While visiting the United Arab Emirates in 1989, then-Prince Charles of Britain toured the old district of Bastakiya founded by Iranian migrants in the early 20th century. In Bastakiya, which is characterized by soaring windcatchers, inspired by the Iranian town of Bastak, as well as narrow alleyways and homes built with coral reefs, he encountered construction equipment and was told the district was being demolished. Distressed by this news, Prince Charles wrote a letter to Dubai authorities upon his return to Britain urging them to rethink the demolition and highlighting the district’s potential as a hub for conservation. Soon thereafter, the demolition project ground to a halt, and Bastakiya (since renamed Fahidi presumably to erase its Iranian origins) became a conservation site – an open-air museum housing upscale galleries and restaurants for the elite connoisseurs of traditional architecture and urbanism.

This episode marked a shift in how older structures and districts were perceived in the UAE. And while Prince Charles was focused on preserving traditional structures, a similar sentiment is now driving the agenda for the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism’s Modern Heritage Initiative announced in July.

Rather than being a reminder of an impoverished past, older districts are celebrated as an inseparable component of the country’s identity and culture, although, celebration has not guaranteed preservation in every instance. Even modern structures from the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s have received calls for protection. In Dubai, the media has reported on the controversy regarding the destruction of beloved landmarks signifying the emirate’s modernizing ambitions, including the Hard Rock Cafe, built in the 1990s; a television tower from the 1980s; the Metropolitan, the city’s oldest hotel; and the Sanaa building, a mixed-use residential building from the 1970s. Despite the value some residents placed in these formerly modern structures, the destruction continued unabated, including the redevelopment of the beloved Safa Park as part of the Business Bay project and the extension of Dubai Creek toward the Gulf.

In the Gulf, and indeed throughout the world, the early modern is making a strong comeback. In the UAE, there have been many initiatives and exhibitions celebrating early modern achievements. For instance, the theme of the UAE national pavilion at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale was “Lest We Forget,” a nostalgia-tinged celebration of Emirati architecture largely focused on what was produced in the 1960s and ‘70s. Other efforts followed, such as the documentation of Sharjah’s early modern heritage. Accordingly, anything built in that golden age of modernism that has a slightly worn-out look with concrete apparitions is declared a worthy masterpiece. The 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale examined the introduction of the first modern house for Emirati citizens in the early 1970s. But despite these efforts, a more structured approach codifying the heritage status of early modern buildings can help to protect them from destruction or being altered beyond recognition. This is why Abu Dhabi’s recently declared Modern Heritage Initiative is so significant.

Announced by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism on July 25, the initiative aims “to preserve 64 buildings and sites that contribute to Abu Dhabi’s cultural identity through their architectural, historical, societal or scientific significance.” The initial list of protected structures is diverse, including a hospital, a theater, a school, mosques, parks, hotels, markets, and commercial buildings. The initiative is particularly noteworthy given efforts to erase symbols of the region’s recent past to present a more contemporary version of its urban centers. However, such efforts at effacing the recent past have been met with resistance from both officials and local residents, thus paving the way for Abu Dhabi’s heritage initiative. Two main structures accorded protective heritage status by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism are the Cultural Foundation and the Abu Dhabi bus station.

The Cultural Foundation, located in Abu Dhabi’s center, was designed and built in the 1970s by The Architects Collaborative, a U.S. architectural firm, and its chief designer, Iraqi Hisham Ashkouri. It is a modernist structure inspired by the tenets of modernism – clean lines, simple geometry, and a white color palette. Significantly, the Cultural Foundation was a social hub for Abu Dhabi residents. In the 2000s, authorities decided to remove the building and replace it with a new structure. City residents banded together in protest and were able to prevent its demolition and instigate a massive preservation scheme that turned the entire site into a public square. This included the renovation of the city’s oldest structure, the Qasr Al Hosn, and the addition of a new mosque as well as a public fountain and other amenities.

The Abu Dhabi bus station was designed by a Bulgarian architectural firm and opened in 1989. The station is a garish green color (a deviation from its original white paint) but represents for many residents an important layer in the city’s urban development. While no longer suitable for the requirements of a 21st century transportation hub, it possesses significant architectural and social qualities. Indeed, it is not just a place for catching a bus but a social setting where residents from different walks of life come together, watch others, or simply rest in a shaded place.

The Modern Heritage Initiative is based on extensive research carried out by consultants tasked by the Department of Culture and Tourism to establish a framework for assigning a numerical value to candidates for protection. The score takes into consideration a building’s aesthetics and architectural values, its role in the city’s history, and the extent of its social and communal involvement in the city. But perhaps more significantly, it also includes an urban component whereby the building is assessed based on its integration with its surroundings. This is very similar to many other listings of heritage sites throughout the world. Accordingly, those assigned the highest value cannot be altered in any significant way, while varying degrees of changes may be permitted to buildings that have received lower scores.

To improve the initiative, the list should be expanded beyond individual buildings to include city squares and streetscapes. One example of the latter is Electra Street in downtown Abu Dhabi, which is filled with early modern gems capturing the essence of Abu Dhabi, including the Ibrahimi building, a cinema, and an assortment of retail establishments and street vendors. With respect to city squares, some are hidden inside superblocks and should be considered as well. They are gathering spaces for migrants, such as the “Square with a Tree,” a social center for Bangladeshis behind the Etisalat building, the city’s telecommunication hub, and the HSBC building. The list should possibly even include retail establishments, such as bakeries and restaurants, which form an important part of Abu Dhabi’s urban landscape. “Lebanese Flower,” one of the city’s oldest restaurants, is one particularly poignant case.

Through its Modern Heritage Initiative, Abu Dhabi has set itself apart from other urban centers in the UAE and region. The city thus represents a model for measured and sustainable development and urban growth that doesn’t merely seek to gain significance through spectacular architecture but also aims to preserve the past to serve the present.