In Oman, there are a variety of structures that are worthy of preservation and safeguarding. The government of Oman has put much effort into the preservation of its heritage, culture, and tradition in the past. Still, there has been a shift towards prioritizing preserving structures for tourism and economic profit rather than preserving the cultural value that the structures hold for the communities. Nowadays, people tend to neglect their traditional structures and prefer to build completely new, modern architectures, perceived as Western architecture, as a symbol of modernization and status. The study aims to raise awareness of this development and inspire people to engage on a deeper level with their heritage at risk of being neglected, not solely for economic interest, but to improve the urban patterns and develop interconnected and diverse urban structures. The Thesis focuses on how the local community can profit from more engagement with their architectural remains. Since Islamic architecture is unique in how it is used and organized, especially in the arid climate of Oman, the special features of domestic Omani mudbrick architecture are identified and explained with the help of the example of Bait al Safah in Al Hamra, Oman. Following this analysis, frameworks for preserving its unique features are explored and questioned, whether they match this exemplary type of architecture.
The paper explains the UNESCO protection framework, focusing on Tangible and Intangible Heritage, and evaluates what parts of it can be implemented in the example given with Bait al Safah in Al Hamra, Oman, and what parts need alteration given the dynamic and flexible nature of domestic Omani mudbrick architecture.
Subsequently, the study delves into the existing local legal framework and ways of dealing with Omani heritage structures and evaluates its strengths and weaknesses.
The thesis concludes by pointing out the special requirements of domestic Omani mud brick architecture, giving directions on what steps can be taken to create possible frameworks, and explaining the local community’s role in complementing this aim. Finally, the paper demonstrates how architects and urban planners can navigate within the current conditions concerning heritage preservation and restoration in Oman and to what extent the local communities can profit from a heritage successfully integrated with the urban structures of Oman. The study showed that a combination of international and nationally established approaches is likely to lead to a well-integrated and accepted result by the local community. However, it is crucial to further strengthen the legal frameworks to ensure that, in addition to considering the touristic and economic value, the cultural significance of the heritage for residents is also properly acknowledged and safeguarded in preservation efforts. In this respect, there is a need to further develop the legal and practical frameworks for safeguarding architectural heritage. At the same time, involving the local community throughout the process is crucial to truly integrate the structures within the environment of their original users.

Further research and experimentation could explore the development of these frameworks and create more effective strategies for dealing with this kind of architecture to create an extensive catalog of guidelines and give examples of ways of dealing with architecture, which is characterized by a change in dynamic societies, and that is worthy of being safeguarded as heritage.