The Old Arab City is literally something that just came to me when I was thinking of a title for this post, however the true nature of this title truly reflects the vast amount of options that may be used in order to title the posts that deal with old Arab homes.
Indeed, the old Arab homes are old. In fact they're so old that I sometimes think I took a few steps back in time into something like the 18th or 17th century (when these developments were actually built). The fact that they presevre these old places provides support for either two things; they are too lazy to tear them down and build actual modern homes or they like their past because it makes them feel unique.
Nonetheless, these homes are so old and unique in their designs that it seems like a touristic center in itself. Preserved Roman architecture and complicated designs are found a lot, especially in the older cities like Alexandria or Amman. The architecture in Alexandria in particular is something that amazes me a lot. It is something more closer to Mediterranean style place.
That's the exterior and what they look like. Inside however, is something more unique than the exterior. Ok, we can temporarily dismiss the fact that the density of the six to ten story apartment buildings is present. However, I personally need to address the fact that you can literally hear/see the actions that take place in other homes. It's like nothing's a secret, yet people will in fact get caught in tangles over privacy.
We go into a specific home now and you will find more elaborate images of the living room, kitchen, bathroom, etc.
The contemporary living room in an older city in the Middle East consists of something along the lines of this: a nice t.v., a few very large couches (I'll get to why they're large in a second), and some table that's probably off center and with old decaying flowers in it. The nice t.v. is necessary because everyone watches t.v. at some given point in time. So they need this luxury because it justifies some leisure time home because they make plenty of sacrifices elsewhere in the house. For example, the reason why they have such large couches is because the grandfather or grandmother or someone will essentially be forced to sleep on it because of lack of beds that need to be in cooperation of the people. The decaying flowers is their form of decoration. I mean, they just do not care what it looks like in there. If they were forced to actually tidy their living room some time it would be because of a very important/prominent guest. Other than that, it pretty much looks like ancient history in there, except for the fact that there's a large and expensive t.v.
Kitchens are dreaded by everyone, yet everyone knows very well that they need to make their way in there some point in time. For one, they all are small and crowded. There's an enlarged fridge in the corner that can only be opened half way due to lack of space and there is also the ten thousand year old oven that some how still works. The sink is large as well. There's a window that leads out into the clearing area between the apartments of the building. It probably smells something like a combination of spices, onions, and old food leftover.
Bedrooms are nice. The master bedroom is the only thing that probably represents the remnants of the marriage of the owners of the house. It has some nice furniture and it also looks pretty well kept. However, the other smaller bedrooms are old, peeling walls, and multiple beds to accommodate the over flowing house of people.
Dining rooms are kept clean as well. The only reason why they're kept clean is because nobody eats in them. The entire family will spread out a mat or some old sheets onto the floor in front of the t.v. in the living room and they'll eat sitting down. The only time, I believe, when the actual dining table is used is when there's an important guest or something.
Do you see why now the older homes are unique?
Indeed, the old Arab homes are old. In fact they're so old that I sometimes think I took a few steps back in time into something like the 18th or 17th century (when these developments were actually built). The fact that they presevre these old places provides support for either two things; they are too lazy to tear them down and build actual modern homes or they like their past because it makes them feel unique.
Nonetheless, these homes are so old and unique in their designs that it seems like a touristic center in itself. Preserved Roman architecture and complicated designs are found a lot, especially in the older cities like Alexandria or Amman. The architecture in Alexandria in particular is something that amazes me a lot. It is something more closer to Mediterranean style place.
That's the exterior and what they look like. Inside however, is something more unique than the exterior. Ok, we can temporarily dismiss the fact that the density of the six to ten story apartment buildings is present. However, I personally need to address the fact that you can literally hear/see the actions that take place in other homes. It's like nothing's a secret, yet people will in fact get caught in tangles over privacy.
We go into a specific home now and you will find more elaborate images of the living room, kitchen, bathroom, etc.
The contemporary living room in an older city in the Middle East consists of something along the lines of this: a nice t.v., a few very large couches (I'll get to why they're large in a second), and some table that's probably off center and with old decaying flowers in it. The nice t.v. is necessary because everyone watches t.v. at some given point in time. So they need this luxury because it justifies some leisure time home because they make plenty of sacrifices elsewhere in the house. For example, the reason why they have such large couches is because the grandfather or grandmother or someone will essentially be forced to sleep on it because of lack of beds that need to be in cooperation of the people. The decaying flowers is their form of decoration. I mean, they just do not care what it looks like in there. If they were forced to actually tidy their living room some time it would be because of a very important/prominent guest. Other than that, it pretty much looks like ancient history in there, except for the fact that there's a large and expensive t.v.
Kitchens are dreaded by everyone, yet everyone knows very well that they need to make their way in there some point in time. For one, they all are small and crowded. There's an enlarged fridge in the corner that can only be opened half way due to lack of space and there is also the ten thousand year old oven that some how still works. The sink is large as well. There's a window that leads out into the clearing area between the apartments of the building. It probably smells something like a combination of spices, onions, and old food leftover.
Bedrooms are nice. The master bedroom is the only thing that probably represents the remnants of the marriage of the owners of the house. It has some nice furniture and it also looks pretty well kept. However, the other smaller bedrooms are old, peeling walls, and multiple beds to accommodate the over flowing house of people.
Dining rooms are kept clean as well. The only reason why they're kept clean is because nobody eats in them. The entire family will spread out a mat or some old sheets onto the floor in front of the t.v. in the living room and they'll eat sitting down. The only time, I believe, when the actual dining table is used is when there's an important guest or something.
Do you see why now the older homes are unique?
No comments:
Post a Comment