WALLAGA UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

Thesis-seminar

Title:Preserving Cultural Heritage through Architectural

views: A Case of KumsaMoroda Palace

Introduction
Background of the Study
Cultural heritage is a vital link to history and identity. This research focuses on adaptive
reuse of Kumsa Moroda Palace to preserve its cultural and historical significance amidst
rapid urbanization and neglect.
• Cultural heritage, embodying the collective identity, history, and values of societies,
stands at the intersection of past and present. However, in the face of rapid
urbanization, economic development, and changing social dynamics, cultural heritage
sites are often at risk of neglect, deterioration, or even demolition. Recognizing the
urgency of preserving these invaluable assets, a paradigm shift towards sustainable and
innovative conservation approaches has become imperative
Statement of the Problem

 Buildings are not just physical structures, but also symbols of a community's history,
values, and traditions. Traditional buildings often reflect local materials, construction
techniques, and design principles that have evolved over centuries to suit specific
climatic, social, and cultural contexts.
• Kumsa Moroda Palace in Nekemte is one of the essential built heritages in relation to
the importance of builder and building’s age with the significance of the building in the
history. However, the present condition of the Palace is in bad shape. Though
KumsaMoroda palace is cultural heritage which needs to be preserved, have a
significant role in the history of community, it is not in a good condition as it deserve to
be..
 Objectives of the study

General objective of this study is

 To preserve cultural heritage through Architectural views

Specifically, the study attempts to reflect on the following points:

 To investigate the current status of the historic Palace building

 To analyze the cultural values of historic Palace building
 To develop adaptive reuse strategy for preservation of the historic Palace
building
The research questions

 How do stakeholders associate themselves to the historic KumsaMoroda Palace in

Nekemte?
 What intangible or use values are attached to the historic Palace including historic,
social, scientific or spiritual?
 What possible futures will KumsaMoroda historical Palace in Nekemte has?
 Scope of the study

 The research is delimited to the conservation of the KumsaMoroda Palace found in east
Wallaga zone, Oromia regional state, Nekemte Town. The research applies
Architectural views strategy for the conservation practice and valorization of the Palace
building. Moreover the conservation practice is focused on the analysis on architectural
aspects, contextual setting and historic landscape of the Palace building and its
surrounding; whereas further research is required on evaluating the soundness of the
historical building structure in relation to the building foundation, implication of cracks
on the wall and floor and the integrity and stability of the entire building
 Significance of the study

 It contributes to the growing body of knowledge on sustainable heritage

preservation practices.
 It provides insights into the socio-economic benefits of Architectural views in
cultural heritage contexts.
 The findings can guide policymakers, urban planners, and conservationists in
making informed decisions about the adaptive reuse of heritage sites.

 The study fosters a deeper understanding of the relationship between cultural

heritage, community engagement, and sustainable development
 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction
The following is a literature review on the architectural views of cultural heritage
buildings. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an account of the knowledge and
ideas that have been established by peer-reviewed works published by scholars and
researchers by conducting a deductive analysis of the literature in order to identify
criteria for assessing the outcomes of the Architectural views of cultural heritage
buildings.
 Definition of keywords

Culture

 Today “culture” is used with two primary meanings. In everyday speech, it usually
refers to “high culture”, such as grand opera, orchestral concerts, fine art, and other
exotic and expensive activities. In academic discourse, however, “culture” is used as a
general term for how we behave. Culture or civilization taken in its wide ethnographic
sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law,
custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society
Heritage
 As derived from inheritance, heritage is defined as "that has been or may be inherited
and involves both previous and future generations." Heritage provokes an individual a
sense of belonging to the place, community, directs the user to gain an overall
appreciation of the past

 The National Heritage Conference Defined Heritage as "that which a past generation
has preserved and handed on to the present and which a significant group of population
hands on to the future." It is an inheritance to be passed from one generation to the
next. Each generation contributes another layer to the historic environment and makes
decisions about what it wants to keep from the past so that there is a constant
reinterpretation of the historic environment.
Cultural heritage
 Cultural heritage: Refers to the tangible and intangible aspects of a society's history and
traditions that are considered valuable and worth preserving. This can include historic
buildings, archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, traditional practices, languages,
rituals, and other forms of cultural expression
cultural heritage, includes artefacts, monuments, a group of buildings and sites that have
a diversity of values including symbolic, historic, artistic, aesthetic, ethnological or
anthropological, scientific and social significance and which includes: Tangible cultural
heritage: movable cultural heritage (paintings, sculptures, coins, manuscripts) immovable
cultural heritage (monuments, archaeological sites, and so on) underwater cultural heritage
(shipwrecks, underwater ruins and cities).
Heritage building
key concepts need to be understood to determine whether a property is worthy of listing.
• Historic significance.

