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The Upper Kidron Valley

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The Upper Kidron Valley Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies Founded by the Charles H. Revson Foundation The Upper Kidron Valley Conservation and Development in the Visual Basin of the Old City of Jerusalem Editor: Israel Kimhi Jerusalem 2010 Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies – Study No. 398 The Upper Kidron Valley Conservation and Development in the Visual Basin of the Old City of Jerusalem Editor: Israel Kimhi This publication was made possible thanks to the assistance of the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, San Francisco. 7KHFRQWHQWRIWKLVGRFXPHQWUHÀHFWVWKHDXWKRUV¶RSLQLRQRQO\ Photographs: Maya Choshen, Israel Kimhi, and Flash 90 Linguistic editing (Hebrew): Shlomo Arad Production and printing: Hamutal Appel Pagination and design: Esti Boehm Translation: Sagir International Translations Ltd. © 2010, The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies Hay Elyachar House 20 Radak St., Jerusalem 92186 http://www.jiis.org E-mail: [email protected] Research Team Israel Kimhi – head of the team and editor of the report Eran Avni – infrastructures, public participation, tourism sites Amir Eidelman – geology Yair Assaf-Shapira – research, mapping, and geographical information systems Malka Greenberg-Raanan – physical planning, development of construction Maya Choshen – population and society Mike Turner – physical planning, development of construction, visual analysis, future development trends Muhamad Nakhal ±UHVLGHQWSDUWLFLSDWLRQKLVWRU\SUR¿OHRIWKH$UDEQHLJKERU- hoods Michal Korach – population and society Israel Kimhi – recommendations for future development, land uses, transport, planning Amnon Ramon – history, religions, sites for conservation Acknowledgments The research team thanks the residents of the Upper Kidron Valley and the Visual Basin of the Old City, and their representatives, for cooperating with the researchers during the course of the study and for their willingness to meet frequently with the team. Special thanks to Mr. Muhamad Nakhal, who in addition to serving as a member of the research team also coordinated and organized the meetings with the local residents and their representatives. Thanks to the following for their assistance to the team members during the course of the study: Dr. John Zeligman – Jerusalem District Archeologist in the Antiquities Authority; Mr. Adi Bin-Nun of the Hebrew University – head of GIS systems; Mr. Aharon Rosenberg – director of the Water Department in Hagihon Ltd.; Mr. Louis Nabulsi – head of the Technical Department for Sewage and Drainage in Hagihon Ltd.; Mr. Ali Hamud of the East Jerusalem Electric Company; Mr. Yaron Ergaz – head of Planning and Development in the Ministry of Tourism; and Mr. Udi Ragonis of the Ir David association. The research team and the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies thank the Richard DQG5KRGD*ROGPDQ)XQGIRUWKHLUDVVLVWDQFHLQ¿QDQFLQJWKHUHVHDUFKDQGWKH )XQG¶VUHSUHVHQWDWLYHLQ,VUDHO%RQQLH%R[HUIRUKHUXVHIXOFRPPHQWVGXULQJWKH course of the work. Table of Contents Introduction.......................................................................................................11 Key Recommendations .................................................................................... 14 1. Planning Principles ........................................................................................ 14 2. Construction................................................................................................... 15 3. Improving Housing, Public Services, and Infrastructures ............................. 16 4. Encouraging the Local Economy and Employment ...................................... 18 5. Public Participation and Involvement............................................................ 19 The Physical Structure of the Area ................................................................ 23 Introduction........................................................................................................ 23 ,PSRUWDQFHRIWKH$UHDLQWKH2YHUDOO8UEDQ&RQWH[W....................................... 23 The Sensitive Nature of the Area....................................................................... 24 Historical Boundaries......................................................................................... 25 The Historical Development of the City and the Kidron Basin................... 31 The Founding of Jerusalem................................................................................ 31 Jerusalem during the First Temple Period (1000–586 BCE) ............................. 33 Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period (538 BCE–70 CE)....................... 34 Jerusalem during the Roman-Byzantine Period (70–638 CE)........................... 36 Jerusalem during the Early Muslim Period (638–1099).................................... 37 Jerusalem during the Crusader Period (1099–1187).......................................... 38 Jerusalem during the Ayubite-Mameluke Period (1187–1516).......................... 39 Jerusalem during the Ottoman Period (1516–1917) .......................................... 40 Jerusalem during the Period of British Rule (1917–1948) ................................ 42 Jerusalem in the War of Independence and the Divided City (1948–1967) ...... 44 Jerusalem 1967–2007......................................................................................... 46 Population of the Kidron Basin ...................................................................... 49 The population of the Old City .......................................................................... 49 Characteristics of the Visual Basin Population.................................................. 57 The Population of Arab Neighborhoods in the Visual Basin (Upper Kidron Basin) ........................................................................................ 60 Jewish Population in the Kidron Basin.............................................................. 62 Jewish Population in Arab Neighborhoods Adjacent to the Old City ............... 66 Organizations Settling East Jerusalem .............................................................. 67 Urban Planning and its Impact on the Kidron Basin................................... 72 Planning during the British Mandate period...................................................... 72 Israeli and Jordanian Plans (Divided Jerusalem – 1948–1967)......................... 80 Plans for the United City of Jerusalem .............................................................. 83 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 90 Cultural landscape cells in the upper Kidron Valley basin.......................... 91 Development of the built-up area in the Kidron Valley basin...................... 94 $QDO\VLVRI¿QGLQJV ........................................................................................... 95 The Rural Space: The rural population in the process of urbanization..... 99 Development of villages and urbanization processes ........................................ 99 Change in the village structure ........................................................................ 101 The traditional village house............................................................................ 102 Changes to the village house structure............................................................. 103 The Bedouin Space......................................................................................... 107 Stages of development of the Bedouin home .................................................. 109 Development of the Bedouin built-up area in the Kidron basin .......................113 Comparison of the Bedouin space with the rural space....................................114 The Urban Space.............................................................................................117 Land use in the Kidron basin........................................................................ 120 Residential construction................................................................................... 120 Land use for institutions, commerce and public services ................................ 122 Changes in the commercial alignment............................................................. 126 Land use for cemeteries .................................................................................. 126 Land use for agriculture................................................................................... 127 Land use for tourism ........................................................................................ 130 Land Use of land for National Parks and Gardens .......................................... 132 The Natural Visibility of the Old City.......................................................... 137 Visual sensitivity............................................................................................. 141 Views of and from the Old City....................................................................... 141 -HUXVDOHP¶V&KDQJLQJ6N\OLQHV....................................................................... 143 Observation Areas and Key Landmarks in the Landscape .............................. 144 Views from the Ridges Surrounding the Old City........................................... 146 World Heritage Site.......................................................................................... 149 Infrastructure Systems in Kidron Valley..................................................... 150 Introduction.....................................................................................................
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