The Faculty of Engineering at Karbala University organized a scientific seminar on capacity building in the preservation of traditional knowledge in the field of brick building in cooperation with the Universities of Nahrain and Cagliari in Italy and the international scientific organization “ICOMOS” concerned with the preservation, protection and sustainability of cultural heritage places in the world.
The symposium aimed to raise the level of knowledge of brick architecture and promote interest in preserving and maintaining archaeological buildings in a scientific manner.
The symposium discussed a set of topics related to the local practice of brick building in Karbala Governorate, assessment and conservation of world heritage, and technical strategies for preserving earth heritage.
Participants in the symposium dealt with the topics of building arches, vaults and domes made of clay, the tradition of brick building in Mesopotamia, and the methods and models of building construction in international civilizations such as Chinese, African and European civilizations.
The seminar was presented by professors from America and Europe, as well as professors from Karbala and Nahrin Universities.
The seminar was attended by the President of Karbala University, Prof. Dr. Sabah Wajid Ali, his assistants for administrative and scientific affairs, Prof. Dr. Akram Mohsen Al-Yasiri and Prof. Dr. Najm Abdul Hussain Al-Janabi, Chairman of the Higher Education Committee of the Provincial Council, Dr. Mohsen Al-Kanani, a number of deans of colleges and political figures, as well as some directors of government departments in Karbala province and students of the Faculty of Engineering.
The President of Karbala University, Prof. Dr. Sabah Wajid Ali, stressed during his speech at the symposium his support for such a scientific event that would promote interest in the civilization of Mesopotamia, expressing his hope that it will achieve the purpose for which it was held, calling for the intensification of scientific activities and events in cooperation with international institutions to refresh knowledge among students.
For his part, the Dean of the College of Engineering, Professor Dr. Haider Al-Mahneh, stated that “this activity is one of the most important scientific activities organized by the College of Engineering with the aim of increasing knowledge enrichment, noting that the seminar recalled the mechanism of making bricks in ancient civilizations, especially the Mesopotamian civilization and ways of using them in construction in forms that add hardness and durability to buildings, which helped to survive until the present time.”
The seminar “comes in line with the aspirations of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to raise the level of knowledge and applied scientific skills of engineering students in light of the ministry’s adoption of the Bologna course.”
