Old Sidon...a historical treasure but with little tourists

Visitors to the Phoenician town of Sidon in south Lebanon will surely not feel the power of history if they miss going to the adjoining Old City.

Built during the Mamluk era more than 700 years ago, the Old City is still inhabited by over 30,000 people crammed in eroding and rusting stone houses overlooking narrow arched alleys and ancient shops which are still bustling with activity.

Located on a promontory jutting into the sea, this walled medieval city is very well preserved and resembles a vaulted maze with narrow alleyways and winding streets.

Arched pathways connect the different neighborhoods of the city. On street level.

Numerous souvenir and carpentry shops, small upholstery and furniture factories, traditional cafes, groceries and clothes shops can be found with old-fashioned bakeries making crunchy whole wheat bread called "Kaak".

A lot of the alleys take the name of their residents' occupations like the "Carpenters' Alley" the “Ifranj (foreigners) Alley and the "Tailors' Alley".

Several mosques dating back to the Umayyad Era more than 1,000 years ago are still preserved and are open to the public.

Being of great historical and architectural significance, the Old City went through a lot of renovations and there is still some measure of restoring to be done.

While the traditional bazaars sandwiched inside the dark, damp alleys are seen crowded by shoppers most of the day, the case is not the same with tourists, who had flooded in thousands to the Old City before the civil war four decades ago.

“Old Sidon is a real historical and cultural treasure...it’s like a giant museum but unfortunately it attracts a very little number of tourists these days, mainly Westerners.......the main reason is the unstable security situation in the country,” Sidon’s mayor Mohammed Al Seoudi told Emirat4es 24/7.

“We have carried out a major restoration programme and more will be done...the Old City now looks much cleaner and more organized...we want tourists to come here and enjoy this historical city once the security situation improves.”

Old Sidon is surrounded by two forts the city fort and the Sea Castle which were built by the Crusaders more than seven centuries ago.

Walking through its dark alleys, visitors can feel history flooding into their veins, unlike its inhabitants who appear to be unaware of the city’s pomposity and significance.

Scores of residents trot the uneven pathways in the Old City for shopping and other purposes as venders scream for their products. Most carpenters toil to shape their wood outside their shops while others are seen sewing inside their carved upholstery shops.

“I have been here for nearly 30 years but I no longer think about the city’s historical value...my main concern is my business,” said Nabil Shehadi, a carpenter.

“It is indeed exciting for first time visitors or strangers...I see scores of them every day...many of them take photographs of the alleys, buildings and shops...it seems a great place for them but it has become normal for the inhabitants.”

Old Sidon has an area of around three square km and its old stone buildings, not exceeding four levels, appear to have survived wars and Israeli bombings.

Located at the Western edge of Old Sidon is the Mediterranean Sea and the fishing harbour, which feeds more than 250,500 people in the area, which also includes modern Sidon and its outskirts and villages.

A 1.5 million cubic metre mountain of garbage had dwarfed the small buildings in Old Sidon and sent foul smell through its alleys for nearly four decades before authorities began burying it underground close to the shore.

Adjoining Old Sidon at the east is the new city, Lebanon’s third largest after the capital Beirut and the northern port of Tripoli. Hundreds of people flock from the new city into the bazaars of Old Sidon to buy cheaper clothes and other products.

The buildings in Old Sidon are so close that one can go to the roof and stroll on the top of most parts of the city, one of the most densely populated places in Lebanon.

During the fasting month of Ramadan, shops and restaurants remain open till dawn while many Sidonians stay up late to smoke Hookah and play cards at cafes.

“I was born in this city and I love my home......I don’t think I can live in another place,” said Adel Al Zayyat, a 60-year-old Sidonian.

“I work in the new city but I can’t wait till I finish work for the day and come back home....this is my place and my father’s and grandfather’s place...most of my relatives also have been living her for many decades...no one wants to leave.”

All Picture by Nadim Kawach

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