ABSTRACT
The idea of the 'old city' as a protected area developed over the course of the 1970s, as scholars began to study its history. At the same time, there was growing interest in Sanaa at UNESCO perhaps sparked by Pasolini's film. By 1975 Sanaa had been listed as an endangered site by the World Heritage Committee. The Italian effort seems to have begun independently from that of UNESCO. Before an international safe guarding campaign can be launched, the state party must submit an application, based on a technical report. Echoing current thinking about historic centers in Italy, Quaroni and his team focused on the role of space as a constant in Islamic culture, in terms of the city's physical structure and symbolism. The government of Italy had made urban planning and cultural heritage a focus of its foreign aid program. Although support was sought from the oil-rich Arab states, funding came only from countries outside the region.
