Between Tradition and Modernity: Building with Earth in the Contemporary City

“Between Tradition and Modernity: Building with Earth in the Contemporary City” is an essay in the volume Earthen Architecture in Muslim Cultures: Historical and Anthropological Perspectives, edited by Stéphane Pradines. This piece explores how building with earth within a contemporary urban environment, situated in a region with a long and rich tradition of working with the material, could become an increasingly valuable strategy for sustainable growth. Highlighting the historic significance of earthen architecture within Muslim cultures is essential, but equally important are the ways in which the craft traditions responsible for these buildings have changed—and must change—in order to remain relevant now and in the future.