Presentation by GROUP 3

Heritage Tourism:
Southwest Asia and
North America

Mañada, Miramonte, Pagcalibangan, Pulindao, Rubia

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Topics
Introduction

Pilgrimage

War and Conflicts

Layers of Archeology and an Accession of Empires

Indigenous People

Historic Cities and the Region

Heritage Challenges

Conclusion
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Introduction
The region is also often referred to as the Middle East and North Africa and, for expediency, both these
designations will be used interchangeably. Central Asia and the Caucasus region are not considered but, because
of their cultural and historical connections, Turkey and Iran are.

North Africa and Southwest Asia is blessed with a rich and varied array of tangible and intangible culture, which
gives the region one of the mast bountiful resource bases for heritage tourism in the entire world. Many observers
have noted this in a variety of contexts and hinted at the huge latent potential for cultural heritage tourism to
develop more than it already has.

Recent civil wars in Lebanon and Algeria; the ongoing war in Iraq; tensions between neighboring Iraq and Iran; the
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990; current hostilities between Syria and Lebanon; Turkish incursions into Iraqi Kurdistan;
contemporary terrorist attacks and tourist kidnappings in Yemen, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq; and many
other current and recent events have placed this region above all else in the global media as a hotbed for conflict.
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Introduction
These issues, coupled with a general anti-Western sentiment fueled by foreign policies in the US (pro-Israel) and other
Western states that favor certain ethnic and religious groups over others, a lack of positive and welcoming
counterpromotional efforts, and much of the region's environment of poverty have led to a failure to develop heritage
tourism "analogous to its immensely rich and diverse natural, cultural and historical resources and attractions"

Concomitantly, because of the political tensions and anti-Western views, many Western nations have issued travel
advisories for several countries in the region. For example, as of July 30, 2008, the US government had posted travel
advisories against visiting eleven of the twenty-one countries in the region for reasons such as kidnappings, terrorist
threats, war, violence, anti-American demonstrations, embassy attacks, random arrests, and general security threats. At
the same time. the Australian government had posted travel warnings regarding all countries in the region.

Related to conflict is the idea of contested heritage and place. Jerusalem, perhaps more than any other city in the world,
is hotly contested between Jews, Muslims, and Christians, and even among various sects within Christianity
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Pilgrimage
Refers to travel by religious adherents or spirituality seekers to places
deemed sacred by the socio-religious groups to which they belong.

Is a clear subtype of heritage tourism from at least three (3) perspectives:

Sites visited are heritage places.

Deals more particularly with pilgrimage routes.

Devout religious tourists travel as a religious practice, or to satisty

religious requirements.
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Pilgrimage
Refers to travel by religious adherents or spirituality seekers to places
deemed sacred by the socio-religious groups to which they belong.
Saudi Arabia is one of the best known pilgrimage sites and the holiest
space for all Muslims.
The Hajj considered one of the largest tourist movements and events in
the world and resembles other forms of cultural tourism from several
perspectives.
Judaism does not require or recognize formal pilgrimage, but scores of
Jews from the diaspora travel to Israel to worship at the Western Wall and
to visit their ancestral Holy Land.
Various sites in the Middle East are especially sacred to Christians as the
locations where Jesus was born, lived, performed miracles, conducted his
ministry, and died and was resurrected.
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War and Conflicts
Southwest Asia and North Africa has an unfortunate distinction of being one
of the most conflict-ridden parts of the world, largely based on multiple
heritages.
Political turmoil and war directly and indirectly affect heritage and tourism
in a variety of ways:
Direct effects include targeting artifacts and sites that are considered
holy by opposing parties, or "heritage as target."
Heritage as an innocent casualty.
War affects heritage tourism by decreasing arrivals and restricting access to
historic places.
War and its remnants have become heritage attractions.
Another perspective related to conflict as attraction is the notion of
"political tourists".
Related to conflict is the idea of contested heritage and place.
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Layers of Archeology
and an Accession of
Empires
One of the most impressive perspectives of heritage in this region is the succession
of empires that lay atop one another in Jerusalem, the present street level is not the
street level of 2,000 or 3.000 years ago; the Roman period of the city lies some 10-11
meters below the present surface.

Nearly all the countries of Southwest Asia and North Africa have substantial
archeological remains and ancient monuments that either already appeal to tourists
or have the potential to do.

Various parts of Southwest Asia have a long history of being ruled by outsiders (
including the British and French), although many of the ruling powers have been
from within the region (e.g., Egyptians, Ottomans, Persians, Arab Muslims, and
Assyrians).
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Layers of Archeology
and an Accession of
Empires
With few opportunities to govern themselves and lay foundations for centuries-old
national and regional identities, much of North Africa and Southwest Asia is
undergoing an identity crisis of sorts, which plays out significantly in the selection,
conservation, and interpretation of heritage and lies at the root of so much conflict
in the region.

