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Story Of A Building, A History Of A City.
Celebrating a great building, which might be ..
Breathing It's Last!
by Youcef Marzooq Youcef
Introduction
In every city in this world, there's a building, a monument, an architectural landmark or something, that would be considered as a symbol to the whole city, the image of this monument would be glued in the hearts and minds of the people, as an image for the city itself… I'm talking about buildings like the Eiffel tower and the city of Paris, Rome and the Colosseum, Sidney and the opera building, New York and the statue of liberty, and so forth.. it seems like people tend to link between a city and one of it's milestones, and this rule includes us here in Ajdabiya too, I mean, at the end of the day we are humans too.. right !?
From this regard, most of the sources agreed that both the Fatimid palace in Ajdabiya, and the colonial building known to locals as (Al-Motsarfiya) are the symbol of this city. And at this point one might ask: O.K but what the heck is the reason for this boring lecture..!?
Well, the reason is that, Al- motsarfiya building- symbol of our city- is in danger… in a great danger to its very existence… so.. are you interested !?If the answer is Yes, then you can read on this report in which we covered this story from all aspects and sources concerning it
At first, what's exactly this danger..?
Actually, there are many dangers and not only one! The first one is the belief some people have here, that the building was built by the" Ancient Era" ( the official name for the Libyan Kingdom after Colonel Qadhafi's revolution 1969 ).. so they think the building as a symbol for the royal era, must be destructed ..!But thank God, this gnus though, built on a very false historical information , convinced nobody.
But is Al-motsarfiya, a royal building, belongs to the " ancient era" for real ..? .. that's exactly what we going to answer after finishing the list of the many dangers threatening the symbol of our city..
The second danger, is the ( restoration) works that have been started for long months ago, and stopped after they removed the protecting cement layer from the whole building. Leaving it
Without any cover and the winter is about to come. Which carry a big danger to the building… and leaving the antique stones of the building In the face of the storm ( literally).
Third one is, the fact that the building have been divided, depending on whom is using a particular part of it! Many public departments use the building, by taking parts or rooms of it as headquarters and offices, and periodically these public offices go under a ( restoration) process! Separately!! Which means every public department would make some restorations to the part they are using from the building, without any kind of harmonization nor coordination with each other!!
Besides, these( restoration) caused a great deal of deformation to the original design of the building, by joining rooms to each other to make bigger offices, transform other rooms to bathrooms and other facilities…they haven't been designed for in the original design.
Not to mention that the annoying fact that there are no one official department bear the responsibility of the building, puts it – the building - in a serious danger.
So, what about allegations relating between the building and the royal era in Libya?
Well, simply this is a lie. Or if we want to think about these allegations in good intentions .. we would say it's built on a pure ignorance for the simplest historic facts!The royal era in Libya began in the year 1951. this is an undisputable fact. So logically talking .. if someone approved the building was actually built way before this date(1951) eventually would be the end of the debate on this allegation. I suppose we are all agree on this point,
Hence, let me present to you some of these naked proofs…
The German newspaper of " Die Wehrmacht " published in 1941 the picture (down) with a caption saying:" After the "Deutsches Afrikakorps" had its first contact with the enemy at EL Aghila, the great German Italian advance along the Libyan coast began. Ajdabiya was the first bigger city, which could have been captured from the British Units.". but the caption is not what matters to us here as mush as the picture does. And why dose this picture mattes so much ? Well, there are many reasons for that..
First, it approves the building is Italian, because it existed before the
royal era.
Also, by this picture and the date it was published in, make it more
possible to us to estimate more accurately, the date the building of
Almotsarfiya was built.
It also focus the estimation on a certain period of time, and this period
obviously, doesn't include the decade of The Forties of the last century.
So it leaves us to say that it was probably built between the Italian
occupation for Ajdabiya, and the year of 1939.
