The Role Played by the Material World in the Creation and Maintenance of Memory

Abstract

The Landscape and buildings around us play an important role in our perception the environment around us. Landscape and its components form the background for all human daily activities, and are the space in which people's practices and interactions take place. People practices are considerable seen as an indicator of people's identity. The construction of public memories and identity through the materiality of landscape and architecture have been the focus of substantial recent research, provoking discussion from both anthropological and archaeological perspectives. dwing last few decades, several Arab countries have been experiencing remarkable development in urban expansion, in particular, the Gulf countries. It is unmistakable to notice western trends in architecture style. Many outlandish architecture stated to be landmarks for traditional Gulf cities. These signs would construct alien cumulative memories and would have a negative effect on local identity. The current paper will discuss the role of landscape and buildings, as affective material participants in the expression of authenticity. Taking Cairo, the capital of Egypt, as the fust example for a prominent Arab city to be discussed, where several vivid historical symbols were invested to inspire inhabitants. The second example is Doha, the capital of Qatar, as a different example for modern gulf community where a developed vision was set to expand the global concepts of heritage and culture in the region. This paper will discuss the power of political vision and its role in maintaining local memories, and therefore preserving the national identity. The paper will examine how heritage can be manipulated in order to reform the public identity.