BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//CERN//INDICO//EN
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:AI for Heritage Preservation in Petra seminar
DTSTART:20260917T090000Z
DTEND:20260917T100000Z
DTSTAMP:20260927T015500Z
UID:indico-event-1710345@indico.cern.ch
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Bayan Faisal Fathi El Faouri\n\nAbstract\n\nThe  co
 nservation  of  cultural  heritage  faces  mounting  challenges  fr
 om  accelerating environmental  change\,  climate  uncertainty\,  int
 ensifying  tourism\,  urban  development pressures\,  and  evolving 
  social  relationships  between  communities  and  place.  These ch
 allenges are especially acute at World Heritage sites\, where heritage is 
 recognized as possessing Outstanding Universal Value and where losses are 
 often irreversible. Today\, heritage significance is understood to emerge
  from the dynamic interplay between tangible and intangible dimensions\, e
 ncompassing not only monuments\, archaeological remains\, historic buildin
 gs\, and cultural landscapes\, but also traditional knowledge\, oral histo
 ries\, cultural practices\, collective memory\, and community attachment. 
 Long-term safeguarding of  heritage  therefore  requires  approaches 
  that  address  both  the  material  and  living dimensions of cult
 ural value. \nUsing Petra\, Jordan\, as a case study\, this talk explores
  the interconnected nature of tangible and intangible heritage and the cha
 llenges of preserving both in complex\, dynamic heritage environments. Pet
 ra\, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage
   Site\,  is  widely  celebrated  for  its  extraordinary  rock-cu
 t  architecture  and archaeological  remains\;  however\,  it  is  
 equally  a  living  cultural  landscape  shaped  by centuries of int
 eraction among people\, the environment\, and place. The site embodies a r
 ich assemblage of heritage values\, ranging from monumental architecture a
 nd engineered water systems to Bedouin traditions\, oral narratives\, cult
 ural practices\, and enduring social connections. At the same time\, Petra
  faces multiple\, overlapping threats\, including erosion\, flash  floo
 ding\,  seismic  vulnerability\,  climate  change\,  tourism  pressu
 res\,  institutional fragmentation\,  and  the  ongoing  challenge  
 of  balancing  conservation  objectives  with community needs and sust
 ainable development goals. \nThe talk examines the growing role of Arti
 ficial Intelligence (AI) in heritage conservation and argues that its sig
 nificance extends far beyond technological eTiciency or automated analysi
 s.  Existing  applications—including  remote  sensing\,  photogramm
 etry\,  machine learning\, computer vision\, predictive modeling\, and di
 gital documentation—have already demonstrated  considerable  value  f
 or  monitoring  physical  deterioration\,  identifying vulnerabilities
 \,   and   supporting   risk-informed   conservation   intervent
 ions.   Yet   these applications remain largely focused on the materia
 l fabric of heritage\, often overlooking the social\, cultural\, and exper
 iential dimensions that contribute equally to a site's significance. \n\
 n\n \nThe talk therefore advances a broader understanding of AI as a gove
 rnance-enabling and decision-support infrastructure capable of integrating
  diverse forms of knowledge across heritage systems. In doing so\, it high
 lights the inherently interdisciplinary nature of heritage conservation\, 
 demonstrating how safeguarding cultural heritage increasingly relies on th
 e convergence of architecture\, engineering\, mathematics\, computer scien
 ce\, environmental sciences\, archaeology\, and the social sciences to add
 ress complex conservation challenges and  support  informed  decision-m
 aking.  Particular  attention  will  be  given  to  emerging concep
 ts such as digital twins\, predictive analytics\, and intelligent monitori
 ng systems that can  synthesize  environmental\,  structural\,  social
 \,  and  visitor-related  data  to  support adaptive and anticipatory
  management strategies. Equally important\, the talk explores the largely 
 untapped potential of AI for documenting\, analyzing\, and safeguarding in
 tangible heritage\, including oral histories\, traditional ecological know
 ledge\, community narratives\, and cultural practices that are often under
 represented within conventional conservation frameworks. \nBy positioning
  Petra as both a vulnerable World Heritage site and a laboratory for innov
 ation\, the talk argues for a shift from reactive preservation toward pred
 ictive\, integrated\, and people-centered  conservation.  Ultimately\, 
  it  proposes  that  the  future  of  heritage management lies not 
 in replacing human expertise with technology\, but in leveraging AI to str
 engthen  the  connections  between  monuments  and  memories\,  con
 servation  and community\, and cultural continuity and sustainable develo
 pment. \n\nBio\n\nProf. Dr. Bayan F. El Faouri\nArchitect | Urban Planner
  | Heritage & Sustainable Development Specialist\n\n \n\nAssistant Profes
 sor\, Architecture – Hashemite University (Jordan)\nEditor – Journal o
 f Cultural Heritage Management & Sustainable Development\nFounder and Chai
 r of ICOMOS Jordan Sustainable Development Goal Working Group Scientific C
 ommittee (ICOMOS Jordan SDGWG) \nRepresentative of ICOMOS-Jordan in the i
 nternational ICOMOS SDGWG and member of Task Team 3: National Liaisons and
  Localizing SDGs \nReceived a PhD in Architecture from Cardiff University
  (UK)\, focusing on the UNESCO World Heritage Nomination Process and Herit
 age-led Urban Regeneration. \nSpecialist in Urban Heritage\, World Herita
 ge processes\, Tourism\, Culture and SDGs\, and AI application for cultura
 l heritage preservation.\nFormer Postgraduate Tutor – Cardiff University
  (urban design\, conservation\, interpretation)\nConservation Architect 
 – As-Salt Greater Municipality (2014–2019)\, key contributor to the UN
 ESCO World Heritage inscription of As-Salt City.\nReviewer and consultant 
 for UNESCO World Heritage nominations\, ICOMOS World Heritage Reviews\, Wo
 rld Monuments Watch\, and international heritage assessments.\nMember of I
 COMOS\, ACHS\, Petra National Trust\, and the Jordan Engineers Association
 \nPublished extensively in peer-reviewed international international journ
 als in sustainability\, heritage conservation\, and urban regeneration\, a
 nd research grants.\n\n \n\nhttps://indico.cern.ch/event/1710345/
LOCATION:31/3-004 - IT Amphitheatre (CERN)
URL:https://indico.cern.ch/event/1710345/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR