Stone Men by Andrew Ross;

Author:Andrew Ross;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lightning Source Inc. (Tier 1)

The Protectors

The CCHP’s earliest neighborhood restoration was the Anatreh Quarter, southeast of the Manger Square ridge, and named for one of the seven clans that has dominated Bethlehem life for centuries. Waves of emigration, from 1948, 1967, and after, had left Anatreh in a dilapidated and semi-vacated state, physically worsened by the Israeli bombing raids and demolitions. However, the compact common core (hosh) of sprawling family compounds (harat) was still intact, as were the peripheral zones, which boasted the more prosperous villas of post-Oslo returnees. The Anatreh restoration, funded by the World Bank, took ten years and set a model for workers and contractors to learn conservation skills in workshops.52 As with Riwaq’s schemes, the CCHP encouraged residents to renovate their own houses and to see their neighborhood with new eyes—not as a broken slum in a spiral of decay but as a proud sanctuary for valued cultural property.

In the wake of the Anatreh project, CCHP staff took on the restoration of singular buildings, as well as entire thoroughfares more integral to the tourist circuit, such as the well-trodden Star Street (alleged pathway of Mary and Joseph, and part of the city’s World Heritage Site). In common with Riwaq and Taawon, CCHP’s professionals have found it hard to find and retain workers and contractors. Joseph Taqatqa, a regular contractor for CCHP projects, spoke with me about the difficulties. “Typically, the workers I use are the ones denied permits to go to Israel, but I also try to choose the ones with a passion for this kind of work because it’s so labor-intensive. Everything has to be done by hand, and never by machine, and the stones are heavier and more irregular.”

With twenty-five years of experience under his belt, Taqatqa had developed an eye for what could go wrong (and indeed, what builders from long ago did wrong). “When I look at an old building,” he mused, “I think about who built it, and why their knowledge was not always passed on through the generations.” “Sometimes,” he added, “I see mistakes that were made in construction long ago and that’s why this building fell down.” In this way, he was able to explain how “a 700-year-old building can survive whereas a 200-year-old one has collapsed.” Taqatqa had also come to appreciate the intangible value of preservation. “This is a very important matter for Palestinians,” he pointed out, “because we really need to protect our identity, and care for our heritage and our national soul.” “Since this area of the Mediterranean is rich in antiquities,” he continued, “we are preserving it for all of humankind and not just for Palestinians.” Had he seen many private firms develop an interest in restoration? “Not really,” he replied, “most of my work has been with nonprofits. As a result, there’s not much money in the rehabilitation business, but I can live with that.” Taqatqa’s family name was well-known in the area’s stone industry, and he had a successful career as a factory owner behind him, so perhaps he could afford these less profitable devotions.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.