبحاث كلية الهندسة

Appendix 2018 Publications
‫هندسة‬

International Journal of Civil
Engineering and Technology
Volume 9, Issue 9, September2018, pp.

1217–1233

ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT IN PALESTINE
Mumen AbuarkubandFaiq M. S. Al-Zwainy

This research paper gives a historic overview of the Palestnian architecture from the ancient times
until today. The first chapter treats the ancient architecture. It introduces us to the first architectural
findings on the territory of Palestine and the earliest Palestinian houses. We will see the differences of
styles and buildings in prehistoric and ancient times from those built during Roma-Byzantine rule and
later during ancient Greek-Roman influence. It is the time of the emergence and spread of Christianity,
thus the period of building its temples -the churches. With the conquest of Palestine by the Arabs and
islamization of the country the architecture suffers changes and is influenced by this new religion and
new lifestile. Jerusalem becomes the beacon of islamic religion and culture. This period is the subject
of the second chapter that gives us overview of the Palestinian architecture starting from Arabs
installation in the 7thcentury and the crusaders wars, followed by the rule of Mamluk's dynasty. We
finalize this period of influence in the Palestinian architecture with the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
Despite the change of religions and cultures, churches and mosques are being constructed in each rule.
In crusader time we notice increased activity in building fortifications. With the decline of the
Ottoman Empire, in the 20thcentury there is a drastic change in building types and building techniques
in Palestine. The western influence that came with the British occupation is evident and reflects the
changinglifestyle, especially of those in the high society. Attention is paid to new urban plans and
British planners are engaged for this purpose. The rise of the tourism in the 20thcentury demands
construction of roads that can connect different cities as wellas the country with the rest of the world.
What was done during the British, Jordanian and Egyptian occupation, as well as the Israeli
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967 of Palestine is presented in the third chapter.The
historical overview could not be complete if we do not give a brief look at the contemporary
architecture in Palestine in the fourth chapter. It is evident that the political situation in Palestine has a
decisive impact in Palestinian architecture. The emergence of architectural schools and educated
architects that are influenced with the modern and contemporary movements of the global
architectural scene are making changes in the urban and rural environment in Palestine. The
constraints they endure are certain. This new time demands the use of new building techniques and

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