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Although contemporary architecture in the Islamic world may not always be considered cutting edge, it does get some noticeable praise. This comes mostly from an organization called the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and its program, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The organization is a private, charitable foundation which also sponsors two other programs -- the Historic Cities Support Program and the Education and Culture Program.
The award for architecture is given every three years since 1977. So far seventy projects have been awarded and the awards total up to $500,000 per award cycle (making it the world's largest architecture prize). The award-winning projects are chosen by a jury composed of professionals and experts which included in the 1998 jury architects Zaha Hadid and Arata Isozaki. RECENT WINNERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST For the 1998 award cycle there were 7 winners. The two winning projects from the Middle East were the Rehabilitation of Hebron Old Town in Palestine, and the Tuwaiq Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The old town of Hebron- an ancient city of religious value to Islam, Judaism, and Christianity- actually lies to the southeast of the new city. Because of the Israeli occupation in '67 and the subsequent conflicts, many of the historic homes in this area had to be abandoned and were left to decay. This project, organized by the Hebron University Graduate Union, was intended to restore and re-inhabit this area. The process to modernize the buildings, which includes upgrading the plumbing and electrical to new standards, was quite cautious and organized. The committee in charge was very sensitive to the architecture of the area as well as its historical importance and did not want to make changes that altered that too greatly. At last count 127 homes and 25 shops have been restored since work began in 1995. The work is expected to continue through 2002. At an architectural level most of the work was very minimal, such as installing new stairs or doors and windows. Although the work was mostly infrastructure and cosmetic upgrading, it received an architectural award, probably due to the community's interest in reviving the architecture of an important place and its sensitivity in doing so. In contrast to the public, dense space of Old Town Hebron is the more private and secluded space of the Tuwaiq Palace in Riyadh. Situated on a limestone plateau near the edge of Riyadh the Tuwaiq Palace is the center of the diplomatic quarter of Riyadh. In 1980 a design competition was organized for it which emphasized a preference for designs that reflected the heritage of that area while warning against what was termed neo-Orientalism, or revival styles. The resulting winning entries came from two firms with very dissimilar projects. One was a structure composed of tents from the firm of Frei Otto of Germany and the other a terraced building from Omrania of Riyadh.
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