Rana Al-Kadi: Preserving Islamic history, one structure at a time

It’s without a doubt that when reading about history, we naturally are able to go back in time and imagine us in that part of the world and that place in time. Civilizations have come and gone with so much of it kept and preserved in time for all to view and gawk over. But with the evolution of time, we tend to forget what history is all about and how it came to be. Throughout time, the Islamic civilization has gone through many evolutions, progressed immensely and beautiful structures and studies have been introduced as well as spread throughout the lands they conquered. These studies have stretched to other civilizations that have used these teachings, implemented them in their own constructions that can still be seen in Europe, Turkey and even in the far east until this day. One of the best progressions in time came from Islamic architects and engineers as they’ve created ways to construct buildings, mosques, palaces and even cities in such form that made its place in history. The intricate details on wood work, elaborate mosaics, the use of colors and dyes, different elements of the earth from stone to tile and glass can all be found within the interior and exterior of these structures. Each form created showed the dedication of these architects and engineers as they used different elements of Islamic art combined with mathematics and geometry together forming designs fit for the structures intended. Naturally by time, they’d fade away but it’s vital to preserve them the best way professionals can in order to keep their natural form.
With these new studies at the time, engineers and architects from all over came to study at some of the best universities constructed during the Abbasid Caliphate, the first Umayyad Caliphate and the second in Cordoba. These teachings are still being taught in Spain’s universities as well as the Arab World nowadays but with the evolution of time, it’s not a field where they can be placed in a profound position. Many still standing structures can be found throughout the land but none more than what it is in Spain where the Umayyad Caliphate made its prominent stance in history.
The process of preservation and restoration is such an intense and dedicated field mainly sought after by foreigners, but there is one Saudi woman who has had a love for history for a long time, who’s changed her career just so she would be able to bring back all these teachings and provide all the assistance she can to help preserve and restore many of Islam’s prominent structures. Rana Al-Kadi is her name, an architect and PhD student at the Universidad Politecnia de Madrid and who aims to help restore Islamic structures that hold their place in time. She believes history made us who we are today and in honoring the old so the generation of today is able to witness history in a new light and remember how we have come to be.

Arab News conducted an interview with architect Rana Al-Kadi who took us into her world of Islamic civilization and beauty:

How did your journey into the world of Islamic architecture begin?
The journey started when I moved to Spain. Upon my arrival, I was impressed with the Spanish society’s immense understanding of Islamic architecture. On the other hand, I felt awkward for the gaps I had in the subject. Truly, my knowledge was limited to Tariq Ibn Ziyad’s story who led the Islamic conquest of the Iberian land (the Iberian peninsula is what is known today as Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar along with some parts of France and British overseas territories). It was kind of a shame for not having a brief knowledge about detailed Islamic developments in this period and have it limited to any tourist´s information. What made matters worse was whenever I introduced myself to any Spanish person, they directly asked me about things in history that I had no clear answers about. I couldn’t present myself nicely as a Saudi Arabian national, where the origin of Islam started, without having a brief knowledge about its historical developments especially the Iberian lands where Islamic art and architecture reached its peak. Consequently, I had to learn and understand Islamic architectural art, history, scholars and their achievements to be able to present myself.

You specialize in restoration and conservation and it seems that you are profoundly passionate about this field. Why is it specifically important to you?
I fell in love with this history in 2011. It was a big change in my life that affected my way of thinking. Subsequently, everything around me started to be part of a story. The materials, colors and ornamentations all can be read without the need of a book. And since restoration means returning something to its origin, I had to know the stories of each element, forms and construction methods used in order to revive the monument. To restore, you need to know how each part was built, when, where, the climate at the time, the people and the age of the land. All together can tell the whole historical story. I am passionate about it because I see it as more of a puzzle that you piece together to bring the moment back to life again.

