Architectural and urban heritage
How have cities and architecture evolved and transformed? We study architecture from a range of historic periods that help communicate the rich history of societies, cultures and human civilisations.
From ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia in Iraq and Roman architecture in the Levant to medieval structures in Nottingham, Ahmadabad and Beijing and modern architecture in the UK and the Middle East, our research records, documents, preserves and protects endangered and vulnerable architectural and urban heritage that is at risk of erasure or destruction due to conflict, deterioration, natural disasters or climate change.
We deploy multiple and interconnected methods to research and investigate rich architectural and urban heritage, looking at their sustainable preservation and future evolution as a living organism and fabric within our cities and cultures. Those include architectural and spatial surveys, digitisation of physical and architectural attributes, customs, photo archives, film footage and oral histories.
Led by Professor Gamal Abdelmonem, our research team is the world-leading authority in this field leading projects across the globe working with governments, institutions and enterprises in countries like China, India, Iraq, Egypt, the UK and Jordan.
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For academic enquiries or information on business collaborations
Featured projects
Preserving the disappearing cultural heritage of post-war Mosul, Iraq: Valuing diversity in the urban recovery of Mosul’s old districts
- 2018-2023
- Partners: Nottingham Trent University (UK), The University of Mosul, University of Wasit (Iraq), University of Leeds (UK), State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (Iraq)
- Funder: British Academy
- Project website
Curating heritage legacies: Mobilising youth engagement for co-creation of cultural diversity and urban memory of post-conflict Mosul
- 2023-2025
- Partners: Nottingham Trent University (UK), The University of Mosul, University of Wasit (Iraq), University of Leeds (UK), State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (Iraq)
- Funder: British Academy
- Project website
LABYRINTH: Conservation, analysis and virtual reconstruction of archaeological site of Hawara Pyramid and Labyrinth (El Fayoum)
- 2018-2023
- Partners: Nottingham Trent University (UK), National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Egypt, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt), University of Leeds (UK)
- Funders: Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK), Science, Technology and Development Fund (Egypt)
- Project website
Virtual reality of medieval culture: Collaborative network for culturally-fed virtual heritage platforms of medieval Cairo
- 2016-2017
- Partners: Nottingham Trent University (UK), National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics and Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt)
- Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK)
Heritage borders of engagement network – ENGAGE: building humanitarian heritage partnership and knowledge exchange framework for displaced communities
- 2020-2022
- Partners: Nottingham Trent University, University of Nottingham & University of Leeds (UK); PRAXIS-India, CEPT University, Ahmadabad, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi (India); Cairo University (Egypt), University of Baghdad and University of Wasit (Iraq)
- Funders: Nottingham Trent University, Global Heritage Research Theme, Research England
- Project website
Heritage borders of engagement network - ENGAGE: mobilising cultural heritage for building partnerships and institutions for sustainable and inclusive peace
- 2019-2020
- Partners: Nottingham Trent University, University of Nottingham & University of Leeds (UK); PRAXIS-India, CEPT University, Ahmadabad, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi (India); Cairo University (Egypt), University of Baghdad and University of Wasit (Iraq)
- Funders: Arts and Humanities Research Council, Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) - Network Plus Programme
- Project website
Contact us
For academic enquiries or information on business collaborations