VIRTUAL ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

Makkah, the holiest city in the Muslim world, remains understudied in terms of its historic urban fabric. Since the 1950s, rapid development driven by successive modernization programs, has progressively replaced much of the city’s traditional spatial framework. Today, Makkah embodies a striking duality: it is both a sacred landscape shaped by centuries of pilgrimage and a focal point of ambitious future development under Saudi Vision 2030. While state-led efforts to diversify the national economy are underway, Makkah continues to receive over 200,000 visitors weekly, maintaining its centrality as a pilgrimage destination. This research investigates how spatial frameworks are manifested within the historic city and examines the pedagogical role of heritage sites for contemporary pilgrims. Bridging archaeology, art history, and architectural history, the study critically analyzes recent urban development initiatives in relation to national planning agendas. Digital heritage tools will be employed both as a means of spatial assessment and as a method for interrogating the ways in which heritage is reconstructed and instrumentalized within state-led visions. By engaging with the sacred precinct of the Masjid al-Haram and broader historical narratives of urban change, the research seeks to foster a dialogue between Makkah’s historiography and its envisioned futures. Ultimately, it aims to reinterpret urban form as a lens for understanding cultural continuity, rupture, and transformation in one of Islam’s most significant cities.