TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The once embattled Souq al-Khoudar market in Bab al-Tabbaneh reclaimed its bustle Sunday, after rehabilitation efforts revived the stores and infrastructure destroyed by the latest rounds of clashes in the northern city.
A month ago, the Tripoli market was a tattered narrow strip. The walls were punctuated with bullet holes and craters, and the doors of stores were wooden shards on the street.
After just 35 days of renovation - made possible by donations amounting to $80,000, mostly from the U.S. Agency for International Development - Souq al-Khoudar, which in English translates to "the Vegetable Market,” has witnessed a fruitful revival.
Merchants have set up stands outside their shops, displaying a myriad of fresh fruits and vegetables. The walls in each of the stores have been replaced with white stone, and the market's roof has been completely restored.
Customers filled up the narrow street, gathering around the stands to peruse the assorted produce.
Elias Khalat, the general coordinator for The Gathering of Civil Campaigns Against Violence in Tripoli, an NGO that was overseeing the restoration, told The Daily Star that “the neighborhood was a warring area during the clashes and the damages [to the market] were great.”
“Today when you enter the market you see it in new light. Everything in it has changed,” he added.
Khaled Shakhsheer, who was also overseeing the market's restoration, said that the condition of the market after the clashes was “frightening.”
The coordinated efforts between NGOs and area's residents have led to Souq al-Khoudar's swift revival, he added.
No comments:
Post a Comment