Historic sources tell us the Italian occupation for Ajdabiya, was in
14/3/1914. but it lasted only for one year, because they had to withdraw
in the year 1915, as a result for their defeat at Alqurdabiya battle with
the forces of Libyan resistance, and the mass uprising against them in
Tripoli.(1)
And they couldn't been able to return to Ajdabiya before the year 1923,
when they would occupy the city for the second time, and this was under
the command of General Latini.(2)
So, obviously this leave us with a very specific period of time, and that
would be between the year 1923 and 1939. and some assume it's more
probably was built after the year 1931, after the hanging of Omar Mukhtar,
the leader of Libyan resistance. And they arguing that the Italians
started to build schools and establishment widely after this date which
was practically the end of the Libyan armed resistance. But a picture was
revealed recently, published here for the first time puts literally the
end of this debate, Details in the following paragraph.
The End of this debate, Our Over-kill proof!
Thanks to my friend Miftah Al-Moghrbi, who brought this picture (down) to me to use it in this report, after he has read the Arabic version of the report in this website that was published in November 15 2005, He also took a printed copy of the report and handed it to the local weekly newspaper to be published, I agreed after two weeks of hard thinking, for obvious reasons! 
Anyway, what was I saying?! Yes Over-kill proof..
See, this picture is one of four pictures for Ajdabiya in the year 1935, my friend Miftah, got it from the department of monuments, here in Ajdabiya, they were originally have been found at the museum of the Libyan city of Cyrene.
The picture needs no comment, it says it all; Al-Motsarfiya did really existed way before royal era, and we have this picture to approve it!
So, I assume the vision is crystal clear now to everybody about the fact that Almotsarfiya, is an Italian building. And it's not something needs to be approved, because it was built on the Colonial style, besides .. we found Italian writing (the picture down) on the piece of decoration which marks the building, right at it's top. Although it wasn't clear to read it all, but clear enough to know that it's Italian, maybe you can read one word ( Modena) which's the name of an Italian city. Maybe it was the birthplace of one of the guards who carved it on the wall in a moment of nostalgia to his hometown.
This picture is published Exclusively for the first time on the internet, for the World War II German cemetery in Ajdabiya. The picture was taken in the year 1941. and it was scanned and sent to us by Kuno Gross. Later the cemetery was evacuated by the German Embassy in Libya, because the area around it became very crowded residential place at the Seventies.
Same picture
above November 2005.
Another historic document, Ajdabiya Online got it exclusively, approves the strategic importance for Ajdabiya for the Italian occupation at that time, It's a commemorative medal, was made for a very special occasion… the royal visit to Ajdabiya April 26 1933 by the king of Italy Vittorio Emanvele. III… as the writing on the medal says: ( Visita Reali, Agedabia, 26 Aprile1933 XI ).
Note: there was a simple decorative addition to the building in the royal era. When the balcony facing alkfura street was added later. As shown in the picture (down).
Unique Features
1- Secret Security Exits.
Because the building was originally built to be the headquarter for the
Italian military governor in Ajdabiya, back in the Italian occupation era,
the Architect was very aware of that, which reflected in the secret exits
that have been discovered not long ago.For example - and according to what the oldest employee in the building had told me - there's supposedly in the room ( picture down) a secret underground tunnel leads to the outskirts of the city, specifically to Al henaiya region. And he added that a group of foreign archaeologists who visited Ajdabiya in the last couple of years or so, had visited the building , discovered the tunnel, and walked in it for some distance…before they had to get out due to the bad conditioning and breathing problems underground… still, according to what the employee had told me, and although I haven't seen the tunnel myself, because the room was locked, yet I strongly tend to believe his story.
Most likely the crypt was built as a place for the guards to hide in or something like that, both the tunnel and the crypt were used as alarm exits in case the building was under attack ( we are talking about the time of the occupation era, when attacks by Libyan resistance were just a daily routine for the Italians).
