The Islamic world has witnessed natural, climatic and environmental changes that have had a profound impact on its geographical extension, morphology and demography. Now, as climate change is accelerating alongside urban development, destroying everything, and threatening the total loss of green spaces and vegetation worldwide, it is high time to start taking effective measures to counter the impact of these changes, which are increasing steadily, to preserve the green heritage that has been a pillar and a distinctive feature of Islamic civilization in all countries of the Islamic world since the spread of Islam. It is an integral part of the civilizational identity of the Islamic world that clearly highlights the relationship between humans and the environment and nature in Islam. Islam calls for the preservation of the environment and nature and the beautification of Earth until the Day of Resurrection. This is illustrated by the Prophet Muhammad’s hadith: “If the Final Hour comes while you have a shoot of a plant in your hands and it is possible to plant it before the Hour comes, you should plant it.”
Islamic architecture, decoration, and art have been inspired by Islamic values and Islamic religious rulings that paid great attention to natural and environmental elements, so these vegetal decorations and the color green were the greatest common theme in Islamic architecture and decoration, and gardens occupied a large part of city planning in all Muslim countries.
At present, the green heritage is still part of the history of Islamic civilization, despite the great damage it suffers as a result of natural and human factors.
In this document, we learn about the concept of green heritage, its importance and types, the challenges it faces, ways to preserve it, the role of the Islamic world in spreading environmental awareness and sustainability, and the role it can play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The term green heritage emerged in the 1990s, but has become widely used in the last three decades as cultural and environmental organizations have begun to highlight the importance of preserving the environment, including natural sites, historic gardens and traditional farming systems, as part of the natural world heritage, with growing interest in environmental issues, cultural heritage and sustainable development.
The term refers to the ancient environment and traditional and cultural practices related to nature and the environment, including historic gardens, orchards, forests, irrigation systems and traditional agriculture. It also includes sustainable practices adopted by humans to preserve the natural environment and biodiversity and architectural design that is compatible with the environment.
In short, green heritage is a term that describes natural heritage sites that are
characterized by natural wilderness or by human intervention such as cultivated environments, including forests, natural green or non-natural green spaces and other environments containing natural wildlife, which directly contribute to the preservation of the natural ecosystem and biodiversity.
Green heritage in the Islamic world constitutes a rich fabric of knowledge, traditional practices, and natural resources that highlight how humans deal with the environment. These practices relate to different aspects of civilization such as architecture, agriculture, water management, biodiversity, and biology. These types of green heritage can be a cornerstone in providing sustainable solutions to contemporary environmental challenges. By understanding, reviving, preserving and rehabilitating this heritage, humanity as a whole can benefit from it in building a future that overcomes increasing human and environmental risks and contributes significantly to creating more sustainable societies and civilizations.
Green heritage in the Islamic world encompasses a wide range of practices and concepts related to the environment and sustainability. This heritage can be categorized into several main types :
Traditional water management systems have been crucial in sustainable water provision, especially in arid regions, including the Aflaj system, waterways, canals, cisterns, and public watering canals such as “asbala”.
Agriculture is the main component of the green heritage concept. Islamic societies relied on it as a natural source of food, a shield to preserve the environment and a guarantor of resource sustainability, by using agricultural rotation techniques to improve soil fertility, maintain land productivity without depleting it, and maintain the diversity of agricultural crops, which helped to enhance food security and adapt to climate change.
Conserving forests and natural pastures is part of the green heritage, with laws and traditions governing how to use natural resources in a responsible manner, including reserves. In some Islamic countries, land known as “Hima” was Left to allow plants to grow naturally and protected them from overuse. This system reflects the ancient awareness of the need to maintain ecological balance.
Green heritage also includes the preservation of biodiversity, where traditional systems have been put in place to protect rare animals and plants..
Architectural heritage is one of the most important aspects of green heritage; it involves the use of traditional building techniques that contribute to energy conservation and minimize environmental impact. In the Islamic civilization, traditional Islamic buildings followed designs based on nature, such as internal courtyards that promote natural ventilation, and air towers (‘badghir’) that were used to cool the houses. Local and eco-friendly building materials such as clay and stone were also used, reducing the carbon footprint associated with transportation and manufacturing.
Tourism based on green heritage has become an important aspect in many Islamic countries. Among the most important sites on which ecotourism relies are natural and heritage sites: Such as desert oases that provide examples of sustainable use of water and nature, mountainous areas that reflect the balance between man and the environment, and traditional villages: Villages that maintain an ecological lifestyle balanced with nature, turning them into eco-tourism and educational destinations. Nature reserves, stone forests and unique botanical gardens.
Traditional crafts that rely on the use of natural resources in sustainable ways, including green materials from agricultural products and eco-friendly products, are part of green heritage. These crafts include but are not limited to handmade carpets using natural materials and organic dyes, and pottery using clay and water-based techniques that respect the environment by avoiding harmful industrial manufacturing.
The green economy focuses on promoting economic development while preserving the environment. It seeks to reduce carbon emissions, increase resource efficiency, and improve the well-being of individuals.
Principles of green economy :
Green heritage can support the green economy in the Islamic world in several ways:
Encouraging sustainable practices : By revitalizing traditional practices that preserve the environment, communities can be encouraged to adopt sustainable lifestyles.
Heritage-based innovation : Technologies of the past can be leveraged and developed to meet modern-day needs, such as improving traditional irrigation and farming systems using modern technology.
Promoting ecotourism : Green heritage relies on unique natural and architectural sites that can attract tourists seeking sustainable environmental and cultural experiences.
Education and awareness : Educating future generations about the importance of green heritage and the importance of preserving the environment and developing a sustainable economy.
Challenges Facing Green Heritage
In light of the increasing environmental challenges and the growing risks of climate change, which casts a heavy and undesirable shadow on all aspects of life on Earth, preserving green heritage has become more crucial than ever to ensure a sustainable and healthy future for our Earth and the coming generations.
Hence the need to adopt a future strategic vision for the protection of green heritage in the Islamic world that combines efforts to preserve biodiversity and minimize the catastrophic effects of climate change, in which green heritage is a key player in the implementation of this strategy that involves all relevant international agencies, governments, local communities, non-governmental organizations, and academic and religious institutions.
This future vision consists of several main axes that can be the core of the development of this strategy, as follows :