November 2 was not the first day to cloak Tripoli in black following the death of 16-year-old student Magy Mahmoud due to the collapse of her school's roof. Prior to this, 2-year-old Jumana Deco died when a three-story building collapsed in the Dahar al-Mahr area last June, and two sisters perished from the collapse of a balcony in a residential building in the Al-Qube area in October 2021. In 2019, Abdul Rahman Kakhia (21) and his sister Rama (18) lost their lives when the Fawal building collapsed in the city's port...
The victims of neglect could have continued their childhoods and woven their youthful dreams if it weren't for the rampant corruption that shattered roofs that should have provided them shelter and safety. Since 2019, we have been writing and raising our pens over the same issue, hoping to stop the chain of collapses that robs the capital of the north of its youth, dreams, heritage, and even its structures. Unfortunately, "there is no one to respond." The numbers of victims rise, the list lengthens, and the residents of dilapidated buildings are left to their fate, waiting for the next victim. This direct threat to life and the historical and cultural legacy in a city that contains over ten thousand housing units continues amidst a senseless neglect faced by Lebanon's second-largest city, the only entry point to Syria's interior along the eastern Mediterranean coastline.
In the absence of the city’s historical significance on the state's map of attention and services, disasters continue, both in popular neighborhoods rife with old and endangered historic buildings inhabited by residents, and in informal areas where housing conditions worsen and the quality of already poor construction deteriorates further. According to a study conducted by the Ministry of Culture in 2017, the number of cracked heritage buildings in Tripoli exceeds 300, with conditions varying from moderate danger to advanced decay and imminent collapse.
"Al-Nidaa" met with Professor Khaled Tadmuri, a civil planning and restoration engineer, head of the Antiquities and Heritage Committee, and a member of the Tripoli municipality, who confirmed that the current fragile state of threatened heritage and urban buildings is a result of the wars that have affected the city. Direct bombings during the civil war in the 1980s and fierce battles between Palestinian factions and the entry of the Syrian army resulted in thousands of shells and missiles that hit buildings, causing severe damage. Since then, these buildings have seen no restoration, and with their roofs damaged, they lose much of their stability, allowing rainwater to seep into their walls over time, leading to gradual spalling and fragmentation of the concrete, especially since most were built of sandstone that absorbs water easily like a sponge.
Tadmuri places some blame on the state, which has failed in its duties toward the buildings after the war, stating, "The Ministry of Displaced Persons and the Council for Development and Reconstruction repaired and rebuilt many Lebanese areas but marginalized Tripoli." However, the responsibility does not lie solely with the state, according to the engineer, but also with "the residents of these buildings, especially the heritage ones, which they inherited from their ancestors and lived in until the mid-20th century. With urban expansion, they abandoned these houses and moved to live in modern neighborhoods, only to be replaced by displaced persons from the countryside who pay low rents that are worthless and do not allow property owners to restore them due to excessively high costs. Thus, the owner overlooks the situation and is lenient as they do not live in the building." He also pointed to the unjust rent law that prevents property owners from raising rents.
Tadmuri believes that what has preserved the city until now is that when the Mamluks built it, they made it sturdy like a fortified castle, with all buildings closely linked, built on solid and robust stone arches, all supporting each other to withstand earthquakes and serve as a maze for invading armies if they entered. This has helped the old city remain stable and resilient for 700 years. He revealed that "the funds provided over the years for the restoration of residential buildings were wasted, and the constant excuse is that these buildings are privately owned and not public, hence they cannot be repaired." He stated, "The Cultural Heritage Protection Project, funded by a loan from the World Bank via the Council for Development and Reconstruction 12 years ago, only worked on improving the facades of buildings facing major thoroughfares, merely what we call external makeup that has no value and does not protect a dilapidated building from within." Today, one can visibly see the deterioration of these buildings that were superficially beautified.
Regarding Bab al-Tabbaneh, which is considered the most densely populated area along the eastern Mediterranean coast, and the Al-Qube area, Tadmuri warns of the impending disaster, "especially with the onset of winter, storms, and floods that many buildings will not withstand." He pointed to the densely built structures that were constructed "hastily" in the Jabal Mohsen and Abu Ali River areas, "considering the social and economic conditions of the displaced from the countryside, like Akkar and others, who lack the ability to own homes at reasonable prices. Consequently, the construction was done with subpar materials and flimsy plumbing and internal and infrastructure systems that do not last beyond 100 years at most, compounded by shelling and destructive natural factors that led to the erosion of the foundations."
He added, "After the Ashrafieh building collapsed, the residents of these buildings felt fearful and began to flock to the municipality to file complaints about their homes, which were starting to warn them of collapse." These files have reached 400 thus far.
As for a solution, it lies in "completely evacuating these areas, demolishing the dilapidated buildings, and reconstructing residential blocks that are subject to construction, organization, and public safety standards." However, this is unlikely to happen in a bankrupt state with no means or capabilities. He concluded, "Our city and heritage are being robbed from us... had Tripoli been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, UNESCO and international bodies would today be preserving it and restoring it as it should."
### Reinforcement or Evacuation
Tripoli Mayor Ahmad Qamar al-Din confirmed that the municipality's role is limited to counting dilapidated buildings and receiving complaints, as well as issuing warnings to owners about the necessity of reinforcement or even evacuation. However, the lack of financial resources hinders the formation of a specialized team to manage the issue and bring these buildings to safety.
He noted that "the violations in these residences are countless; aside from the flimsy materials used, the construction occurs over already dilapidated buildings that cannot bear further weight on their roofs, worsening the situation."
Regarding the incident at the American School, which cost the life of student Magy Mahmoud earlier this month, he stated: "The school is not dilapidated nor on the verge of collapse, but what happened was that approximately six years ago, the place's officials expanded a classroom by merging two rooms into one by removing the wall between them. Due to ignorance or a design error, the bridge was left hanging from the roof without a support, which, over time, decayed and collapsed, leading to the tragedy."
He unveiled a potential solution project that may come to fruition soon, the result of cooperation between the municipality and the region's representatives, centered on "creating housing units outside the central area of Tripoli, for the families of dilapidated buildings to reside in until their areas and homes are restored, just as we did when we decided to restore Khan al-Askar following the river's flooding in 1955, which had been fully inhabited." He pointed out that the project is costly and will take a considerable amount of time, and they are currently looking for funding sources to implement it in phases.
