Sharjah Autozone

Since I moved to Sharjah in the UAE last August for work I have tasked myself to understand how the built environment is shaped differently 5000km from the UK where I did my Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning. Previously a lot of my perceptions on space and place have been shaped by what I've read on European cities with little reference to cities in the Middle East or elsewhere. To be fair on my course it was never really designed to study planning outside of the UK and it never implied that the meaning of space and place is objective, it just taught us how to analyse it.

One of the first few interesting things I have encountered here as an amateur urbanist is author Yasser Elsheshtawy. A lot of his work is to do with researching the urban form in Arab cities and he touches upon the meaning of space/place a fair bit in his books and publications. One of the objects he has used to delineate the meaning of place in the UAE vis-à-vis the global narrative on cities is shopping centers. Traditionally a shopping center is viewed as a haven for hyper-consumers running around in a less than spectacular concrete structure. Elsheshtawy however suggests that for people in the UAE shopping centers are seen as vibrant public spaces, much like a public plaza. This would make practical sense as there's only so much you can do outdoor when it's 40+ degrees, and having been to a few shopping centers in the UAE I can definitely feel a different vibe from the malls I have been to in the US. Ultimately I think there are different ways public indoor spaces can be created that shouldn't be restricted to shopping centers, but the fact remains that the meaning of a public place in the UAE needs to be appreciated differently.

Mercato mall Dubai. Link: http://inzumi.com/images/destinations/AE_Vereinigte-Arabische-Emirate_Mercato_Shopping_Mall.jpg 

Mercato mall Dubai. Link: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcROH1IhaYM9oxguU2bF9ZLb_AQ4gDhONUpt-NW-YfxQac_doAyD17Lgn_qeIlscQH8MtNau1S2Bo3Mcey_TYzued744Vukj6MRhAkW-NxAT1u6JOvRvZkZbknPIVwlCW28S977_SJSRo/s1600/DSCN5903.JPG

During my first week at work I encountered another situation where I had to recalibrate my thoughts on what place means here. One of the planners was briefing me on the Sharjah Autozone development they have been working on with the government, a massive business and leisure facility dedicated to used-car dealerships at a rumoured cost of 300-400 million USD, in many senses it as an oasis for petrol-heads. The government of Sharjah appears to be interested in creating an entertainment automobile retail facility much like Abu Dhabi's concept plan for Motor World, which apparently is meant to house a 3 star hotel, office space, retail podiums and a range of fine dining outlets! I found it ridiculous that the government would invest so much money on such a development. Amazingly though the motive of this investment is urban improvement.

Abu Dhabi Motor World. Link: http://abudhabiliving.net/system/files/07.jpg

In a relatively small neighbourhood in Sharjah called Abu Shagara right behind my office building around 500 used-car dealerships form the biggest center for used-car trade in the Middle-East. The areas isn't even commercial, it mostly consists of residential buildings with the basement of almost every building occupied by used-car dealerships. Apparently if you drive through the neighbourhood merchants sometimes walk up to your window and ask to buy your car on the spot and in some cases they will also invite themselves into your car to pitch their offer. It might be an interesting and successful used-car trade hub but the quality of living in Abu Shagara is unpleasant, mostly due to bad traffic and congestion caused by the car dealers, and the neighbourhood just feels like it's suffocating.

Used-cars for sale in parking lots. Link: http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1230328!/image/1210161183.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_475/1210161183.jpg

Traffic jam Abu Shagara. Link: http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1230328!/image/1210161183.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_475/1210161183.jpg

There is thus a justification for relocating the car dealers out of Abu Shagara to improve the neighbourhood's quality of living, but what of the 400 million USD cost of Sharjah Autozone? In the words of my co-worker cars are an extension of people in the Emirates. People in the UAE appear to value cars a fair bit, apparent in the amount of money some would spend on buying a specialised number plate and on decorating their cars for the UAE National Day celebrations.

UAE National Day car decoration. Link: http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/1.547350!/image/487009351.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_640/487009351.jpg

To some degree Sharjah Autozone can be seen as a development intrinsically rooted in aspects of UAE culture with regards to car consumption, which makes me feel a bit more sympathetic towards the development although I'd still argue money can always be spent on more urgent things in the city such as improving public transport and alleviating traffic congestion. Nevertheless if you're a car lover and a frustrated resident of Abu Shagara I think you might just see Sharjah Autzone as a necessary development.

Qustandi

Christopher Andrew Mazen Qustandi Karam. One thing that stands out is perhaps my Western appearing given name, Christopher Andrew, which feels out of place and awkward. To sort this mess out I decided to dive into a bit of onomatology. The results were not exactly surprising:

Christopher: Greek origin (Christóforos) meaning carrier of Christ.
Andrew (maternal grandfather's name): Greek origin meaning manly and strong.
Mazen (dad's name): Arabic origin, most likely meaning rain clouds.
Qustandi (paternal grandfather's name): Latin origin (very similar to Constantine) meaning steady and firm.
Karam: Arabic origin meaning generous.

