Protecting the Invisible: Site-Management Planning at Small Archaeological Sites in al-Ain, Abu Dhabi

Abstract

Protection, conservation, and site-management planning are normally fi nanced and conducted on major archaeological sites only, where there are expectations for visitor access and economic returns. Many smaller sites with lesser visible remains are then virtually abandoned, despite the value of their physical remains and archaeological, historical, and scientifi c potential.A pilot project by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (now Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority) was conducted at Rumeilah, an Iron Age site excavated over the past forty-fi ve years. The project consisted of a full-scale site-management planning process including documentation and assessment of the site conditions and of its administrative context to demonstrate the benefi ts of applying value and community-based sitemanagement planning processes to 'invisible' heritage. The process resulted in the development of a management plan which identifi es continued explorations at the site and in the involvement of local schools and universities the activities that will be able to sustain its long-term preservation.

Conservation and Enhancement of the Pietrabbondante Archaeological Site between History, Geology and Emerging Crowd-Based Digital Technologies

“…As a consequence, the need to implement strategies to prevent the occurrence of losses and casualties was expressed by promoting maintenance activities, such as the challenging maintenance plans developed to protect Italian archaeological sites [28,39], and implementing specific management plans. The latter are effective tools for identifying the objectives and strategies to guarantee, over time, the conservation and enhancement of the heritage and its cultural values [40,48].…”

The role of conservation in new contemporary art installations in new contexts: The case of Richard Serra's East–West/West–East in Qatar

“…Management models developed in the region for public sites such as archaeological or historic sites will be a starting point as they can be developed to suit local needs. Although the visitor objectives may be different, small isolated sites face similar issues and require values assessment with all possible stakeholders to discuss possible management and conservation scenarios (Palumbo et al, 2014). Scenarios could include monitoring to record changes, establishment of a maintenance plan or management of the site in relation to visitor perceptions and local community concerns, regardless of how small the latter might be.…”