The Preservation Fallacy In The Mediterranean Medina

This study aims to develop, a more dynamic and contemporary theory of conservation, using the Mediterranean regions as case-study, and more specifically the Mediterranean Medina or Arab town. The medina, is considered as another step in the larger chain of evolution that the Mediterranean represents. However, traditional preservation practices, have defined it as the last stage for many Mediterranean cities, cutting their possibility for evolution. Orientalist interpretations have simplified these cities as ''Islamic,'' however their fabric contains the stratigraphy of colliding civilizations rather than a single urban historic layer. For this reason preservation policies that argue for freezing the inherited city in time challenge the very essence of this built environment.