I sistemi oasiani lungo la Via dell’Incenso. La regione di AlUla

The structure of the Hejaz in Saudi Arabia witnesses a human presence that has defined the stratification of the architectural forms and archaeological traces that shaped its rich cultural landscape. The reading of the territorial layout and settlement structure of the AlUla region shows that the water management system allowed the transformation of an arid desert into a cultivated valley, which mirrors the organization of both the territorial and urban morphology. This sustainable environment is in danger because the recent sprawl within the valley, accelerated by the Saudi Vision 2030, is erasing the most fragile elements of the natural and archaeological heritage that codified the oasis paradigm, those linked to the water management and to the agriculture, in the face of the need to recovery and reconstruct the mere earthen buildings. The aim of this paper is to claim for a landscape approach to the urban recovery that could stimulate a reconnection between urban and rural environment, settlement and territorial layout, and could be at the basis for a sound recovery of the cultural landscape and a sustainable management of natural and cultural heritage.