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Marwa Al-Sabouni: How Syria's architecture laid the foundation for brutal war
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What caused the war in Syria? Oppression, drought and religious differences all played key roles, but Marwa Al-Sabouni suggests another reason: architecture. Speaking to us over the Internet from Homs, where for the last six years she has watched the war tear her city apart, Al-Sabouni suggests that Syria's architecture divided its once tolerant and multicultural society into single-identity enclaves defined by class and religion. The country's future now depends on how it chooses to rebuild.
Marwa Al-Sabouni - Architect
Marwa Al-Sabouni suggests that architecture played a crucial role in the slow unraveling of Syrian cities' social fabric, preparing the way for once-friendly groups to become enemies instead of neighbors. Full bio
Marwa Al-Sabouni suggests that architecture played a crucial role in the slow unraveling of Syrian cities' social fabric, preparing the way for once-friendly groups to become enemies instead of neighbors. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:19
Hi. My name is Marwa,
and I'm an architect.
and I'm an architect.
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I was born and raised in Homs,
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a city in the central
western part of Syria,
western part of Syria,
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and I've always lived here.
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After six years of war,
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Homs is now a half-destroyed city.
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My family and I were lucky;
our place is still standing.
our place is still standing.
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Although for two years,
we were like prisoners at home.
we were like prisoners at home.
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Outside there were demonstrations
and battles and bombings and snipers.
and battles and bombings and snipers.
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My husband and I used to run
an architecture studio
an architecture studio
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in the old town main square.
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It's gone, as is most
of the old town itself.
of the old town itself.
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Half of the city's other neighborhoods
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are now rubble.
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Since the ceasefire in late 2015,
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large parts of Homs
have been more or less quiet.
have been more or less quiet.
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The economy is completely broken,
and people are still fighting.
and people are still fighting.
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The merchants who had stalls
in the old city market
in the old city market
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now trade out of sheds on the streets.
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Under our apartment, there is a carpenter,
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sweetshops, a butcher, a printing house,
workshops, among many more.
workshops, among many more.
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I have started teaching part-time,
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and with my husband,
who juggles several jobs,
who juggles several jobs,
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we've opened a small bookshop.
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Other people do all sorts
of jobs to get by.
of jobs to get by.
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When I look at my destroyed city,
of course, I ask myself:
of course, I ask myself:
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What has led to this senseless war?
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Syria was largely a place of tolerance,
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historically accustomed to variety,
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accommodating a wide range
of beliefs, origins, customs,
of beliefs, origins, customs,
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goods, food.
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How did my country --
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a country with communities
living harmoniously together
living harmoniously together
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and comfortable in discussing
their differences --
their differences --
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how did it degenerate into civil war,
violence, displacement
violence, displacement
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and unprecedented sectarian hatred?
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There were many reasons
that had led to the war --
that had led to the war --
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social, political and economic.
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They all have played their role.
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But I believe there is one key reason
that has been overlooked
that has been overlooked
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and which is important to analyze,
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because from it will largely depend
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whether we can make sure
that this doesn't happen again.
that this doesn't happen again.
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And that reason is architecture.
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Architecture in my country
has played an important role
has played an important role
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in creating, directing and amplifying
conflict between warring factions,
conflict between warring factions,
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and this is probably true
for other countries as well.
for other countries as well.
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There is a sure correspondence
between the architecture of a place
between the architecture of a place
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and the character of the community
that has settled there.
that has settled there.
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Architecture plays a key role
in whether a community crumbles
in whether a community crumbles
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or comes together.
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Syrian society has long lived
the coexistence
the coexistence
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of different traditions and backgrounds.
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Syrians have experienced
the prosperity of open trade
the prosperity of open trade
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and sustainable communities.
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They have enjoyed the true meaning
of belonging to a place,
of belonging to a place,
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and that was reflected
in their built environment,
in their built environment,
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in the mosques and churches
built back-to-back,
built back-to-back,
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in the interwoven souks and public venues,
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and the proportions and sizes based
on principles of humanity and harmony.
on principles of humanity and harmony.
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This architecture of mixity
can still be read in the remains.
can still be read in the remains.
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The old Islamic city in Syria
was built over a multilayered past,
was built over a multilayered past,
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integrating with it
and embracing its spirit.
and embracing its spirit.
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So did its communities.
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People lived and worked with each other
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in a place that gave them
a sense of belonging
a sense of belonging
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and made them feel at home.
