July 31, 2015 21 Society

The disappearing cities of the Arab world

Tom Dinham ner — always by the victor, always for the victor, and always according to the victors’ record,” writes Rotbard. Rotbard explored how Tel Aviv, initially a suburb of the Arab port ver the past 50 years of Jaffa, erased the ancient city and some of the most his- turned its remnants into a suburb of torically rich cities of the something allegedly new. Tel Aviv, Arab world have been says Rotbard, is built on myths, one subject to appalling dam- being that it simply rose from empty Oage. The past five years of conflict sand dunes. across the region, which has result- The Arab city of Jaffa did not dis- ed in the damage or destruction of appear to make way for Tel Aviv, priceless world heritage, most nota- however. It was killed. bly in Syria and Iraq, is just the latest In 1936 Britain demolished the his- iteration of a decades-long process toric heart of the city, evacuating its of vandalism. residents and destroying 237 build- The symposium Disappearing Cit- ings to clear a way to the harbour. ies of the Arab World, hosted at the The Israelis continued what colonial British Museum in London as part of forebears had started, leaving little the Shubbak Festival of Arab culture, trace of the Arab past. “Jaffa”, says explored the often bleak realities of Rotbard, “has become anything but contemporary Arab cities and how an Arab city.” these realities came to be. A recur- Syrian novelist Nihad Sirees, a na- ring theme of the symposium was tive of Aleppo, recalled how seeing how the preservation or destruction on the news a building he used to of heritage is not a mere happen- walk by regularly during his child- stance, but the result of the often hood now in a state of utter destruc- A view of the damaged UNESCO-listed citadel in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. brutal exercise of power. tion led him to remember the city. Writing about a city wracked by war The past five years of is in this sense an act of resistance, This violence is not necessarily says Sardar. Rather, it is the result of with power. conflict has resulted bringing back to life and recording imperial or colonial in nature, but the admiration of the numerous Sau- The state of so many Arab cities the existence of something that once often the result of neglect and bad di notables who studied at the Uni- points to a disenfranchised Arab in the damage of was. In the light of what has become government. Of the many instances versity of Texas and were impressed populace living under dictatorship priceless world of Aleppo, destroyed by gruelling ur- cited by Elshahed, he noted an entire by Houston. and totally unregulated market forc- heritage ban warfare, writing for Sirees seems industry in Egypt dedicated to help- This in itself is arguably the ex- es. Elshahed succinctly described a forlorn act heavy with pathos. The ing the owners of potential heritage pression of a colonial relationship. the situation: “Propaganda aside, The keynote speaker, Israeli archi- day after the symposium, a large sec- sites destroy their own property be- The result of the destruction of the there are facts on the ground that tect and writer Sharon Rotbard, most tion of Aleppo’s historic citadel was fore it is listed. Perhaps one of the old city is that Mecca, argued Sardar, are undeniable. Our cities are mis- clearly enunciated this in his explo- destroyed. most puzzling cases of destruction “is not a disappearing city, it already managed, public spaces are being ration of the architectural history of Art historian Mohamed Elshahed was documented by Ziauddin Sard- has disappeared. It has no relevance restricted and our heritage, particu- Tel Aviv and Jaffa, the subject of his showed a series of 19 snapshots of ar, a frequent visitor to the holy city whatsoever to its fourteen hundred larly modern heritage, is left to melt critically acclaimed book White City the destruction of heritage in Egypt, of Mecca who has seen its heritage years of history.” into thin air. The result is an Arabian Black City: Architecture and War in noting that “disappearance” as a destroyed over the years and remade The message of Disappearing Cit- condition in which the past is unre- Tel Aviv and Jaffa. The opening of term “masks extraordinary violence in the image of Houston, Texas. That ies of the Arab World is that Arab her- corded, the present is unstable and White City Black City starkly puts — buildings and cities don’t disap- the ancient city of the Prophet of Is- itage is under attack both from with- the future is uncertain.” forward the relationship between pear, they are demolished, dyna- lam should have been remade in the out and within. cities and power. “Cities and histo- mited, bombed, attacked, bulldozed, image of an American oil town that is As so persuasively argued by Rot- Tom Dinham is an Arab Weekly ries are constructed in a similar man- razed to the ground”. barely 175 years old was no accident, bard, heritage is inextricably linked correspondent in London. Carnival atmosphere as London Muslims celebrate holiday

Mahmud el-Shafey val, London’s biennial celebration of contemporary Arab arts and cul- ture. was packed London with revellers with the festival wit- nessing an unusually high turnout e’re not here to given its expanded scope and the worry about ex- high number of summer tourists “ tremism. We’re who headed over to the square to here to party,” check out what was on offer. said Nayla Hus- “This time it’s special because it’s sein,W aged 19, of east London. Ges- our tenth anniversary and we’ve turing around at the throng of Mus- laid on a truly wonderful specta- lims eating, drinking and having a cle. We’re very grateful for the food good time, she added: “These are that’s being supplied. Malaysian, the real Muslims. Not the bad guys Indonesia, South Asian, Moroccan dressed in black you see on the — you name it, fantastic food to be news.” tried… [and] cultural activities to A carnival atmosphere was in take part in and to watch,” London evidence as thousands of Muslims Mayor said in a state- gathered in London’s Trafalgar ment. Square on July 25th to celebrate Attractions ranged from an entire the end of the holy month of Rama- Indonesian dance troupe to a Hen- dan. Though this year’s event took na studio, from a tent where Turk- place in the same week that Brit- ish calligraphy was being taught to ish Prime Minister David Cameron a fashion catwalk. “It’s so amazing announced a new counterterror- to be able to learn something new,” ism policy, which has raised fears said one of the happy customers at among some Muslims, that issue the Turkish calligraphy tent. was nowhere to be seen or heard. There was also a tent teaching children, Muslim and non-Muslim We’re not here to alike, the story of Surat Al-Feel, and worry about another organised by the embassy of Qatar featuring a special exhibi- Muslim Londoners gathered for Eid celebration. extremism. We’re tion on the history of pearl diving here to party in the country as well as a falconer and falcon. But the hustle and bustle of the Hany El-Dakkak to the crowd’s the festival a truly international fla- Held annually on the first week- There was even a man dressed up cultural attractions were just the cheers, from the stage with Nel- vour. end after the end of the Muslim as Superman, and another as Bat- warm-up for the main event: a son’s Column towering behind him. “The music is amazing,” said Mo- holy month, Eid in the Square man— a superhero pairing not ex- three-hour open-air live concert Palestinian band 47SOUL, which hamed, nodding his head in time brings together Muslims from pected until the release of Batman featuring performances from a combines the energetic beats of with one of Masar Egbary’s tunes. across the world in an open-air con- vs. Superman next year “Can you number of bands from across the dabke, shabby and electro also “Do you like it, habibi?” he asked cert, culture and food festival. believe it? Everyone is here!” said Middle East. Egyptian indie band played a set, while Karama, led his young son, who was perched on The tenth anniversary of the Mohamed, on holiday from Egypt Massar Egbari mixes rock, jazz and by Moroccan oud player Soufian his shoulders. ’s event took place with his family, waving towards the blues with oriental music to pro- Saihi and including a line-up that “Terrorism? Extremism? You for- alongside an open-air concert to superhero pair, volunteers for char- duce a new flavour. “Eid Mubarak, originates from Venezuela, Spain, get about all these worries when cap the end of the Shubbak festi- ity Islamic Relief UK. everybody,” shouted front-man Japan, Morocco and the UK, gave you are here,” he said.