MADINAH, 5 December 2005 — Municipal authorities in Madinah are demolishing yet another important site that has stood during hundreds of years of the region’s history. After the destruction of the Aqiq Valley Bridge, part of the historic Hejaz Railway in August this year, the municipality is now targeting the Osaifreen Mountain. Historians and researchers have reacted with anger and described the action as “irresponsible.”
According to historians, there was a mosque near the mountain where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prayed.
Bulldozers have begun demolishing the historical mountain, considered by many residents of Al-Harra Al-Gharbeya as an integral part of their lives. Ahmad Al-Arwi, who lives next to the mountain, said all residents were surprised by the operation. “We have heard that the mountain was being removed to build a residential neighborhood,” Al-Arwi said.
The location of the mountain is very important as it stands by a main street connected to Al-Salam Street, one of the city’s main thoroughfares.
Khaled Al-Husseini, another resident, said, “What makes the neighborhood so unique is the mountain. For many years, it has been part of the neighborhood. It is not only that a historical mountain is being demolished but the demolition is endangering the lives of many. Houses might well collapse on people as rocks roll down from the mountain. The last thing the municipality seems to care about is the people because no study was done about whether houses could stand the impact of the demolition work. We all remember an incident where two people were killed next to a construction site because of the municipality’s failure to inspect nearby buildings before it began the project.”
Homoud Al-Shareef said, “Safety inside one’s home is a basic right. I do not feel safe because of the demolition work. The operation is expected to continue for months and I do not know how long my house will last.”