You’re currently in the process of completing your Ph.D. in one of Madrid’s top universities specializing in Islamic architectural restoration and conservation projects. Tell us of the progress that you’ve experienced through learning.
The most important experience that I have learned during my work in this field is that restoration cannot rely on one person’s knowledge, but a group of professionals that include: architects, geologists, archaeologists, lighting designers, landscape and urban designers. All should be involved to restore a monument for the importance of its historical value. The truth is, history belongs to everyone so everyone is part of it and any project should be a collaboration of professionals of various disciplines and not based on one person’s experience. This is how successful communities begin.

What makes this a passion for you? What was the trigger point for you?
The trigger point was my first class at the university in 2011. It surprised me that my classmates stated dates before discussing any historical event, and I figured out that it was not about participating in a class, or gaining grades but learned that any historical event cannot exist without a date. If there is no specified date there is no precise story, as a result it may turn out to be a fictional story. Here came the difficult part, I am miserable in memorizing dates. But I learned with time that history is composed of stories of people who lived on Earth and built great civilizations and we are part of these stories regardless of the place or beliefs because it is considered part of the civilizations. After understanding such European point of views, my passion about history and Islamic architecture became a part of my life, my interest, and my inspiration. So what I have done is I hung a world map in my living room and started posting dates of historical events to integrate the historical periods of time together and make them much easy to observe to be able to tell a whole story of the history I am part of.

Your field is diverse and difficult at some point. It requires a lot of practice and dedication to complete restoring projects. What knowledge must one have in order to get involved?
This is a great question Rawan. This field is about bringing a new birth to heritage. So before joining the Architectural Heritage Restoration and Conversation Society, you need to pass an exam that includes different subjects such as historic architecture, construction history methods, intervention techniques, historic cultural landscape, and construction materials. After passing the test, you have three months of practice, then you are legally permitted to restore a project in Spain.

You’ve not only studied the books, you’ve had a first look at different sites in different locations abroad and literally were able to take part in restoration projects. What do you wish to bring back to the Kingdom once you’ve completed your degree?
I feel loaded with responsibilities to my country. In the past 4 years, I had gained lots of experiences personally and internationally. Bringing my international experience and perspectives to my county is one of my goals. And being part of Saudi society makes me obligated to transfer this knowledge to the next generation and keep something to history.

You’re an advocate for restoring many historic sites in the Kingdom, it’s a field that has since become an important goal for some. Do you think that it can gain more popularity among youths and professionals alike?
Of course! From my perspective the youth are our biggest and most important project. We need to feed them the rich history and culture that our county has, and remind them of the importance of our heritage especially the fact that the future cannot be apart from the past. I do think we need to review our history subjects at school and give them more focus into the Islamic architectural part. These architectural projects were a major element of the development of our historical Islamic civilizations and it is important to know intensively what they’re all about. The Islamic ornamentations that cover the walls of the palaces and mosques had philosophical meanings. Teaching these theories in an early age will make the value of the Islamic culture grow in them.

What would you like to see in the future regarding the restoration of historical sites in Saudi Arabia, whether it be Islamic sites or pre-Islam sites?
First of all, we need to understand the value of the monuments in Saudi Arabia, whether they are Islamic sites or pre-Islamic. The older they are, the more value they have. Then, we need to set our various restoration projects based on the functions. Some can be libraries; others can be galleries; and others remain as their original functions. Each monument should be treated and restored based on international standards in the Restoration Field. In general, restoration is different from preservation. It allows the removal of historic materials to create a particular period of time which is not necessarily the original one, while preservation is keeping the historical places to its final time period with no changes in order to give the atmosphere of the period of time. We need to set our restoration and preservation criteria as a group of professionals from different backgrounds for the governmental and private sectors to keep what is left of history for future generations.
The path that Rana is leading is both personally educational and for others as well. Saudi Arabia is rich with pre-Islamic as well as Islamic sites and structures and it’s vital that they’re preserved. She is able to educate those who are interested in the form of pictures on her Instagram page “Rana.Alkadi” as she has also been interviewed by Saudi TV on special occasions due to her volunteering at the Saudi Embassy in Madrid. In the words of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, ‘The first sentiment of man was that of his existence, his first care that of preserving it.’
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