Adaptive sustainability strategies for old Najaf city: integrating heritage and urban development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29194/NJES.29010067Keywords:
Heritage, Preservation, Urban Sustainability, Historic Center, NajafAbstract
The Old City of Najaf stands out for its unique urban fabric and rich historical heritage, serving as a key destination for religious tourism while hosting worship facilities and housing for seminary students. As both a vibrant religious center and a cultural landmark, it presents a complex urban context that demands a careful balance between residents’ and visitors’ needs. This raises the question of how to adapt sustainability standards to align with the city’s environmental, historical, and cultural dimensions. Using descriptive and analytical methods, including field observations, literature reviews, and expert consultations in urban planning and heritage preservation, the study examines challenges like uncontrolled urban growth, strained infrastructure, and land-use conflicts. Initial findings suggest these issues significantly hinder sustainable development, particularly with growing demand for heritage tourism and Najaf’s role as a hub for religious studies. The study proposes practical strategies to preserve Najaf’s cultural identity, improve residents’ quality of life, and enhance its status as a sustainable heritage tourism destination, boosting its long-term appeal and sustainability.
Downloads
References
N. D. Al‑Shouk and A. S. Al‑Khfaji, "Toward sustainable compact city: Study in convert traditional Najaf City to sustainable compact city," KnE Eng., pp. 167-192, 2018.
https://doi.org/10.18502/keg.v3i4.2168 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/keg.v3i4.2168
S. L. Farhan, H. H. Samir, and H. S. Adelphi, "Urban changes and its impact on the tangible and intangible heritage of city's centre: Najaf City as a case study," IOP Conf. Ser. Mater. Sci. Eng., vol. 1058, no. 1, p. 012070, Feb. 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1058/1/012070 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1058/1/012070
M. M. Al‑Anazi and H. A. H. Al‑Shamari, "The concept of urban capacity and removal processes-City center Al‑Najaf Al‑Ashraf a model," Al‑Nahrain J. Eng. Sci., vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 67-72, Apr. 2025.
https://doi.org/10.29194/NJES.28010067 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29194/NJES.28010067
M. Al‑Orbawi, S. G. Kazem, and J. M. Mohammed, "Adaptive human resources management: The key to achieving organizational sustainability-An analytical study of the opinions of a sample of employees working in communication companies in the Holy Najaf Governorate," 2025.
A. Q. Al‑Mosawi, "Development of an assessment strategy for urban regeneration projects in historic city centres in Iraq," J. Sustain. Dev., vol. 10, no. 6, p. 87, Nov. 2017.
https://doi.org/10.5539/jsd.v10n6p87 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/jsd.v10n6p87
I. S. Abd and H. A. Al‑Jameel, "Valuation of bus characteristics in urban area: Al‑Najaf as a case study," in BIO Web Conf., EDP Sciences, Apr. 2024.
M. Fadihl, S. Chokur, and S. J. N. Al‑Khafaji, "The strategic use of events to revitalize cities: Najaf as a case study," Int. J. Nonlinear Anal. Appl., vol. 14, pp. 2008-6822, 2023.
M. A. Mohammed and H. S. Al‑Mamoori, "Disorder strategy according to the entrances of the new democracy in Najaf architecture after 2003," Kufa J. Eng., vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 43-56, Apr. 2023.
https://doi.org/10.30572/2018/KJE/140204 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30572/2018/KJE/140204
T. Lussetyowati, "Preservation and conservation through cultural heritage tourism: Case study Musi Riverside Palembang," Procedia Soc. Behav. Sci., vol. 184, pp. 401-406, 2015.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.05.109 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.05.109
P. A. Mirzaei, D. Olsthoorn, M. Torjan, and F. Haghighat, "Urban neighborhood characteristics influence on a building indoor environment," Sustain. Cities Soc., vol. 19, pp. 403-413, 2015.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2015.07.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2015.07.008
H. S. Owied, "Urban transformations of historical cities centers: Urban renewal projects of Al‑Najaf city center," in Proc. Int. Conf. Adv. Sustain. Eng. Appl. (ICASEA), pp. 159-164, 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1109/ICASEA.2018.8370975 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICASEA.2018.8370975
A. N. Taher, A. Mosa, and A. H. Al‑Musawi, "The role of formal characteristics in harmony townscape holy city of Najaf-Case study," vol. 3, 2015.
