In urban environments, conservation efforts frequently expose the gap between official policies and plans, and how they actually unfold under sociopolitical and economic circumstances. Through case studies from Iran, Turkey, and Egypt, this volume examines the diverse factors that compromise the fulfilment of conservation ideals. Each chapter offers insights into how formal and informal factors co-shape outcomes on the ground, often diverging from academic theories and national or international standards. Written by scholars deeply embedded in their local contexts, this collection interlaces disciplinary, bureaucratic, and sociopolitical threads, revealing how conservation is negotiated across varied urban landscapes. This series of publications by the DFG Research Training Group «Cultural and Technological Significance of Historic Buildings» focuses on selected topics related to construction in different cultures and periods. The individual volumes approach these topics from engineering and cultural studies perspectives. Together they contribute to an interdisciplinary discourse on construction from the point of view of both culture and technology.