IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

Jerusalem’s Old City represents one of the most complex and enduring examples of contested heritage in the contemporary world. Shaped by successive civilisations and sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the city embodies overlapping cultural pasts embedded in its architecture, urban fabric, and living communities. Yet these layered histories have increasingly become instruments of political struggle, placing both tangible and intangible heritage at risk. This paper examines Jerusalem as a heritage site in danger, focusing on how art, architecture, archaeology, and urban space are mobilised to construct exclusionary narratives and reshape urban futures. Drawing on critical heritage theory, social and cultural history, and debates on nationalism and iconoclasm, the paper argues that heritage in Jerusalem functions as a political and discursive practice rather than a neutral inheritance of the past. Through selected case studies—including the demolition of the Magharbeh (Moroccan) Quarter, archaeological interventions in the Old City, the transformation of Islamic and Christian monuments, and the reconfiguration of historic neighbourhoods—the study demonstrates how heritage practices have been instrumentalised to legitimise political authority and assert control over space, memory, and identity. The paper further situates Jerusalem within international heritage frameworks by examining tensions between UNESCO’s designation of the city as a World Heritage Site in Danger and the limitations of global conservation mechanisms in contexts of occupation and conflict. By foregrounding the relationship between cultural pasts and contested urban futures, this research calls for an ethically grounded heritage approach that integrates conservation with social justice, plural narratives, and the rights of living communities.