To study the process of buildings adapting new purpose while retaining all or most of the building

features. Historic significance is the importance of a property to the history, architecture, archaeology,

engineering or culture of a community, region or nation.

• Historic integrity

Historic integrity is the authenticity of a property's historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical

characteristics that existed during the property's historic period. The property resembles historic

appearance but it must also retain physical materials, design features and aspects of construction dating

from the period when it attained significance.

• Historic context

Historic context is information about historic trends and properties grouped by an

important theme in the history of a community, region or nation during a particular period

of time. A knowledge of historic context enables listing parties to understand a historic

property as a product of its time

 Methodology

Research Design
This study will use a qualitative research design to explore the preservation of cultural
heritage through Architectural views, specifically focusing on the KumsaMoroda Palace.
Qualitative research allows for an in-depth exploration of the topic, including the perspectives
and experiences of stakeholders involved in the preservation process.

The study starts with a literature review to establish the relevant background knowledge and
provide the conceptual framework that allows for the identification of the strategy to be
implemented in the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings

Data Collection Methods

 The primary data collection method for this study will be semi-structured observation and
interviews with key stakeholders involved in the preservation of the KumsaMoroda Palace.
These stakeholders include representatives from government agencies responsible for heritage
preservation, community members and users involved.
Data Analysis Techniques
The data collected through interviews and document analysis will be analyzed using thematic
analysis. This involves identifying patterns and themes within the data that relate to the research
questions and objectives. The analysis process will involve coding the data into categories and sub-
categories, which will then be used to identify overarching themes. This process enabled to identify
the key themes during the adaptive reuse decision making.

SWOT analysis has done from the observation and stakeholder interview in order to determine the
issue of conservation and adaptive reuse of KumsaMoroda historical palace. This analysis has
summarized the stakeholder inquiry thus it shows what potential the heritage building has to be
conserved.

Ethical Considerations:
 This study will adhere to ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects. Informed
consent will be obtained from all participants prior to conducting interviews, and they will be
assured of confidentiality. The study will also ensure that participants are not subjected to harm
or discomfort during their participation
 CHAPTER FOUR
Results and Findings
Historical background of Kumsa Moroda Palace
Nekemte town is located at 327 km from Addis Ababa. The town was founded in 1865E.C
as a small village under the auspices of King MorodaBakare. The word Nekemte was derived
from the owner of the land whose name was “Nekemte GadaOtaa/Ottawa/ who had lived for
a long period at this specific place. Initially, it was serving as a center of trade root; by the
name “sarara” trade exchanged their product like ivory, gold, silver, and different types of
grain from Maji and Kafa to Mituwa, Gondar and Gojjam the northern parts of the country.
The town has an altitudinal range of 1,960 to 2,170 meters above sea level and its
temperature range is 14° C to 26° C and its annual rainfall is between 1500 to 2200 mm. It is
medium size town and one of the first grades of 20 cities of Oromia. Nekemte is surrounded
by GutoGidda in the north, WayuTuka in the east, GutoGidda in the west and south.
History of the building
One of The famous kingdom is LekaNekamte. Dejazmach Kumsa Moroda was the
last King of this independent kingdom until 1892. Following the death of Moreda in
1889, his eighteen years old son kumsa come power as hereditary ruler of
leeqaaNaqamtee. Initially kumsa (baptized as
Gebre-Egziabhere) was simply authorized by Menilik to keep his father’s territories
until their official meeting. One year after the death of KumsaMoroda formally visited
Menelik’s court where monarch confirmed his legitimate right over LeeqaaNaqamtee
as hereditary ruler.
Menelik’s palace seemingly inspired the young kumsa giving him the idea of building palace of his
own. Upon his return to wallaga he dispatched a delegation orders to shawa with orders to study
construction of the envisaged palace. When building commenced during early 1890s the member of
the envisaged palace. When building commenced during 1890s the member of this group became key
architects of the palace. While inspiration from Menilek’s palace, the design of kumsamoroda’s
palace remains faithful to traditional form using techniques and layout of local origin and represents
the highest level of oromobuildinh technology of the time.

After submitting to the central Ethiopian Empire in 1892 he managed to retain his status as the king
of his kingdom. This historic palace was constructed in Nekemte during the reign of this king by
using large proportion of local material and labor. The beauty of craftsmanship had seen on the
building of the palace and its long life illustrates the knowledge and skill of local people developed at
that time.

