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The Israeli government is to approve the rehabilitation of an ancient reservoir that once supplied water to Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mayor Moshe Lion said.
Mamilla Pool is one of several reservoirs that sustained inhabitants of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is outside the walls, about 700 yards north-west of Jaffa Gate in the centre of the Mamilla Cemetery, a site of predominantly Muslim burials.
The government's announcement coincided with Jerusalem Day, when the Israeli far-right celebrates the 1967 capture of East Jerusalem.
On Monday, Mr Netanyahu and Mr Lion visited the 30,000 cubic-metre Mamilla Pool, a site from the Byzantine period.
"My dream was that we would restore it, fill it with water, and it would be a world attraction," said Mr Netanyahu.
"We'll start planning. We'll talk about those details later. But we want to launch it. It starts with an idea, and then it could be something that people from all over the world and all over the country will come to see this wonderful place."
The approval of the work will "breathe life into it and transform it into a Jerusalem gem in the form of a heritage site and space for the benefit of the public," a statement said.
"I'm very much in favour. I adopted what you suggested several years ago, and we are now on the eve of Jerusalem Day," Mr Leon said.
"It costs money, and we will do everything to make it an efficient expenditure. But this place will definitely become a Jerusalem gem."
The plan to restore the site is controversial. "It's seizing another part of what's left of the ancient Muslim cemetery," Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at the Ir Amim organisation in Jerusalem and heritage campaigner, told The National.
Jerusalem is a city with thousands of years of history and archaeological findings from more than 5,000 years ago – predating the Israelites. It is a complex history, he said.
"You can also find remains from the Jewish kingdoms, Greek, Roman, Muslim, and Ottoman periods, and even the British period."
Mamilla has long been a place for Muslim burials and many grave stones can still be seen.
"Imagine if this would be done in whatever country to a Jewish cemetery?" said Mr Tatarsky. "What kind of outcry and 'anti-Semitism' and all that. So, that's the way the government wants to celebrate Jerusalem? Israel controlling Jerusalem? We're wiping out Muslim presence on both sides of the green line".
Archaeology in Jerusalem is not just about history, it is a means for the Israeli state to tighten control over Palestinian areas, reshape the city's identity and push Palestinian residents out under the pretext of historical preservation, Mr Tatarsky adds.
"As an archaeological site it's (Mamilla) extremely important. There is a Palestinian neighbourhood right next to a mosque. Israel is using archaeology to prevent the development of (a Muslim) neighbourhood and take over public spaces so large parts are not serving the residents," he said
Large parts of the neighbourhood are now off-limits because of archaeological digs or tourist attractions, he said. This stifles development, restricts Palestinian movement, undermines community building and advances broader political goals.
"It is used to present the place not as a contemporary Palestinian neighbourhood but as a Jewish heritage site so 'It's ours – it belongs to us'," he said.
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
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Quarter-finals
Real Madrid (ESP) or Manchester City (ENG) v Juventus (ITA) or Lyon (FRA)
RB Leipzig (GER) v Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Barcelona (ESP) or Napoli (ITA) v Bayern Munich (GER) or Chelsea (ENG)
Atalanta (ITA) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Ties to be played August 12-15 in Lisbon
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FIGHT NIGHT
Four title fights:
Amir Khan v Billy Dib - WBC International title
Hughie Fury v Samuel Peter - Heavyweight co-main event
Dave Penalosa v Lerato Dlamini - WBC Silver title
Prince Patel v Michell Banquiz - IBO World title
Six undercard bouts:
Michael Hennessy Jr v Abdul Julaidan Fatah
Amandeep Singh v Shakhobidin Zoirov
Zuhayr Al Qahtani v Farhad Hazratzada
Lolito Sonsona v Isack Junior
Rodrigo Caraballo v Sajid Abid
Ali Kiydin v Hemi Ahio
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
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if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
