Previous experience in cooperation with other organisations in other countries participating in the programme
 

The initiative to establish a consortium with the other three organizations in Italy, Spain and Greece, comes from ITABC, on the background of a previous experience in cooperation with the same partners, in the project "Arab mills and irrigation systems in the Mediterranean Basin, ARAMIS".
The project, implemented within the framework of the "Raphael" Community Program, began in 1998, with a duration of two years, and an overall funding of 400,000 Euro. Promoted and co-ordinated by ITABC, it was carried out in collaboration with Municipality of Castellammare del Golfo (Italy), Deputation de Granada (Spain), Municipality of Rethymnon, Crete and Ministry of Culture (Greece), Malta and France.

The aim of the ARAMIS project was to encourage the study and protection of the vast pre-industrial heritage (infrastructures, buildings and machinery) represented by agricultural irrigation systems, water supply canals and water mills built in Europe by the Arab populations during the period of the Islamic invasions, which goes from the 9th to the 15th century.
The main activities, may be summarized as follows:

• a) Surveys and cataloguing of original water mills;

• b) Information network among partners;

• c) Restoration of mills and museum set up;

• d) Promotion and dissemination of knowledge.

The conservation program involved three mills, situated in the Andalusia, Island of Crete, Malta. The complete restoration of the buildings was completed as the replacement of the original. Small water mill museums have been set up inside.
The documented results of the ARAMIS project were collected and displayed in the "Water and Mill Museum", that is housed in the Arab-Norman castle of Castellammare del Golfo.

An other initiative in co-operation with two partners of CITADELS was an under Culture 2000 Project: "METAFORA Mediterranean Towers and Fortresses Oriented Revitalization Actions".
The aim of the project was to preserve the authenticity of the original architectural structures of sea ramparts and fortresses.
There were 3 cases of conservation intervention:

• the restoration of the tower of the Homenaje of the Castell del Ferro in Gualchos, on the coast near Granada (Spain);

• the restoration of the Southern part of the Venetian Castle of Fircà of Chania in Crete (Greece);

• the plan of recovery of the fortified town of Castellamare del Golfo (Italy).

The coorganisers were: Area de Asistencia a Municipios Unidad Provincial de Bienes Culturales (ES); Comune di Castellammare del Golfo (Trapani) ITALY; Ministry of Culture (GR).

The objectives were:

• experiment and to appraise the principles of sustainable restoration applied to fortified architecture in the three cases of intervention in Spain, Greece and Italy.

• To create a network of collaboration on the theme of the recovery of the fortified architecture of the Mediterranean coast.

• To realise a European structure of consultation and research among experts and specialised institutions, called the "European Laboratory for Sustainable Conservation of Coastal Fortresses (ELASCOFORT)".