This palace is functioned as palace for the two hereditary sons of KumsaMoroda……..
Description of Kumsa Moroda palace
Unlike the ordinary buildings in which common people dwelt, the Kumsa Moroda Palace is one of
the finest examples of Kumsa’s era architectural treasures that elaborate both in terms of material
use and method of construction. The builders are the society of nekemte at the time and there are no
clear description on the architects and designers, also some says that two Greek guys are involved
in the design of the building. At the time his workers and society of the nekemte city was involved
in the construction, the following picture shows kumsa moroda’s who is sitting, others are workers
and officers taken during the construction period.
Kumsa moroda palace architectural description
Traditional oromo house have two plans: A circular design with canopy known as
‘Mana Geengoo’ (round house) is often used for dwellings. Constructed out of
indigenous timber it is covered with thatched roof usually fastened by strong leather or
rope. In contrast, rectangular buildings often called DugdaFarda (means horseback
shaped) are used for public gatherings. Both types of building are employed in kumsa
moroda palace

 Kumsamoroda palace covers the area of 2.5 hectares and surrounded by fence
made with stone. There are five different gates which have different purposes. The
building has 10 different blocks including both circular and rectangular shapes with
different functions
Blocks in Kumsa Moroda palace
There are 10 blocks in kumsamoroda palace

Men guest room

1st wife’s house

2nd wife’s house

Secret treasure room(bank)
Meeting hall
Court

Kitchen for locals

Kitchen for foreigner

King’s residence
Gift house
1.Men guest room
This room is for men guests. When they came to the kings with different reasons the
king servants welcome them and keep them in this room. This building is one of the
circular shaped building. This building has a canopy, and 26 column made of masonry
stone and at the center it has 1 pillar which has 8 sides. And also the building has 8 gates
and floor finish made of timber. This shows the power transfer in Oromo Gada system
which takes place every 8 years.
2.1st wife’s house

This is also another circular shaped building which function as house for the 1 st wife and
where her guests stay. This building has 4 gates and also has one pillar at the center. This shows
the power of women is not same as man in oromo culture. And one pillar is to show a oromo
saying which says ‘haatimanaa angafaa utubaa qabdi’ means 1 st wife has a pillar. This show a
man cannot build two pillars but only one.
3.2nd wife’s house

This is again another circular shaped building. This building is functioned as the 2 nd wife
house. Unlike the 1st wife house this building has no pillar. To show a man cannot have two
pillars so they built It without pillar.
4.Secret treasure room(bank)

In this building things like money and other materials like golds are kept in this secret
house. This was functioning as a bank for the king. The building has a big hole inside and
partition made for money and materials and the hole is 2m long.
5.Meeting hall

This hall is one of what they call horseback shaped building. This meeting hall is served as a
place where the king draw eating party for different people. In this house eating and drinking
took place for the people whom the king invites.
6.Court

 This is another circular shaped house which serves as court for the community. It
serves society twice a week and people at that time here for any issues concerning
with land, money and political issues
7.Kitchen for locals

This house is a place where the local community prepare the traditional food for the
palace. In this house only traditional food are prepared.
8.Kitchen for foreigner

In this kitchen foods are prepared for the foreigners when they came to visit the king.
In order to show that in Oromo culture guests are loved and gets a warm welcome, this
is also shown with this separately built kitchen.
9.King’s residence

King KumsaMoroda has this separate residence which has multiple floors. This building has
different rooms functioning for different purposes. The corridor, which takes to this building
from his wives house has a basement which are three rooms function as learning place for
handcraft. In this house there are fire place and chimneys functioning for air conditioning of the
house.
10.Gift house
Materials of construction
 KumsaMoroda palace was built by different local materials Timber
 Timber
Masonry stone
Eggs are the material used at the time

Furniture of the palace

According to the information I got the furniture from the palace are moved and kept
in Wallaga museum. This is caused by materials robbery and for this security reason
most of the furnitures used by the kings in the palace are currently found in the
museum.
The following are furniture found in the museum:
Cultural values of historic Palace building
Kumsamoroda palace is one of the most well-known heritage around wallaga zones.
On this study there are 33 participants are included for data gathering. This include
nekemte city residents, wallaga university students and workers from culture and
tourism office. According to the questioner the palace is known as described below:

What is your familarity with KumsaMoroda

palace ?
0
6

27

I have heard of it I have visited it I don't know

On this data we can observe that this palace is a well-known among the people. In
different ways of description of nekemte city is always mention with King Kumsa
Moroda palace. For example in songs, sayings and in tale stories this palace are
mentioned.
Society around KumsaMoroda palace hold cultural values that are deeply rooted in
their traditions and history. These values have been passed down from generation to
generation, and they shape the way people in these societies think, behave, and
interact with each other.
 Does any cultural values attached to the
35 Kumsa Moroda palace
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
participants
Yes 31
NO 0
I am not aware 2
Yes NO I am not aware

This shows that the society of Nekemte thinks there are cultural values attached to the palace.
Depending on the data gathered data this are the values attached to the KumsaMoroda Palace.