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They shared a remarkably
unified existence.
unified existence.
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But over the last century,
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gradually this delicate balance
of these places has been interfered with;
of these places has been interfered with;
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first, by the urban planners
of the colonial period,
of the colonial period,
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when the French went
enthusiastically about,
enthusiastically about,
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transforming what they saw
as the un-modern Syrian cities.
as the un-modern Syrian cities.
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They blew up city streets
and relocated monuments.
and relocated monuments.
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They called them improvements,
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and they were the beginning
of a long, slow unraveling.
of a long, slow unraveling.
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The traditional urbanism
and architecture of our cities
and architecture of our cities
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assured identity and belonging
not by separation,
not by separation,
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but by intertwining.
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But over time, the ancient became
worthless, and the new, coveted.
worthless, and the new, coveted.
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The harmony of the built environment
and social environment
and social environment
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got trampled over
by elements of modernity --
by elements of modernity --
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brutal, unfinished concrete blocks,
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neglect, aesthetic devastation,
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divisive urbanism that zoned
communities by class, creed or affluence.
communities by class, creed or affluence.
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And the same was happening
to the community.
to the community.
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As the shape of the built
environment changed,
environment changed,
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so the lifestyles and sense
of belonging of the communities
of belonging of the communities
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also started changing.
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From a register
of togetherness, of belonging,
of togetherness, of belonging,
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architecture became
a way of differentiation,
a way of differentiation,
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and communities started drifting apart
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from the very fabric
that used to unite them,
that used to unite them,
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and from the soul of the place that used
to represent their common existence.
to represent their common existence.
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While many reasons had led
to the Syrian war,
to the Syrian war,
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we shouldn't underestimate
the way in which,
the way in which,
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by contributing to the loss
of identity and self-respect,
of identity and self-respect,
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urban zoning and misguided,
inhumane architecture
inhumane architecture
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have nurtured sectarian
divisions and hatred.
divisions and hatred.
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Over time, the united city
has morphed into a city center
has morphed into a city center
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with ghettos along its circumference.
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And in turn, the coherent communities
became distinct social groups,
became distinct social groups,
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alienated from each other
and alienated from the place.
and alienated from the place.
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From my point of view,
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losing the sense of belonging to a place
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and a sense of sharing it
with someone else
with someone else
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has made it a lot easier to destroy.
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The clear example can be seen
in the informal housing system,
in the informal housing system,
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which used to host, before the war,
over 40 percent of the population.
over 40 percent of the population.
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Yes, prior to the war,
almost half of the Syrian population
almost half of the Syrian population
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lived in slums,
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peripheral areas
without proper infrastructure,
without proper infrastructure,
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made of endless rows of bare block boxes
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containing people,
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people who mostly belonged
to the same group,
to the same group,
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whether based on religion,
class, origin or all of the above.
class, origin or all of the above.
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This ghettoized urbanism
proved to be a tangible precursor of war.
proved to be a tangible precursor of war.
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Conflict is much easier
between pre-categorized areas --
between pre-categorized areas --
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where the "others" live.
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The ties that used
to bind the city together --
to bind the city together --
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whether they were social,
through coherent building,
through coherent building,
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or economic, through trade in the souk,
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or religious, through
the coexistent presence --
the coexistent presence --
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were all lost in the misguided
and visionless modernization
and visionless modernization
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of the built environment.
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Allow me an aside.
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When I read about heterogeneous urbanism
in other parts of the world,
in other parts of the world,
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involving ethnic neighborhoods
in British cities
in British cities
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or around Paris or Brussels,
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I recognize the beginning
of the kind of instability
of the kind of instability
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we have witnessed
so disastrously here in Syria.
so disastrously here in Syria.
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We have severely destroyed cities,
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such as Homs, Aleppo,
Daraa and many others,
Daraa and many others,
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and almost half of the population
of the country is now displaced.
of the country is now displaced.
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Hopefully, the war will end,
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and the question that,
as an architect, I have to ask, is:
as an architect, I have to ask, is:
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How do we rebuild?
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What are the principles
that we should adopt
that we should adopt
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in order to avoid repeating
the same mistakes?
the same mistakes?
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From my point of view, the main focus
should be on creating places
should be on creating places
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that make their people feel they belong.
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Architecture and planning
need to recapture
need to recapture
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some of the traditional values
that did just that,
that did just that,
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creating the conditions
for coexistence and peace,
for coexistence and peace,
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values of beauty
that don't exhibit ostentation,
that don't exhibit ostentation,
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but rather, approachability and ease,
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moral values that promote
generosity and acceptance,
generosity and acceptance,
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architecture that is for everyone
to enjoy, not just for the elite,
to enjoy, not just for the elite,
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just as used to be in the shadowed alleys
of the old Islamic city,
of the old Islamic city,
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mixed designs that encourage
a sense of community.
a sense of community.
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There is a neighborhood here in Homs
that's called Baba Amr
that's called Baba Amr
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that has been fully destroyed.
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Almost two years ago,
I introduced this design
I introduced this design
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into a UN-Habitat competition
for rebuilding it.
for rebuilding it.
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The idea was to create an urban fabric
inspired by a tree,
inspired by a tree,
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capable of growing
and spreading organically,
and spreading organically,
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echoing the traditional bridge
hanging over the old alleys,
hanging over the old alleys,
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and incorporating apartments,
private courtyards, shops,
private courtyards, shops,
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workshops, places for parking
and playing and leisure,
and playing and leisure,
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trees and shaded areas.
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It's far from perfect, obviously.
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I drew it during the few hours
of electricity we get.
of electricity we get.
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And there are many possible ways
to express belonging and community
to express belonging and community
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through architecture.
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But compare it with the freestanding,
disconnected blocks
disconnected blocks
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proposed by the official project
for rebuilding Baba Amr.
for rebuilding Baba Amr.
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Architecture is not the axis
around which all human life rotates,
around which all human life rotates,
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but it has the power to suggest
and even direct human activity.
and even direct human activity.
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In that sense, settlement,
identity and social integration
identity and social integration
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are all the producer and product
of effective urbanism.
of effective urbanism.
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The coherent urbanism
of the old Islamic city
of the old Islamic city
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and of many old European
towns, for instance,
towns, for instance,
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promote integration,
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while rows of soulless housing
or tower blocks,
or tower blocks,
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even when they are luxurious,
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tend to promote isolation and "otherness."
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Even simple things
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like shaded places or fruit plants
or drinking water inside the city
or drinking water inside the city
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can make a difference
in how people feel towards the place,
in how people feel towards the place,
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and whether they consider it
a generous place that gives,
a generous place that gives,
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a place that's worth keeping,
contributing to,
contributing to,
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or whether they see it
as an alienating place,
as an alienating place,
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full of seeds of anger.
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In order for a place to give,
its architecture should be giving, too.
its architecture should be giving, too.
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Our built environment matters.
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The fabric of our cities is reflected
in the fabric of our souls.
in the fabric of our souls.
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And whether in the shape
of informal concrete slums
of informal concrete slums
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or broken social housing
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or trampled old towns
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or forests of skyscrapers,
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the contemporary urban archetypes
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that have emerged
all across the Middle East
all across the Middle East
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have been one cause of the alienation
and fragmentation of our communities.
and fragmentation of our communities.
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We can learn from this.
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We can learn how to rebuild
in another way,
in another way,
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how to create an architecture
that doesn't contribute only
that doesn't contribute only
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to the practical and economic
aspects of people's lives,
aspects of people's lives,
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but also to their social, spiritual
and psychological needs.
and psychological needs.
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Those needs were totally overlooked
in the Syrian cities before the war.
in the Syrian cities before the war.
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We need to create again
cities that are shared
cities that are shared
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by the communities that inhabit them.
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If we do so, people will not feel the need
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to seek identities opposed
to the other identities all around,
to the other identities all around,
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because they will all feel at home.
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Thank you for listening.
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Marwa Al-Sabouni - ArchitectMarwa Al-Sabouni suggests that architecture played a crucial role in the slow unraveling of Syrian cities' social fabric, preparing the way for once-friendly groups to become enemies instead of neighbors.
Why you should listen
Marwa Al-Sabouni was born in Homs, a city in the central-western part of the country, and has a PhD in Islamic Architecture. Despite the destruction of large parts of the city, she has remained in Homs with her husband and two children throughout the war. In her just-released book The Battle for Home (Thames & Hudson, 2016), she explores the role architecture and the built environment play in whether a community crumbles or comes together, and she offers insights on how her country (and a much-needed sense of identity) should be rebuilt so that it will not happen again.
Marwa Al-Sabouni | Speaker | TED.com