I. H. El‑Ghonaimy and M. H. Al‑Haddad, "Towards reviving the missing noble characteristics of traditional habitual social life 'Al‑Farej' in Kingdom of Bahrain," J. Contemp. Urban Aff., vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 35-46, 2019.
https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2018.4699 DOI: https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2018.4699
H. S. O. Adelphi, S. L. Farhan, and H. A. H. Al‑Shamari, "The threshold of urban sustainability within the traditional cities: Traditional Al‑Najaf city as a case study," IOP Conf. Ser. Mater. Sci. Eng., vol. 1058, no. 1, p. 012055, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1058/1/012055 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1058/1/012055
Y. Chen, L. Shen, Y. Zhang, H. Li, and Y. Ren, "Sustainability‑based perspective on the utilization efficiency of urban infrastructure-A China study," Habitat Int., vol. 93, p. 102050, 2019.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2019.102050 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2019.102050
I. A. Jasim, H. M. Hasan, S. L. Farhan, and K. H. Bahat, "Evaluating the urban structure of Al‑Kut city according to sustainability," in IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci., IOP Publishing, 2021, p. 012021.
https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/779/1/012021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/779/1/012021
A. Fadhil, "The role of urban transformations in highlighting the city's landmarks-Case study of Old Karbala," Kerbala J. Eng. Sci., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 55-74, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.63463/kjes1021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.63463/kjes1021
V. M. Mareeva, A. M. Ahmad, M. S. Ferwati, and S. B. Garba, "Sustainable urban regeneration of blighted neighborhoods: The case of Al Ghanim neighborhood, Doha, Qatar," Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 12, Jun. 2022.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su14126963 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14126963
V. Scavone and A. Pisello, Resilient and Responsible Smart Cities: Proc. Future Smart Cities (FSC) 2nd Ed. & Resilient and Responsible Architecture and Urbanism (RRAU) 2nd Ed.
S. L. Farhan, V. S. Akef, and Z. Nasar, "Revitalizing the historical center of Al‑Najaf city in Iraq: Learning from the British conservation experiences," J. Cult. Herit. Manag. Sustain. Dev., vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 513-532, 2022.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-01-2020-0002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-01-2020-0002
J. Chica‑Olmo, M. Vujičić, R. A. Castanho, U. Stankov, and E. Martinelli, Eds., Sustainable Tourism, Culture and Heritage Promotion: Development, Management and Connectivity, IEREK Interdisciplinary Series for Sustainable Development. Cham: Springer, 2024.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49536-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49536-6
Y. Tabbaa, S. Mervin, and E. Bonnier, Najaf: The Gate of Wisdom-History, Heritage & Significance of the Holy City of the Shi'a. UNESCO, with support of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Culture, 2014.
S. R. Hamza and T. R. Alrobaee, "Urban greening strategies for compact cities: An‑Najaf historical city, Iraq, a case study," Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Plan., vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 1875-1881, May 2024.
https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.190525 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.190525
S. L. Farhan et al., "Balancing heritage preservation and sustainable development in historic cities: A case study of Old Najaf in the context of global best practices," Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Plan., vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 1041-1051, Mar. 2025.
https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.200311 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.200311
N. Aziz and F. Nilufar, "Effects of growth on urban morphology and land use pattern in Mymensingh: A historic town of Bangladesh," Nakhara J. Environ. Des. Plan., vol. 16, pp. 53-68, 2019.
https://doi.org/10.54028/NJ2019165368 DOI: https://doi.org/10.54028/NJ2019165368
Y. F. Al‑Abayechi, A. S. Al‑Khafaji, and T. R. Alrobaee, "Structural equation modeling of urban design and sustainability in Najaf's traditional urban context," Opportunities Challenges Sustain., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 50-61, Mar. 2024.
https://doi.org/10.56578/ocs030104 DOI: https://doi.org/10.56578/ocs030104
M. H. Abrah, L. V. Leong, and H. A. Al‑Jameel, "Evaluating sustainable indicators for urban street network: Al‑Najaf network as a case study," Open Eng., vol. 15, no. 1, Jan. 2025.
https://doi.org/10.1515/eng-2024-0080 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/eng-2024-0080
M. S. Alkilidar, "The aesthetic effects of the Holy Qur'an on the decorative formations in Al‑Imam Ali Holy Shrine," presented at The First Int. Conf. Heritage, Al‑Ataba Al‑Alawiya Al‑Muqaddasa, 2023.
Wikimedia Commons, "Al‑Najaf map," [Online]. Available: (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al-Najaf_map.svg )
Google Maps, "Najaf," [Online]. Available: (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Najaf)
“Trinity Church, Boston, Massachusetts,” Wikimedia Commons. Available:
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Husam Sachit Senah, Rabee Jameel Al-Shammari
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The authors retain the copyright of their manuscript by submitting the work to this journal, and all open access articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC-BY-NC 4.0), which permits use for any non-commercial purpose, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
How to Cite