One of the most important cultural values in societies with KumsaMoroda palace heritages is
respect for tradition. These societies often have a strong sense of pride in their cultural heritage,
and they place a high value on preserving and honoring their traditions.
Preservation of historic palace building

Through comprehensive interviews, historical documents, and community

engagement, it became evident that the palace holds a central place in the cultural
identity of the region. Its architectural grandeur, historical importance, and ties to
local traditions were repeatedly emphasized, underlining the need for its preservation.

Currently the palace is in a very bad condition, for this reason it must have to be
preserved to retain its significance. Societies of Nekemte and culture and tourism of
the city still complaining about the current function of the palace as military camp.
 Cultural values of historic palace are many
What do you think of preservation of kumsa
and varied, and they play a vital role in Moroda palace?
25
preserving and promoting these sites for 20

future generations. By respecting tradition, 15

10

valuing preservation efforts, promoting 5

0
education, celebrating diversity, valuing I strongly agree
Category 1
21
Category 2
12
I agree 3 1
creativity, and fostering a sense of community, I disagree 0 0
I strongly disagree
we can say the palace need to be preserved. I strongly agree I agree I disagree I strongly disagree
Possible cause of damage/ deterioration of the building
Currently it is not possible for the observation of the site but the following causes are gathered
information from the people and from the culture and tourism workers. According to the interviewees
there are this major causes of damage:

The damage on ceiling cover in different rooms of block A is happened neither due to age nor any
other factor beyond control
There are missing parts of the building due to dismantle by humans for specific purpose at the
interior side of the building and for undefined purpose at the exterior side of the build.
Earth (chiqa) mortar - used to construct the masonry wall of the building and cover with lime
plaster. At the point where the wall plaster is detached which caused by any deterioration factor, the
earth mortar is washed out and the wall loss its structural strength as a result of week adhesion
Model analysis of Kumsa Moroda Palace
STEP 1- Definition of the actors: The first step is concerned with the actors in decision-making
process. The actors can be defined as the stakeholders that will contribute in decision-making
process and affect the decision for the new use of the building. These actors have been grouped in
four categories as: users, producers, investors and regulators.
 STEP 2- Analysis of existing fabric: The second step is analysis of existing building stock,
which includes identification of original use of the architectural heritage, its physical
characteristics, heritage value and needs of the district. The identification of original use is
important in terms of making an appropriate decision. The functional classification of the
heritage buildings has been categorized in headings as: residential, industrial, commercial,
religious, military, agricultural, governmental, cultural, educational, health and office buildings.
STEP 3- Deciding conservation actions: In the third step, necessary interventions that will be
applied to the heritage buildings have decided. This action has been defined as the third step since
it should be decided just after the analysis of existing fabric since it is a factor that will affect
decisions in further steps. The observation of the existing physical condition of the building will
directly affect the decision of the new use.

STEP 4- Definition of adaptive reuse potentials: The fourth step is identification of adaptive
reuse potentials of the heritage buildings. Adaptive reuse potential means to realize benefits when
adaptive reuse is implemented. Realization of potentials of the building is important in terms of
developing suitable strategies for the building for a sustainable adaptive reuse. These potentials
can be defined as: physical, economic, functional, environmental, political, social and cultural
potentials.
STEP 5- Decision of possible new function: After the evaluation of all steps in decisionmaking, decisions
on the new use strategies has done. There are 3 options in new use alternatives for an adaptive reuse project.

1. First option is to use the building with the original function with some necessary adaptation to fit the
building for today’s requirements. This approach is chosen when the all heritage values of the building are
very important and changing the function may harm the originality of the heritage building.
2. The second approach is adaption of the building with mixed use. In this approach, the original function of
the building is kept as it is and it is supported by additional functions for the sustainability of the heritage
building. And
3. The third approach is the adaptation of the building with totally new use. However, this strategy cannot be
applied for all kind of heritage buildings since it depend on the values of the heritage building. If the
building is a listed building, certain authorities will control its interventions.
4. After the final decision of the new use, as the final step, a management plan has recommended by the
expert. The preserved building shall make its profits for the maintenance and rehabilitation works of the
structures in the future. The main aim is preserving the values and originality of the building and its
context; however the economic sustainability of the building is important for the future of the built
heritage.