Tuesday Again
Photo overlooking the beginning of Jebel Amman from the bridge over the Wadi Sakra Street - taken in October 2005. Note the sloping hill on the left: it no longer exists; there goes our green belt land.
Tuesday again, the day for the regular jaunt over to Jebel Amman. But it was a day of mixed emotions – the beautiful old building that used to be the Egyptian Embassy next to Romero Restaurant has been pulled down! Can't help wondering if this will be the trend when new laws governing rents will come into force in 2010 and downtown will be razed to the ground to make way for real estate developers and their ominous ilk.
Why don't we have laws to protect our urban heritage?
For without history a nation is devoid of its soul.
And then, as if some force was trying to make me cheer up, I met my little friend Mohammad; beaming from ear to ear as he hopped, skipped and jumped across the road to say good morning and very politely closed my car door for me …. Mohammad was attending class, along with his younger brother – in a neighbour's house – courtesy of the local residents who provided the text books and stationery and gave new purpose to a retired teacher who was happy to teach again. And they started with the Arabic alphabet; "A" is for - a new beginning.
J
Tuesday again, the day for the regular jaunt over to Jebel Amman. But it was a day of mixed emotions – the beautiful old building that used to be the Egyptian Embassy next to Romero Restaurant has been pulled down! Can't help wondering if this will be the trend when new laws governing rents will come into force in 2010 and downtown will be razed to the ground to make way for real estate developers and their ominous ilk.
Why don't we have laws to protect our urban heritage?
For without history a nation is devoid of its soul.
And then, as if some force was trying to make me cheer up, I met my little friend Mohammad; beaming from ear to ear as he hopped, skipped and jumped across the road to say good morning and very politely closed my car door for me …. Mohammad was attending class, along with his younger brother – in a neighbour's house – courtesy of the local residents who provided the text books and stationery and gave new purpose to a retired teacher who was happy to teach again. And they started with the Arabic alphabet; "A" is for - a new beginning.
J
posted by joladies at Tuesday, May 23, 2006
1 Comments:
aaaaaaaah
seeing that nice old villa being torn down (probably to be replaced by another ugly souless building) drove me crazy.
We have little enough documentation of Amman's history as it is, why do we insist on destroying that as well? and until when is this gonna be allowed to go on?
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