An Integrated HBIM Framework for the Sustainable Digital Documentation and Management of Nabataean Architectural Heritage

The Nabataean Kingdom, which flourished between the fourth century BCE and the second century CE, produced a remarkable architectural heritage across the arid landscapes in northwestern Arabia and Jordan. Nabataean architectural heritage is characterized by complex rock-cut monuments, intricate decorative carvings, and ongoing deterioration processes, creating significant challenges for accurate digital documentation, information management, and conservation. Despite the increasing scholarly attention devoted to these sites, the available documentation and datasets remain fragmented across institutions, disciplinary domains, and digital formats, limiting their accessibility and long-term management. While Historic Building Information Modeling (HBIM) has become an effective system for modeling historic structures, existing approaches often emphasize geometric reconstruction of monuments with limited integration of detailed decorative elements and multidisciplinary heritage information. This study proposes a centralized HBIM framework for the documentation and management of Nabataean architectural heritage by integrating terrestrial laser scanning, close-range photogrammetry, and parametric HBIM. The proposed workflow combines accurate geometric acquisition with semantic information management within a unified workset-based HBIM environment. A major contribution of this research is the development of a dedicated digital library of Nabataean decorative motifs, comprising high-resolution textured mesh models that preserve the intricate geometry and visual characteristics of recurring sculptural elements. These meshes are accurately scaled and georeferenced using laser scanning data and integrated into the HBIM environment to support systematic classification, reuse, and heritage information management. Furthermore, a hybrid mesh–HBIM approach is introduced by integrating realistic mesh models with the parametric HBIM representation of the monument, enabling detailed documentation and analysis of intricate carvings and deteriorated surfaces that cannot be adequately represented using conventional parametric modeling alone. Finally, architectural, historical, conservation, geological, and condition assessment datasets are consolidated within a centralized HBIM platform organized through the proposed workset structure to facilitate efficient data management, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The proposed framework advances current HBIM methodologies by integrating realistic decorative asset libraries, hybrid mesh–parametric modeling, and centralized heritage information management, providing a transferable methodology for the digital documentation and information management of Nabataean and other complex archaeological heritage sites. The framework establishes a structured basis for future applications in condition monitoring, conservation planning, knowledge preservation, and sustainable heritage management.