Heritagization, the process of recognizing and promoting objects, places, and practices of significant cultural heritage, plays a key role in fostering cultural richness and identity of a given community. It could also promote urban regeneration, cultural tourism, and economic growth. Although widely implemented across the world, its impacts on historical sites remain insufficiently explored. In this context, this research examines heritagization as an urban branding strategy implemented at the Historic Al Diriyah site in Riyadh. Positioned within the "Heritagization of historical ruins" context, it examines the evolution of Al Diriyah from ruins to a revived cultural capital, integrating tradition and modernity in a large-scale urban branding project. It employs an exploratory, qualitative case study as a research method and uses examination of documents and field research for data collection. The documents involved secondary sources, such as academic publications, newspaper reports, and promotional materials from the online platform of the official site of Al Diriyah. To supplement this, field research is carried out to generate firsthand information through observations and interviews. The fieldwork took place in August 2022, before the grand opening of the regenerated site, allowing for a thorough investigation of the transformation of the site in real time. The findings reveal that the heritagization process, initially aimed at the preservation of historical ruins, has extended beyond mere preservation to rebrand the site as a revived cultural capital. This transformative process revitalizes previously neglected sites, turning them into thriving hubs for cultural tourism. However, it also demonstrates the risks of commodification of culture and over-commercialization of cultural heritage. The research concludes that heritagization can celebrate and promote cultural heritage, and by employing it for branding sites, it can generate substantial cultural transformations and economic benefits. Nevertheless, it is argued that these practices necessitate careful management to safeguard the dynamic and evolving nature of the heritage sites.

Heritagization —the process of assigning heritage value to places, objects, or traditions— has become increasingly entwined with urban regeneration initiatives. However, its theoretical grounding remains underdeveloped, particularly regarding its diverse expressions across Eastern and Western contexts. This study examines the dynamics of heritagization as both a cultural and socio-political process within urban regeneration, drawing on the framework of Critical Heritage Studies. Using a descriptive qualitative methodology and global case-based literature review, the research dissects how heritage is strategically reinterpreted to fulfil contemporary socio-economic and political goals. Findings reveal a clear East–West dichotomy: while Western practices often commodify heritage for branding and tourism, Eastern cases reflect heritage as a tool for identity reconstruction, postcolonial resilience, and state-led regeneration. The study argues that heritagization should be understood not as a Western-centric imposition, but as a globally variable process shaped by local agency, historical context, and development agendas. To support this claim, the paper presents comparative process diagrams delineating regional differences. Ultimately, this research contributes to a more nuanced, decolonised understanding of heritagization in the built environment.

Since At-Turaif’s inscription as a World Heritage Site in 2010, Al-Diriyah and its peripheries have witnessed massive urban development. With the recently proposed Wadi Safar project, the expansion of Al-Diriyah has taken another turn, as it is conceptualized as a luxury driven mixed-use district, integrating cultural experiences that are rooted in the past. This research examines the urban development of Al-Diriyah through the lens of the Experience Economy Model (1998), in which value is derived not just from objects or spaces but from the memorable and immersive experiences they tend to incorporate. This study employs a qualitative-case study methodology structured through a five-phase analytical framework that spans from 2010 to 2025/2030. Utilizing a deductive qualitative approach, the analysis demonstrates a differentiated application of the four experiential realms of the Experience Economy Model across the study sites. While At-Turaif predominantly engages two experiential dimensions and the broader regeneration of Al-Diriyah incorporates three, the planned development of Wadi Safar is designed to encompass all four dimensions of the Experience Economy. This configuration produces a balanced spectrum of active and passive participation as well as absorption and immersion, positioning Wadi Safar within Al-Diriyah’s broader transformation into the world’s largest heritage-led urban development. The findings contribute to the theme of a thriving economy of KSA Vision 2030 by advancing heritage-oriented experience as a pathway towards economic diversification.

The digital age has led to the digitization of cultural heritage along with many other fields. While being a relatively recent subject of study, digital cultural heritage is nevertheless developing quickly. Museums and cultural heritage centers may be in a better position to utilize innovative digital technologies and contribute to a widespread public acceptance of technology as a tool for the study and presentation of the past. However, the digitalized cultural heritage raises several concerns and the one of authenticity remains the most vivid one. This paper explores the challenges of the aspects of authenticity in the digitization of cultural heritage while also analyzing the intervening factors involved in the digitalization of cultural heritage. The role of authenticity in this paper is not merely seen as a technical question but is intended to extend the argument to see it as an intellectual and epistemological question. Hence, the aim is to explore the evolving concept of authenticity that can be kept intact during the digital cultural heritage.