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In the framework of the UNESCO project ‘Urban Development
and Freshwater Resources: Small Coastal Cities’ , the municipality of
Saïda (amongst others) signed a letter of intent on co-operation
in the creation of a network of small and medium sized coastal towns.
This was done on the last day of the International
Seminar on Urban Development and Freshwater Resources: Small Coastal Cities
organized by UNESCO, held between the 24th and 26th
November 1997 in Essaouira, Kingdom of Morocco.
The mayor of Saïda, Mr. Ahmad Kalash, attended the seminar after which he and Mrs. Bahia El Hariri of the Hariri Foundation, made an official request for Saïda to be involved in the project.
Meanwhile a site for the MOST Project Growing Up In Cities has been created with the consultants of the project, Mrs Louise Chawla and Mr David Drishkell. See also: Growing Up In Saïda: Preliminary Status Report and Recommended Action Program
Saïda, a small town on the eastern Mediterranean coast, has an ancient past that is shrouded in myth, not unlike Tyr, Alexandria, Byzantium, Athens and Carthage. It was one of the first places in the Mediterranean basin to be settled; thus this harbour city has participated in shaping humanity. Its origins, strangely enough, are relatively unknown and need to be rediscovered and revitalised. At the beginning of this century the city outgrew its original boundaries and a ‘new city’ of wide avenues now surrounds the old centre. These suburbs are home to the wealthier classes while the old city with its decaying infrastructure and poor hygiene has been left to poorer, sometimes displaced, people. The advent of the automobile also had detrimental effects on the town.
Haphazard road planning, improvised parking lots, pollution, noise and
vibration all contribute to the general disorganization of the town plan.
These forces, when brought into the context of restructuring Lebanon, raise the question of heritage, which, for this small southern Lebanese town, emanates from its earth, its rock and its water. In ancient times Sidon, as it was then called, would not have become what it was without a blend of favourable natural and geographic factors. The link between its marine and terrestrial environment also contributed favourably to Sidon’s development.
Saïda in 1848. (J. L. Porter)
Saïda's strategic geographical position between the east and the west placed it on caravan and sea transport routes and produced an architecture and social structure able to cope with its dual role. The artistic and cultural richness that emerged from these exchanges is what we today recognise as its historical and cultural heritage. As with the natural and social environment, cultural and architectural
heritage is subject to reorganization and equilibrium. It should be realized
that Saïda is unique with unique opportunities.
In the twentieth century Saïda has undergone a demographic explosion, modernization, rural emigration, civil war and population displacement, and as a result it no longer has an economic or cultural role. Saïda now has to prepare for a new era and the economic and cultural forces acting on the city have to be assessed. With the recent involvement of MOST (Management of Social Transformations) and the International Hydrological Programmes (IHP) with the Coastal Region and Small Island (CSI) unit, UNESCO is determined to take action to assist Saïda in its efforts to develop in a sustainable way. Overview of the Scenery and Environment Saïda’s geographical position and local environment have played an important role both in the city’s foundation and development. The character of the coastline with a line of rocks (formed from dunes during the last ice age) favourably oriented against strong winds and waves is without doubt one of the main reasons for the establishment of the first settlement. Plentiful rain, neighbouring hills, a fertile plain, two rivers - all favoured the growth of the first settlement and its eventual development into the city of Saïda. From the beginning nature and climate have shaped Saïda; their
influence is visible in the architecture and the city plan. Saïda
is a city that exists between land and sea. Its situation and picturesque
buildings have been a source of inspiration for painters.
As the twenty-first century approaches, it is time to assess Saïda’s social and territorial dynamics through observation, research, understanding and assimilation. A more complete understanding of the situation will itself dictate the action to be taken. Hence Saïda’s involvement in the UNESCO network of small coastal cities. The ‘success’ of this project will depend on several factors:
A Ray of Hope Saïda has retained its historic coastal centre. Several restoration
activities undertaken jointly by the municipality, the Saïda Heritage
and Environment Association and the Hariri Foundation are progressing encouragingly
and it is hoped that this initiative will spread to encompass non-monumental
buildings and public space. While preserving the structural heritage of
the Medina, its architecture and ornamentation; its history, culture and
above all inhabitants must not be neglected. The culture must be made to
live on in the younger generation. At the dawn of the twenty first century
sites that represent the collective memories of Sidonians and Lebanese
are indispensable to the future of the country.
Management of Social Transformations (MOST)
/ CITIES,
UNESCO Beirut Office, attn: Joseph Kreidi
Coastal Regions
and Small Islands (CSI) Unit
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