A month ago news agencies carried stories on elections in Mali; the pictures showed people going to vote. In the backgrounds of many of the pictures were the magnificent old mud buildings of Mali, particularly the grand mosque which is said to be the largest mud brick building in the world. The building allegedly dates back to the 13th century and though it was demolished at one time, it was rebuilt in 1907. Subsequently in 1988 UNESCO added it to the World Heritage list.
Stories concerning the mosque and its history are in hundreds of travel guides and also on the Internet. The mosque is repaired annually by local people, proud of their traditions and unwilling to allow any changes that might alter the original structure.
Not long after those pictures of Mali were published, the agencies also carried pictures of the old American Embassy building in Jeddah. The building has all the distinctive features of old Jeddah buildings — the wooden doors and windows. Local people have heard much about the old building from their parents and grandparents; the old embassy has an almost mythical quality that transports you back to a time when Jeddah was no more than a small town, with traditional buildings on winding streets. The houses in those days were situated in such a way on the streets that the scorching heat of summer was somehow lessened. This particular building, a former embassy, is a part of Saudi history and there is every reason for it to be protected and maintained; the sad truth is that it has been neglected for years and it looks it. Whatever we can say about it, there are many other old buildings in Jeddah which deserve better than they have received — and are receiving today.
Most of us cruise around the streets of Jeddah — usually far from the historic district — and feel happy and proud of all the signs of homogeneous modernization (Starbucks, Pizza Hut etc.) that are as common here as they are in thousands of other cities around the world. Our problem is not, as in many other countries, a lack of funds to maintain our historic buildings; indeed, the people in Mali are witness to the fact that preserving history is not simply a matter of money. They have the respect and love for their cities and their buildings that we lack. No matter how many songs are written about Jeddah and no matter how many beautiful names we come up with for it, the fact is that songs and poetry are not going to preserve those old buildings in the Mazloum District (how many know how it came to be called that?) and keep them standing in good condition.
But on a more positive note, Reuters carried a report this week quoting the tourism manager of the Jeddah Municipality, Sami Nawar, who said that Jeddah was on its way to joining UNESCO’s World Heritage List. In his remarks, Nawar lamented the fact that for the past 20 years he has been working diligently — and I will say almost alone — to spread awareness of the value of our heritage in a society that is interested only in the new, the novel and what is seen to be modern. According to Nawar, the last hope of protecting and preserving old Jeddah lies with UNESCO. That doesn’t say much for how we feel about our city. As in so many other fields, things are being left to non-Saudis, to foreigners. In the end, Jeddah’s old city is not their heritage; it is ours.
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A recent news item: The head of the Extracurricular Activities Department in the Ministry of Education, Girls Section, had said that physical exercise “does not suit females.” The official, who began her job four months ago, said that exercise is not one of the department’s priorities. She went on to support the official line taken by the Ministry of Education which is that physical education should not be allowed in girls’ schools and in fact that girls are not interested in it.
According to the ministry official, physical education and exercise are not compatible with girls’ natures. Their efforts should be directed to enriching their minds and preparing for their future roles as mothers and housewives. The ministry official stated that there were religious doubts concerning the clothing girls would wear during such classes if they did exist, and she added that even if girls were allowed to take such classes, they would not benefit from them because their bodies are not built for exercise, unlike the bodies of boys and men. One wonders if this woman lives in the modern world at all.
That was all the news item had to say. Quite enough — and none of it reflects positively on Saudi Arabia or its educational system. What I want to know is who appointed this woman to her job? Who told her it was all right to talk to newspapers and what are her qualifications for holding the job she has in the ministry?
