By: Asmaa Naim
After 56 years since its demolition, Bab al-Magharibah neighborhood in Jerusalem returns through a new 3D application that embodies the details of the neighborhood that was destroyed by the occupation after the defeat of the Arabs in the war that Israel waged on June 5, 1967, against three of its neighboring Arab countries.
Israel completely demolished Bab al-Magharibah neighborhood following the occupation of Jerusalem, in order to expand the area of the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) for Jews and to establish a settlement neighborhood (Jewish Quarter) on the ruins of the neighborhood.
The new application, known as the Jerusalem Maghrebi Quarter, allows users to explore Bab al-Magharibah neighborhood and its streets and landmarks through mobile phones and tablets. The application documents Bab al-Magharibah neighborhood in the old city of Jerusalem before it was occupied and demolished to expand the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) area.
According to Ha’aretz newspaper, the application is being promoted online and was released on the occasion of the 56th anniversary of the occupation of Jerusalem. It depicts Bab al-Magharibah neighborhood before it was demolished by the occupation to expand the Western Wall and establish the Jewish Quarter on its ruins.
The forced displacement
The application showcases Bab al-Magharibah neighborhood with its streets, houses, and alleys that were documented and created before the demolition of the neighborhood. This is made possible through the use of three-dimensional technology that allows users to explore the neighborhood that was standing and adjacent to the Western Wall Plaza before the 1967 war.
The civilization and history of Bab al-Magharibah dates back to a thousand years ago, where this Arab neighborhood was established by groups of pilgrims and fighters who came from the Arab Maghreb and North Africa, and who participated in the Islamic conquests and settled in Jerusalem.
On June 10 and 11, 1967, and after four days of occupying Jerusalem, the Israeli occupation authorities completely demolished Bab al-Magharibah neighborhood and concealed its traces and landmarks from the face of the earth.
The occupation authorities forced the Arab and Palestinian residents of Bab al-Magharibah, who numbered a thousand people at that time, to leave the neighborhood by force, and then demolished and destroyed their homes in order to expand the Al-Buraq Plaza (Wailing Wall) for Jews and to settle the settlers.
Archival materials
French researcher Vincent Lemire, who specializes in uncovering archival materials related to the civilization and history of Jerusalem, reviewed in his new book the history of the Moroccan Quarter and its origins, as well as the behind-the-scenes plan to demolish it by Israeli authorities during the occupation of Jerusalem.
He leads the Open Jerusalem organization that works to uncover archival materials related to Jerusalem and has been working on his book “Under the Wailing Wall” to create and develop an application project aimed at restoring the features and atmosphere of the Moroccan Quarter before its demolition.
To complete this application, the French researcher used dozens of photos, scenes, and maps of the Moroccan Quarter preserved in the Ottoman archives in the Turkish city of Istanbul, as well as in the Israeli archives and the archives of Islamic and Christian associations and institutions in Jerusalem.
Virtual tour
Through this application, users will be able to revisit the historical aspects of the Moroccan Quarter, virtually walk through its streets, and experience its atmosphere before it was demolished.
Regarding the Moroccan Quarter and what happened to it after the occupation of Jerusalem, the “Haaretz” newspaper quoted the author of the book and the creator of the application as saying, “We are talking about one of the most famous sites in the world, where people do not know what happened to it and what was there. We must break the walls of silence and secrecy that surrounded the place”.
The French researcher added, “We were lucky because we are dealing with one of the most documented sites in the world, and there are many photos. However, the biggest challenge we faced was finding diverse and reliable photos taken from different angles to recreate the Moroccan Quarter before it was demolished”.
The French researcher explained that this model was created for the application in collaboration with the Italian Agency for Triple Research.
Memory stimulation
The application dates back to the peak of the 1950s and 1960s in the Hara Al-Maghribia neighborhood, which included about 80 residential buildings, mosques, schools, squares, and streets.
According to Lameer, the refugees of Hara Al-Maghribia learned about places through the application, and he explained, “I showed the pictures to the elderly and stimulated their memory. They said: Yes, this is my house and this is the place where we played.
In the future, researchers plan to add testimonies from Hara Al-Maghribia refugees to the application, as well as archaeological information about the excavations conducted in the Al-Buraq Square and the western wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque adjacent to the demolished Hara Al-Maghribia.
Jidar al-Samt
Lameer explained to the Israeli newspaper that “99% of the people who come to the Western Wall do not know what was there, and they have no idea whether they are Israelis, foreigners, pilgrims or tourists.
When telling the story, even religious and Yemeni Israelis find it interesting, says the French researcher, and they may say that Hara Al-Maghribia should have been destroyed, but they need to know what was there.
In his opinion, the project and the application are trying to bring a new presence to the Moroccan Quarter after it has been forgotten, “this place is a creative place, millions of people have taken pictures of the Western Wall. It is in all of our minds. Through this application, we have thought about how to break the wall of silence around the Moroccan Quarter, and how we can allow people to understand and experience its history.
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