Marwa Al-Sabouni: How Syria's architecture laid the foundation for brutal war
Marwa Al-Sabouni: 建筑结构是如何成为叙利亚残忍战争的导火索的
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
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and I'm an architect.
我是一个建筑师
western part of Syria,
our place is still standing.
我们的家仍然存在
we were like prisoners at home.
我们就像囚犯一般呆在家中
and battles and bombings and snipers.
炸弹和狙击手无处不在
an architecture studio
运营一个建筑工作室
of the old town itself.
大部分老城区一样
have been more or less quiet.
都或多或少的萧条了
and people are still fighting.
人们还在相互争斗
in the old city market
小作坊以及更多小商铺
workshops, among many more.
who juggles several jobs,
of jobs to get by.
of course, I ask myself:
无法避免地, 我问我自己:
of beliefs, origins, customs,
血统,文化
living harmoniously together
和谐地生活在一起
their differences --
他们的不同的国家--
violence, displacement
变得充斥着暴力,人们流离失所
that had led to the war --
that has been overlooked
that this doesn't happen again.
has played an important role
conflict between warring factions,
for other countries as well.
between the architecture of a place
that has settled there.
in whether a community crumbles
the coexistence
the prosperity of open trade
of belonging to a place,
in their built environment,
built back-to-back,
on principles of humanity and harmony.
can still be read in the remains.
was built over a multilayered past,
and embracing its spirit.
a sense of belonging
unified existence.
of these places has been interfered with;
of the colonial period,
enthusiastically about,
as the un-modern Syrian cities.
and relocated monuments.
of a long, slow unraveling.
and architecture of our cities
not by separation,
worthless, and the new, coveted.
and social environment
by elements of modernity --
communities by class, creed or affluence.
to the community.
environment changed,
of belonging of the communities
of togetherness, of belonging,
a way of differentiation,
that used to unite them,
to represent their common existence.
to the Syrian war,
the way in which,
of identity and self-respect,
inhumane architecture
divisions and hatred.
has morphed into a city center
became distinct social groups,
and alienated from the place.
with someone else
in the informal housing system,
over 40 percent of the population.
almost half of the Syrian population
without proper infrastructure,
to the same group,
class, origin or all of the above.
proved to be a tangible precursor of war.
被证明是一种明显的战争先兆。
between pre-categorized areas --
冲突变得更加容易发生--
to bind the city together --
through coherent building,
the coexistent presence --
and visionless modernization
in other parts of the world,
in British cities
of the kind of instability
so disastrously here in Syria.
Daraa and many others,
of the country is now displaced.
as an architect, I have to ask, is:
that we should adopt
the same mistakes?
should be on creating places
need to recapture
that did just that,
for coexistence and peace,
that don't exhibit ostentation,
generosity and acceptance,
to enjoy, not just for the elite,
不应只是为了精英们。
of the old Islamic city,
a sense of community.
that's called Baba Amr
I introduced this design
for rebuilding it.
inspired by a tree,
and spreading organically,
hanging over the old alleys,
private courtyards, shops,
and playing and leisure,
of electricity we get.
to express belonging and community
disconnected blocks
for rebuilding Baba Amr.
around which all human life rotates,
and even direct human activity.
identity and social integration
of effective urbanism.
of the old Islamic city
towns, for instance,
or tower blocks,
or drinking water inside the city
in how people feel towards the place,
a generous place that gives,
contributing to,
as an alienating place,
its architecture should be giving, too.
它的建筑也应该有所给予。
in the fabric of our souls.
of informal concrete slums
all across the Middle East
and fragmentation of our communities.
in another way,
that doesn't contribute only
aspects of people's lives,
and psychological needs.
in the Syrian cities before the war.
cities that are shared
to the other identities all around,
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