Is Yemen able keep Zabid listed in World Heritage?
The Source: www.sabanews.net - 16/2/2009
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Zabid Historical City has been suffering the problem of losing its
historical identity since 1993 when the city's emigrants returned to
it.
This caused population growth led to increasing demand of
new housings. "Because the city lacks to baked bricks cremators for
more than forty years, people turned to cement brick workshops which
provide cheaper bricks for building houses," said Zabid Office's
Director of the General Authority of Protecting Historical Cities
Arafat al-Hadrami.
He continues with sad tone "with absence of
strict protection to city's architecture heritage, violations and
distortions to the city have increased."
These distortions
which affected the city, says al-Hadrami, are two kinds; the first one
distortions resulted by expansion in old buildings with modern
materials. The second one is resulted by building new houses with
cement substances such as bricks.
These buildings have spread
gradually in the city and in areas located before historical and
Islamic schools and historical gates. Day after day, he continues, the
wastes were distorting the historical sites of the city till these
violations have distorted the exterior shape.
The problem has
become known to every visitor coming to the city, a matter has
attracted the UNESCO's attention on the danger this city faces.
Responding to this danger, the organization issued a resolution for
including Zabid within the World Heritage Danger List.
According
to al-Hadrami, Zabid Historical City has 4200 old houses of different
ages ranging between 200-600 years. The city also has 85 mosques and
Islamic schools. Four of these mosques are of 1400 years of age such as
al-Ashaer Mosque.
Al- Hadrami concludes that 40 percent of
Zabid's houses suffer distortions resulted by violation to the
historical form of the city, while 60 percent are old wither evacuated
old houses or ruined.
Nowadays, Yemenis are waiting the date
of the World Heritage Center's meeting due next June for discussing a
report raised by the mission of the center which visited Zabid
Historical City recently.
The aim of the visit was for
discussing the situation of the city and inspecting the implementing
the UNESCO's conditions which gave the city two years respite started
on June 2007 for maintaining the city or to be removed from World
Heritage List.
According to Chairman of the General Authority
for Protecting Historical Cities (GAPHC) Abdullah Eisa, the aim of the
mission is reporting on what has the government achieved in the city
and raising these reports to the center. Based on these reports, the
center will issue its decision wither to extend the period of the
respite or removing the city from the list.
Positive impression
Director
of GAPHC's Zabid Branch Nabil Munasar indicated that the delegation has
studied in four-day period the government's works in the city.
Eisa
indicated that talks have been made with the mission over the situation
of the city and what has been achieved. He asserted that the delegation
is satisfied with what has been achieved for protecting the city.
"They
(the mission's members) informed us they have touched serious tendency
to preserve the city and saving it from the current status it suffers.
They also affirmed this in their report raised to the World Heritage
Center," added Eisa.
General Manager of the Yemeni-German for
Developing Historical City Omer al-Hallaj says the mission has met many
concerned partners and observed positive mechanism on different levels.
Professor Daniel Bini, one of the experts who accompanied the
mission during their visit to Zabid says we studied the situation in
Zabid and felt that there was positive mechanism from the government
for changing the situation of the city.
Expansion is expected
In
addition to the mission's good impression on efforts exerted for
protecting the city, Eisa says the mission demanded continuous efforts
from the government. "We seek more time because the problem is great
and needs more time. The important thing is achieving something on the
ground," said Eisa who expected expansion of the respite.
According
to Munassar, the most important remarks and demands of the mission are
quick issuing of a law protecting historical cities, removing all
violated buildings, providing enough capabilities and boosting
traditional construction materials.
"The mission demanded
speeding up carrying out administrative and development design to
include all maps, engineering studies, awareness programs and reviving
traditional handicrafts," he added.
However, Bini concludes
that the situation in Zabid is complicated. Despite there is
satisfaction on what have been achieved, more work and support is
needed for improving the economic situation of the city.
According
to GAPHC's official, the decision of the World Heritage's commission
has demanded Yemen "instant stop of playing with Zabid's ancient form
and distorting the heritage of the city."
Yemen will lose more if the city removed
Al-Hadrami
says if the city removed from the list, this will cause great economic
and cultural damages. Further more the country's tourism will get
painful hit will not cured easily.
This removal will hurt
Yemen's fame and doubt the country's ability in protecting its
civilization in addition to failure of honoring its commitments to
conditions of World, Cultural and Natural Heritage Convention.
The World Heritage List includes three Yemeni cities, Sana'a, Shibam Hadramout and Zabid.
Zabid
is considered one of the most western coastal cities with historical
and antique significance in Yemen. The city includes many important
antique sites besides its scientific status it enjoyed in the past
Islamic and historical period.
The city was established in 204
in hijri calendar when it was taken over by Mohammad bin Ziyad upon
directives from the Caliph Haron Arrashid.
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