I say not surprising not for the (admittedly) sublime accuracy the names bestow upon my personality, but for their accurate reflection upon my ethnic background. Situated in the Eastern Mediterranean, Palestine has long been exposed to the Greco-Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires, all of which have used the Latin, Greek, and Arabic languages. So really it's no surprise that my name represents an amalgamation of the Classical, Medieval, and Modern eras. I am however particularly interested in one part of my name, Qustandi. The name got me thinking when I was reading about Constantine the Great and the Roman empire. Constantine is regarded highly in Orthodox Christianity due to the influential role he played in sponsoring the underground religion and its eventual spreading across various continents from 400AD onwards. I come from an Eastern Orthodox Arabic background (colloquially referred to as 'Ruum' Orthodox - meaning Roman Orthodox) so expectedly the name Constantine eventually filtered through cultures and regions to become Qustandi.

Away from onomatology and my personal history and closer to something of more interest to me; how does Qustandi and Eastern Orthodox Christianity translate into the built environment form in Ramallah? This warrants a visit to the Ruum Orthodox church. I only had to drive less than a kilometre from my house to reach this site in Al-Tireh suburb:

Picture courtesy of Mazen Karam

If you look closely at the picture you might notice that there is in fact no church; so much for built environment. This is the site of the first place of Orthodox worship in Ramallah. The picture shows remnants of a monastery where Saint Stephen (the first Christian martyr) was said to be buried. More than a century ago Ramallah was home to seven Christian monasteries, one of which was St. Stephen's monastery. Back then Ramallah was not exactly a city let alone a town. In fact the name Ramallah did not even appear until the 15th century, when the modern day city was inaugurated. The monasteries were thus a defining characteristic of the area at one point in history. Today only ruins remain and they are conserved by local municipalities in Ramallah and the adjacent city, Al-Bireh.

Another monastery site in Al-Bireh, picture courtesy of Mazen Karam

The site of St. Stephen's monastery is still used till this day for ceremonial worship amongst Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Eastern Orthodox ceremonial worship, picture courtesy of Mazen Karam

Last summer (2013) new artefacts were discovered and so the site has been gated as archaeological work continues.

Artefact from St. Stephen's monastery, picture courtesy of Mazen Karam

I continued my drive towards Ramallah and arrived at the Church of Transfiguration, the current site of the Ruum Orthodox Church in the historic district of Ramallah-Al-Tahta (literally lower Ramallah).

Ruum Orthodox Church Ramallah

Church interior

Church interior

The church was built in the traditional architectural style of the Basilica, with a large rectangular interior split into three rows by large columns. The construction of Basilica churches was the result of a direct order by Constantine the Great. If it weren't for him Basilicas or even churches might have never had existed. The church thus stands as a testimony to the strong and lasting influence of Constantine's Christianisation of the Middle East.

The church is decorated with a selection of Christian artwork of Jesus, Mary and various saints. In Eastern Christianity religious artwork is referred to as 'icons' or 'ikonat' in Arabic, regardless of its form. Expectedly the artwork is very characteristic of traditional Eastern Christianity and Byzantine art. Here's a few pictures of some of the icons found in the church today:

Image source: http://www.tajalli.ps/EN/frames.html	Image source: http://www.tajalli.ps/EN/frames.html
Last Supper, image source: http://www.tajalli.ps/EN/frames.html	Image source: http://www.tajalli.ps/EN/frames.html

If you think these icons are ugly, well done, you've probably complimented their respective artists. Byzantine Christian art departed from the sexualised fascination with the body epitomised in Pagan Classicist art and instead demoted humans to a more rudimentary, almost intentionally ugly form. Up until the Renaissance Christian artwork was very much about conveying religious meaning and disregarding pagan traditions of glorifying the image of human beings.

L'Ultima Cena by Leonardo Da Vinci, image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/%C3%9Altima_Cena_-_Da_Vinci_5.jpg

If you compare Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper portrait to the Byzantine version shown before you can notice a stark contrast in style. The former portrait was drawn during the Renaissance period, when there was a reemergence of Classical art. The faces in the portrait are much more rounded and feel more 'real', in fact most of the concentration in the picture is on Jesus and his disciples. However the Byzantine version in the Church of Transfiguration chooses not to concentrate on the human figures, instead the icon is essentially trying to tell the story of the Last Supper with no frills.

The East-West Schism during the Middle Ages might well have had a massive influence on Christian art in Ramallah, and Orthodox Christianity in general. After the schism, Orthodox Christianity remained highly conservative in its art forms and icons. When the Renaissance eventually came about in later years the Catholic church was more recipient and gradually re-adopted the Classical models of architecture and art, unlike its Orthodox counterparts who remained closer to the Byzantine models. What makes the Church of Transfiguration in Ramallah very Orthodox is thus the lack of any artwork resemblant of the Renaissance/Enlightenment/Modern eras.

The Church of Transfiguration is probably only one dimension of the influence Constantine the Great has had on Ramallah's culture and built environment, however it is perhaps the most vivid living example in the city.

Constantine the Great: Ancient selfie