A Cultural Heritage Conservation Using GIS Mapping: Study of Ancient Bauchi City Gates

Cultural heritage conservation plays a vital role in safeguarding a society’s identity, history, and legacy, with ancient structures like city gates serving as tangible reflections of past traditions, architectural ingenuity, and socio-political organization. In Bauchi, Nigeria, the ancient city gates constitute an essential element of regional heritage, yet they confront escalating threats from urbanization, environmental degradation, and neglect. Despite geo-information systems (GIS) proving effective in heritage management globally, their application to Bauchi’s city gates has remained unexplored. This study therefore employs GIS mapping to document the gates’ photographs and precise locations, creating both an educational map and a tourist guide complete with a photo gallery. Adopting a qualitative survey design, the research utilized purposive sampling to interview local custodians of culture and heritage, gathering historical data and firsthand insights. The findings indicate that gates located within the city center are particularly vulnerable to hazards including urban expansion and man-made damage. Notably, many stakeholders despite being aware of protective policies continue activities that risk gate demolition in favor of modern construction. GIS buffer analysis revealed that the western and southern gates lie within 500-meter buffers, and there’s rapidly phasing increase in threat from peri-urban encroachment on areas that previously have not been exposed to these threats. Three gates Kofar Tirwun, Kofar Dumi, and Kofar Inkil have already been completely destroyed, while six others remain in a “fair” to moderate state of conservation. To address these challenges, the study recommends that Bauchi State integrate heritage preservation into urban master plans, establish protective buffer zones (especially within 250 meters of high-density areas), and promote heritage-led urban planning to ensure the long-term survival of these culturally significant landmarks.