Even since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early 1900s, few of the states
in the region have been able to create and maintain a national identity that is
representative and inclusive.

Another character crisis in Türkey. While Turkish youth today identify well with the
Turkish state. It was more difficult for their grandparents and great grandparents to
come to terms with a Turkish identity.
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Indigenous People
Indigenous people can be distinguished from the general
population by virtue of the fact that they speak a distinct
language and adhere to distinctive cultural practices than
those of the majority population. Native Americans are able to
trace their lineage all the way back to the earliest European
settlers who arrived in what is now the Americas.

BEDOUINS
TUAREGS
ABABDA
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Indigenous People
Desert Nomads - BEDOUINS
The Bedouins are desert-dwelling people who practice a nomadic lifestyle and
have done so for a very long time.

Culture and Traditions:

Bedouins made their living largely off the meat, milk products, and wool
produced by their sheep, goats, and camels
Many Bedouins are Christians
Those who visit regularly attest to their generosity and ingenuity
Men – They wear 'Gallabeya' paired with thin cotton pantalons, a red and
white headscarf secured with a black cord and sandals
Women – They wear long, brightly colored dresses at home and a thin, long,
black coat with intricate embroidery when they leave the house.
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Indigenous People
TUAREGS
The Tuareg are a sizeable Berber people who live in the Sahara Desert across a
wide swath of territory, beginning in the southwestern corner of Libya and
extending all the way to the extreme southern regions of Algeria, Niger, Mali,
and Burkina Faso.

Culture and Traditions:

The majority of Tuareg society is nomadic and resides in tents
The Tuareg have a matriarchal structure
After the age of twenty-five, males are required to cover their heads with
veils
The Tuareg nomad's hut is a simple structure, made from woven matting and
traditional fabrics stretched over a wooden frame.
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Indigenous People
ABABDA
Arabs or Bejas are members of the Ababda tribe, which is found in eastern
Egypt and Sudan.

The indigenous people who live in the countries going

through a traumatic experience as a result of their
governments evicting them from their homes in order to
safeguard the areas where they live. Taking care of their
constituents receives a greater amount of attention than
taking care of their people, which is what they should be
concentrating on.
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Historic Cities and

the Region
Many foreign tourists are drawn to the idealized nomad lives, but it is important to

recognize the significance of the region's historic villages and cities. Although the

desert nomads have little in the way of material culture, the villages and cities in the

area have a dynamic and impressive architectural heritage (Daher 1999).

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Historic Cities and the Region

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Historic Cities and the

Region
These historic cities face problems similar to those around the world in that crowded conditions, urban

development, and modernization have in some cases overpowered efforts to preserve that past) Ibrahim

2001; Shechter and Yacobi 2005).

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Heritage Challenges
During the first Gulf War of 1990-91, Iraqi soldiers withdrawing from Kuwait set fire to many
of that country's oil wells. This had a devastating environmental effect, not least upon the
built heritage of the region.
Pollution-related problems exist throughout the entire realm, especially in highly urbanized
areas such as Cairo, one of the most polluted cities in the world (Smith 2003).
One of the most common challenges is overuse of historic sites.
Despite the sharp fluctuations in regional arrivals, several sites are heavily visited year-
round almost regardless of the political climate.
The Old City of Jerusalem is also on the list, being cited as threatened by mass tourism,
urban development, and lack of conservation
Ironically, the abundance of archeological sites and other historic places may be one of
the region's most significant challenges. The least developed countries of North Africa and
Southwest Asia have difficulty in preserving their many heritages.
·Palestine faces perhaps the most insurmountable tourism challenges of all its neighbors’
troubles created by its relationship with Israel. The Palestinian Territories are having a very
difficult time developing tourism industries that will provide much needed income and
foreign exchange for the government and individuals.
 Conclusion
Southwest Asia and North Africa is composed of layer upon layer of archeologies, subcessive
empires, cacophonous pasts, and modern-day groups vying for control of sacred and economic
space. However, it is also home to some of the most spectacular remnants of human civilization
on earth and worthy of much more scholarly attention.

Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Western tourism to the region has remained volatile.

Irony and dichotomy are two key words in understanding heritage in this region. Wars have been
and continue to be fought over heritages and homelands Ironically, in spite of their tragic
Consequences, these wars and the heritages that produce item are among the most interesting
and widely visited heritage attractions today.
 Conclusion
The region is steeped in traditions that are deeply valued by its own inhabitants and by billions of
people from other parts of the globe.

It is a region of massive change- everywhere, in the wealthier oil states and the poorer agrarian
states.

The traditional peoples are becoming more involved in service industries based on foreign
interest in their cultures and their need to survive in a difficult climate and economy.
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