Veneration And Grandeur
As you can clearly notice from the picture (down), there was no garden separating the internal Tripoli street and the entrance of the building. In fact, the street was ending right at the main entrance of the building. And if you stood in the balcony or at the top of the building facing the street of Tripoli, you would be haunted by a strange, striking feeling … like you are in the center of the event…actually you would feel you are the event! And the garden which was built in the Seventies, played a leading role to neutralize the building on the main scene of the city.
Who's using and residing in the building now? And to whom it belongs?
This building, transformed to be used as offices both public and private offices, I couldn't actually count all the offices and to whom it belongs! You find offices for departments like (restaurants and bakery ) to offices of Alzahf Elakhdhar Newspaper (The Green March) - which is by the way, not distributed here in Ajdabiya, neither do the other official daily newspapers That are all published in Tripoli or Benghazi.And when I asked the oldest employee in the building, who have been in his job since 1970, about if the departments using the building as offices pay any kind of rent or payments ? He told me that there are no payments at all, and that the building belongs to the Libyan state, embodied by the department of public welfare, which's the only authority who can decide whom can take offices in the building.
And the department of Public Environment Care. (Yes! Apparently we have a Public Environment Care!! Cause on the ground on Ajdabiya there are no one single sign that such a department has ever existed.
What about the new restoration process, Which have been stopped for many months now?!
Our searches to find out who was behind the decision of removing the protecting cement layer from the building, all have led us to one place; The Trade & Economy Department, Ajdabiya region.And here are some of the information we got about this topic:
First, we have been told that, the building wasn't supposed to be a headquarter for the Trade & Economy Department, and that the plan was to move to another new building located near to the Fallujah mosque, But this didn't happened because the second building has been taken by another public department.
So, the Trade & Economy Department, asked for some restorations to be done at Al-Motsarfiya, in order to be their headquarter. And the T.E.D contacted the local authorities ( Al sha'abiya. EI, Mayor) on March 16 2005,
Then the Mayor's office agreed, sending an engineer from the Public Projects department, to make a report on the restorations needed in the building. The engineer finished the report and handed it to the mayor's office , which agrees and sign a contract with a local company named (Al ahali Co.) to take all the restoration works in the building.
And when we asked why, the restoration works have been stopped for many months now after removing the outer protecting cement layer, while winter is at the doors, We have been told that there were some problems concerning the regional elections (3) , and the delay that occurred in that process . and when finally there were newly elected members, at the local authority positions (4), First thing they did, is canceling all contracts signed by the former members! And yes, the contract of Al-Motsarfiya, has also been cancelled. And we have been told that contacts are being made with the Sha'abiya officials to exclude the Al-Motsarfiya contract from the cancelled ones. As for the material that will be used to make the new protecting cement layer, we have been told that the material will be a normal cement.
After I saw the part used by the Trade & Economy Department , I can confirm that the state of the building is very good, looking in a good conditions from the inside, except maybe some stains in the interior walls, because of the very old painting.
The Military Unit.
There's a Libyan army unit, using the backside of the building, as a headquarters, its gate on Al-Nasr St.And, we have noticed from the outside, that there are three big holes in the historical wall of the building. These holes as big as three doors, And it has been said that the military unit has made these supposed doors to use them as shops, on Al-Nasr St. known with its booming commercial activity.
We also knew, that the military unit has cancelled its commercial project, mentioned above, but we noticed that the three doors are still there!
Conclusion
Without any unneeded lecturing and stuff, this building can't be used as a headquarter or offices from any kind. It also appears that the former restoration works to the building that took place in the last few years, wasn't organized or in tune with each other in one vision. What happened is that every part of the building have been put under (restorations) separately, which's very strange and odd enough on all levels! How can a qualified professional architectural engineer allow this to happen, It's totally against logic, and let alone the architectural professionalism.And with a simple calculating, you can realize that all the money (5)which has been used for the restoration works in the last few years, and the money they are talking about it now for the current restorations, are more than enough to build one new building as big as Al-motsarfiya, At least! Besides, all public departments using the building, has deformed it big deal, by re-dividing the rooms in order to get more offices, and transforming other rooms to bathrooms and stuff. Also there was so much apathy, when they dealt with the building to add air conditioning machines, which resulted in a big deforming to the appearance of the building. Not to mention the striking deforming caused by the three doors next to the gate of the military unit.
