This mixed method research analyses urban heritage and identity management concerning Karbala, and important spiritual and historical center. Homing in on particular spatial issues germane to Muharram’s rites, this study explores spiritual activities for the remembrance of the martyrdoms of Imam Hussein (A) and his brother Abbas (A), and their followers (RA), and identifies the way in which such activities construct urban identity in Karbala. Furthermore, this study contemplates the deployment of contemporary AR and VR technologies for urban identity. After reviewing extensive studies on religious, cultural, and urban heritage, a field survey of the Muharram pilgrimage in Karbala was conducted, spatially analyzing pilgrims’ movements in public areas. Virtual reconstructions of Karbala using immersive technologies are explored to increase visitor engagement to determine physical-virtual spatial interactions’ shaping of preservation and experiences. The results indicate that Muharram rites, especially Hussaini processionals, inherently embody urban, cultural, and religious identifications with Karbala, literally shaping the city’s physical form and promoting social engagement in temporary congregation areas. Furthermore, the virtual technological immersive experiences, including the Day of Ashura, promote ancillary and even remote comprehension of cultural importance and knowledge transmission. Additionally, the integration of VR and AR in cultural heritage preservation not only enhances historical documentation but also creates immersive educational experiences. These technologies bridge the gap between physical and virtual engagement, ensuring that visitors—both present and remote—can interact with Karbala’s cultural legacy in a meaningful way. This approach fosters a stronger emotional and cognitive connection to the city's rich spiritual and historical narratives. This study is original in its multipronged analysis, encompassing virtual technology and spatial analysis for complementary heritage and culture conservation and reconstruction in Karbala. It offers urban planning, cultural preservation, and technological development insights, and charts the course for sensitive modernization in Karbala. Copyright: ©2025 The authors.
Monitoring lotic ecosystems is vital for addressing sustainability issues. The Al-Shamiyah River is the primary source of water for various daily activities in the Al-Shamiyah district. This study assessed the pollution levels of the river by measuring the concentration and distribution of heavy metals—specifically chromium, cadmium, manganese, copper, zinc, and lead—in both the river's water and sediments. The concentrations of heavy metals in the water ranged from 0.05 to 1.44µg/ L for copper (Cu), 1.57 to 7.25µg/ L for manganese (Mn), 0 to 1.7µg/ L for cadmium (Cd), 0.02 to 1.33µg/ L for lead (Pb), 0.08 to 2.74µg/ L for zinc (Zn), and 0.44 to 1.84µg/ L for chromium (Cr). In the particulate phase, the concentrations ranged from
... Show MoreThis study compared and classified of land use and land cover changes by using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) on two cities (Al-Saydiya city and Al-Hurriya) in Baghdad province, capital of Iraq. In this study, Landsat satellite image for 2020 were used for (Land Use/Land Cover) classification. The change in the size of the surface area of each class in the Al-Saydiya city and Al-Hurriya cities was also calculated to estimate their effect on environment. The major change identified, in the study, was in agricultural area in Al-Saydiya city compare with Al-Hurriya city in Baghdad province. The results of the research showed that the percentage of the green
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The past decades of the last century and until now have witnessed many crises in the housing sector, and these crises were the result of many problems that led to a weak quality and quantity of housing stock, especially for lowincome people, and Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals states, "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, and capable of enduring and being sustainable, we have prepared this research that attempts to answer the following question: Is the current empowerment in the housing sector real and efficient support for people with limited income? The research assumes that empowerment in the housing sector has an important and effective role in reducing housing problems, the research aims to reach the most imp
... Show MoreLoud noise can be extremely harmful to the auditory system as well as to human health. Noise pollution is primarily caused by traffic noise. The study's goal was to determine how various vehicle types and speeds affected the amount of noise generated by traffic. The two factors were investigated at seven different arterial streets throughout Kirkuk city to measure the noise levels. The measurements were performed during peak hours to compare the result with WHO standards for noise specification. Traffic volume and vehicle speed are shown to be the key elements that determine an increase in noise level.
The objective of this study is to explain the role of credit policies in agricultural development of Iraq during the period 1979-1989 which were represented by the policy of co-operative agricultural bank the organization that responsible to finance agricultural sector for various reasons. It has been shown that there was no clear credit policy existed during the period concerned due to the differences between loans from year. The loan growth rate was low in general comparing with objectives of the agricultural development plans, a low production rates comparing with loans paid, the growth rate of average number of trees in each donum and the growth rate of livestock number was also low.In conclusion there should be a clear plan for cred
... Show Morethe researchers Sought to determine the impact of the customer contact (Within a client contact there are two times, first is the total time required to create a service and within it there is contact time while the second time is the time of client contact ؛ where means a time that records the physical presence of the customer during the process of service) on operations performance by concentrate attention on the cost (labor productivity) and quality (patient ratio to the doctor) and speed (cycle time) and flexibility (the flexibility range) , as well as ruling out variable of innovation because of impossibility to measure this variable in the Specialty Center for Dental in al-alwia due to the center is lacking of mechanisms t
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