Spatial Configuration of Traditional Dwellings in Riyadh Al-Khabra Traditional Town, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Traditional buildings, particularly residential dwellings, are spatio-temporal reflections of the society and culture in which they were originally sited. Understanding the nature of this built heritage thus fosters interpretation of previous generations’ experiences in these older settlements, all of which can thus be described as products of several different cultural dimensions. Qassim province, which sits in the central province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is distinguished by having retained various traditional towns and villages, including multiple dwellings representing important eras in the past. However, due to the local population’s abandonment of these traditional towns and movement to new urban areas, and related failures in conservation and restoration, some of these towns have lost many of their unique characteristics, especially with regard to their dwellings. This research thus attempts to interpret the relationships between the spatial configuration of traditional dwellings in Saudi Arabia and their socio-cultural principles and values, focusing on decoding their interior spatial constants and genotypes. The study proposes the use of space syntax theory, represented by the justified plan graph method, as an appropriate socio-spatial methodology for such work, targeting the traditional town of Riyadh Al-Khabra in Qassim province as a case study area, with eight dwellings built between 1900 and 1940 used as examples. Interpretation of analysis results enabled defining spatial constants digitally in these traditional dwellings through the benefit of syntactic analysis techniques, and the main findings of this research reveal the significance of various social and cultural factors and customs among inhabitants with regard to determining the spatial form and properties of traditional dwellings in towns such as Riyadh Al-Khabra.