And the fact that there are no one department is responsible for the whole building, by dividing it to many separated parts, each part used by an independent department that has nothing to do with other departments using the building, Puts the building at a big risk, cause there's no one responsible for any damages might be caused by the departments using the building.
And if the situation remains the same at Al-motsarfiya building, I'm afraid it'll not be too long before we loose this remarkable building, the symbol of our city. Unless those who might concern, have another point of view about this! In other words; you, me and the others. All the people who are concerned about the common good, anybody who the word "home" matters to him at anyway!
Recommendations
In order to maintain and keep this building in a good shape for the generations to come, we recommend that it must be evacuated from all departments, and transforming it into a Museum.>
Why a museum namely?!
Well, first it's about time for us here in Ajdabiya to get our own museum
like all the people. That's for one reason…
Second reason is that we are in Ajdabiya, have a set of important
monuments and fossils, located in some Libyan museums because there are no
museum for them in Ajdabiya.
Did you know that; it has been found in the Sahabi area south of Ajdabiya,
a fossil for a skull of an elephant belongs to millions of years ago, and
that it has been found in the same area another fossil for a complete
skeleton of a titanic whale that belongs to 25 million years ago, and did
you know that these fossils located now in the Geology section at Al-saraya
museum at Tripoli?(6)
These fossils are visited by scientists from all around the world, so why
can't we bring them back to there original place, and let the city
benefits financially by putting it on the tourists list?!
As you all know tourists who come to Libya every year doesn't know
Ajdabiya, and in the best cases they would make it a transit spot to the
great Libyan south, or the magnificent east! Checkout what name this tourist website gave it to our city.
Don't you think now that the request of transforming Al-motsarfiya into a
museum is a fair case, comes in the perfect timing ?!
And let me make it clear
here, that no body else- other than us, the Ajdabiyans- would care enough
to make such a thing happening. Nobody will care about this other than us,
the Ajdabiyans who care about Ajdabiya and its name. And I'm hereby to
suggest a practical step forward, that we sign a petition and present it
to the Sha'abiya, demanding it to take its actions to transform Al-motsarfiya
into a museum. We should work hard to gather as much signatures to this
petition as possible… I also suggest that this campaign- Ajdabiya's museum
campaign be sponsored by the weekly newspaper Akhbar Ajdabiya.
So are you
ready ?! are you ready to stand up for your city, " city of
intellectuals"! will the intellectuals, make a practical step forward for
their city? Only then, Ajdabiya will be with deeds not words; The city
of intellectuals (7).
Have a good day
everybody,
Youcef Marzooq Youcef.
Special Thanks To: my colleague, Kuno Gross (
Switzerland )
Endnotes:
(1) Mustafa Assieti, Ajdabiya the city of sun, Al bayan publishers
2002. Benghazi, Libya.
(2) Marsch Und Kampf, Des Deutschen AfrikaKorps 1941.
(3) It's a special kind of elections, based on the ideology of Libyan
state, found in Col.Qadhafi's Green Book.
(4) every about 4 years, a new local authority is being selected, each
public sector has a committee to manage it, and every committee has a top
manager called (Ameen). So education sector has its own Ameen and so
forth.
(5) we had all the details about these amounts of money in numbers, but we
decided not to publish it here, but it's available for everybody from its
official sources.
(6) Masoud Ramadan Shaqloof, Ajdabiya it's history and monuments. 1981.
(7) City of intellectuals, is a name was given to Ajdabiya by the
Libyan press in the decade of the Seventies of the last century.
This report in Arabic, published on three parts in the weekly local newspaper "Akhbar Ajdabiya" (PDF Version)Part 1, Part2, Part3 And the Arabic HTML copy of this report in our website. |