It’s officially called the Cultural Heritage and Urban Development project, but what it really means is that tourists will be able to discover the city of Tyre on their own, on foot, without being shuttled around by bus in this small but disconnected city.
CHUD, which covers a separate project in Baalbek, has entered its second phase in Tyre, and is being funded by the French Development Agency and the World Bank. The Council for Development and Reconstruction is overseeing execution, while the Municipality of Tyre is also part of the bureaucratic mix.
Tyre is a tourist magnet thanks to its seaside and rich archaeological sites, but the logistics of getting from one place to another are off-putting to newcomers. The fishermen’s port, the Crusader cathedral, and two separate locations of Greco-Roman ruins – one inland and one on the beach – are not far from each one another, but first-time visitors can have a difficult time navigating among them.
The other option, being taken by bus to the various sites, robs visitors of the experience of walking through the city. The second stage of CHUD is designed to change this.
“The first part of this stage will develop and enhance the area surrounding the city’s old fishermen’s port, by renovating the exterior of historical buildings, and organizing the traffic situation,” said Ali Badawi, the DGA’s director in Tyre
Part of Serail Street, near the port, will become pedestrian-only, and parking meters are also scheduled to be installed.
According to Badawi, the second stage of CHUD will cost almost $7 million, out of the total of $17 million dedicated to the three stages of the project. The first stage was comprised of infrastructure works on the seaside corniche and the renovation of historical buildings.
Badawi said the second stage will also connect the ruins of the well-known Triumphal Arch of Tyre, located in the neighborhood of Al-Bass, with the rest of the city, so that visitors can move around by foot
“All these areas will be connected together, so the visitors can walk even from Cinema Hamra to the tourist sites around the city,” Badawi said, referring to a centrally located landmark.
Tyre municipal council member Mohammad Bahr hailed the project as a leap forward, one that will let the city capitalize on its rich history and massive archeological sites as well as its beautiful coast, which has had its share of visitors in recent boom tourist years.
Bahr said the project would re-structure several major open spaces, such as Bawwaba Square, which is located near the souq, and expand a central parking lot.
Bahe added that the project will remove both the old popular market and the vegetable market, located at the eastern part of Tyre. “A simple metal compound will be built to house the same shops located in the souq,” he added.
Several shop and stand owners in the souk feared that the municipality’s plan to build a new hangar to house their establishments, even if outfitted with modern amenities, may leave them unemployed.
“The owners of the stands in the souk have been here for 15 years now, and the replacement of the souk with a new structure would threaten the livelihoods of more than 100 families,” said Yahya Awad, the head of the Butchers’ Union and a member of the souk council.
“We met with members of the municipality and stressed the rights of the shopowners, who are not ready to give up their occupations and sources of income,” Awad added.
While a satisfactory conclusion to the souk businesses might not be ready, it’s hoped that the second stage of CHUD, when completed in two years’ time, will finally turn Tyre into a truly tourist-friendly destination.
Author: Mohammed Zaatari | Source: The Daily Star/Lebanon [February 01, 2011]