‘Rebuilding sites of historical importance is a multi-faceted exercise, which needs commitment and support of a wide range of professionals and agencies,’ says Prof Dr Amir Pasic
PROF Dr Amir Pasic is an architect and planner by profession. He has studied and taught at universities of Mostar and Zagreb. He was the director of restoration team of Mostar city, which undertook rehabilitation of the historic quarters of the city, including the Stari Most, after it was damaged during the Second World War. This project won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1986.
During the civil war (1992-95), Prof Pasic moved to Istanbul, where he became in charge of the Mostar Workshop Programme under the aegis of the OIC Research Centre for Islamic History, Arts and Culture. For 10 consecutive years, experts, scholars, professionals and researchers were invited to study the situation in Mostar. They would give their expert opinions and advice under the overall framework of the rebuilding plan. First at Istanbul and later at Mostar, after peace prevailed, teams working for the project continued to work around specific objectives. The programme became very effective in mustering professional support for rebuilding the city during the execution phase of work.
Prof Pasic has a very clear opinion regarding the process of urban rehabilitation and historic preservation. According to him, the process is extremely complex and becomes more so as it involves a wide range of stakeholders. These stakeholders have varying interests, which often are at conflict with one another. There remains the fear that the stronger stakeholder would prevail. In such a situation, the task of the project coordinator is to act as a consensus builder without losing the sympathies or interest of participants. For instance, the funding agencies provide financial support, but also wish to exercise control over the project.
Apart from that, they wish to influence vital decisions that affect other’s jurisdiction. So it becomes a tricky job to deal with such situations.
That’s whey, the conservation and rebuilding approach in the region holistically accommodated all forms of heritage treasures irrespective of religious denominations. Synagogues, churches, mosques, hamams (Ottoman baths), Turkish residences, Jewish cemeteries and bazaar areas are some of the important mentions in this regard.
Prof Pasic is of the opinion that professionalism should never be compromised in such assignments under any circumstances. It may make the assignment tough in the beginning, but pays off in the longer run. The field of conservation and restoration is extremely sensitive. If unwanted compromises are made, heritage loses its authenticity. He cherished his memories about the first attempt at the project in 1970s and 1980s. “It was a very carefully drawn plan, which was implemented step by step. However a decade long hard work eventually led to outstanding success. Conservation, by its very nature, is a slow moving process in comparison to conventional construction. One has to be careful in programming and scheduling its tasks,” he said.
Spearheading the project from a distance was quite an experience. Prof Pasic built up an extended support group for the city when Mostar was still being bombed. Describing this approach, he emphasizes that one could not wait in adverse circumstances. He believes rebuilding heritage is a multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary exercise. It needs commitment and support of a wide range of professionals and agencies. Architects, planners, restoration and conservation professionals, financial experts, economists, administrators, engineers and many more have to come together to initiate the exercise. He is of the opinion that we need to realize that a vision of rebuilding itself has to be built that can thereafter be presented to professionals for appraisal. Funds and administrative support follow. Whenever governments find a ripe project or programme with a supporting trail of professionals, they go along with it in their own interest.
Prof Pasic applied the same approach to Mostar. For 10 years, he continued to carry out the spade work for rebuilding, which finally gained attention and approval of various agencies and governments. It may be worthwhile to note that the project received support from 71 universities of the world, whose scholars and researchers participated in the exercise.
Prof Pasic regards rebuilding of the bridge as a significant milestone in the region’s history. He, however, points out that a lot more is still left to be done. “It is perhaps the end of the beginning — still a long way to go.”
‘Rebuilding sites of historical importance is a multi-faceted exercise, which needs commitment and support of a wide range of professionals and agencies,’ says Prof Dr Amir Pasic
