Raina Shauki 698887

Tutorial 2: Claire, Monday 10-11

Topic 8B: 20^th Century Middle-Eastern cities

When looking at 20^th Century Middle-Eastern cities, it is difficult not to look at the influence of European civilisation on their growth and development. The relationship between Western and Islamic cultures in history can be seen to have affected how Middle Eastern cities developed in the 20^th century, both socially and also in their physical layout. The ‘Westernisation’ of the Middle East can be seen to have occurred in different phases, with each contributing to the development of the cities and cultures in the Islamic World. Although many Western ideas influenced development, the differences in governance in the Middle East led to 20^th Century cities, which were different to what was seen in Europe. This growth led to many urban issues, which still affect modern Middle Eastern cities today.

The influence of the West on the development patterns of Muslim cities can be tracked through different phases of communication between the two worlds. During the Middle Ages, Europe had much to learn from the highly developed Islamic culture. Interactions between the two included the Crusades and cross-cultural trades, which were both very important in the exchange of ideas and goods between the Europe and the Middle East (Bianca, 2000). Without this exchange, it can be argued that European civilisations would not have developed in the way that they did. During the Renaissance and Enlightenment, Western civilisation experienced immense intellectual and cultural growth, which resulted in an increasingly industrialised society (Bianca, 2000). In comparison, Islamic expansion had more or less ceased by the 1800s. The initial resistance of the Islamic world throughout the age of Colonialism (Bianca, 2000) can attributed to the survival of the Ottoman Empire, which acted as a buffer between the East and the West, filtering Western influences entering Islamic societies.  The collapse of the Ottoman Empire in WW1 then opened up the Middle East to Western politics. The new Arab world was then marked out by Europeans, paying little attention to the geographical, social and cultural implications of new national boundaries. The theme of European influence continues after WW2, where Imperialism took form in economic and financial dominance (Bianca, 2000). New “independent” Middle Eastern cities experienced rapid industrialisation and urbanisation in order to keep up with standards of the West. Western living became the epitome of success, breeding further Westernisation within new Muslim nations. This Westernisation of culture was expressed through Middle Eastern urban environments.

In terms of urban layouts, Middle Eastern cities developed along a different trajectory than their European counterparts. However, many Western ideas were seen to be adopted my Muslim cities. The Ottoman Empire borrowed features of Classical and Roman architecture (Bianca, 2000) leading up to WW1. New buildings used Western architectural models, which can be seen in Figure 1, in Istanbul’s main train station. As well as this, Western-style apartment buildings lined large boulevards, with new residential quarters being built for colonial residents.

Figure 1 Front façade of the Istanbul Train Station.

In Cairo, Egyptian planners studied Haussman’s new French capital (Bianca, 2000) resulting in the creation of new, European style suburbs. The creation of “new towns” (Bianca, 2000) was not uncommon in the increasingly Westernised Middle East, especially after WW2. This concept saw the creation of twin/parallel cities, alongside historic cities in a way that would allow them to co-exist. These “new towns” used Western-planning models that contrasted with the organic layouts of the “old towns”. As mentioned, the Westernised “new towns” often housed European employees and residents in the Middle East, but as the era of Colonialism ended and these European residents left, “new towns” were taken over by a growing Middle Eastern bourgeoisie class, with lower classes occupying the “old towns”. In the organic layouts of the “old towns”, narrow streets, shop lined alleyways and bazaars, juxtaposed European and “new town” city squares (Benevolo, 1980). We can see from this that Western influence in Middle Eastern planning led to city layouts that fostered class separation.

The consequences of the Western World’s impact on the Middle East can be seen in both the social and physical issues facing Middle Eastern cities in 20^th century, and even now. The aftermath of WW1 saw the forced separation of different ethnic and cultural groups through new political boundaries. This has led to much conflict in the Middle East, with different groups rallying for independence for many decades. As well as international conflict, colonial divides have worsened the rift between the elite and the masses, culminating in uneven distribution of wealth (Bianca, 2000) especially between “new towns” and “old towns”.  As well as these social issues, Westernisation of Middle Eastern cities have proven detrimental to the conservation of the cities’ historic fabric. As “old towns” were seen more and more as “backwards”, and of lower social status, rehabilitation of old city centres became less of a priority (Bianca, 2000). Rapid industrialisation of the region and increasing populations throughout the 20^th century also proved problematic, as they often led to the formation of slums. These new urban slums are often characterised by poor economic conditions, discontinued maintenance of buildings, poor accessibility and lack of commercial and administrative functions (Bianca, 2000). The result of this can be seen in the two images below, with Figure 2 showing a strip of Westernised, waterfront apartments in Cairo, and Figure 3 showing Cairo’s urban slums. Although these issues appeared in the 19^th century and continued on into the 20^th, many of them still face Middle Eastern cities today.  

Figure 2 Strip of apartment buildings along Nile in Cairo.

Figure 3 Roofs of Cairo’s urban slums.

In conclusion, we can see that the development of Middle Eastern cities of the 20^th century was influenced and linked to the development of the West. Exchange between the two Worlds allowed information and ideas to be communicated between them, affecting both civilisations in different ways. Westernisation of the Islamic World during the 19^th and 20^th century from trade and colonisation, affected the city layouts through the formation of “new towns” to accommodate the colonising powers. Western architecture and buildings also entered the Islamic world. The consequences of Colonialism and Western influence on Middle Eastern cities can be seen in the social and physical issues faced by them, even to this day.

References

Benevolo, L. (1980). The history of the city. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

Bianca, S. (2000). The Impact of Western Models on the Contemporary Development Patterns of Historic Muslim Cities. London, England: Thames and Hudson.

Cairo International Film Festival. [Online Image]. Retrieved May 1, 2015 from http://www.egypttourinfo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cairo-international-film-festival.jpeg

Cairo Slums. [Online Image]. (2011). Retrieved May 1, 2015 from https://donijw.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/1-1285449143-5_cairo.jpg

Istanbul. [Online Image]. (2004). Retrieved May 1, 2015 from http://www.mikeandgloria.com/images/Turkey/ist-22.jpg