miracle zawiya

Speaking of construction and destruction (see previous post), there is an interesting story about the structure in the above photo. Supposedly, in 1992, when reconstruction of the downtown/central district first began, this little building was uncovered and slated to be destroyed. A worker tried to knock it down with a bulldozer, but as his machine came up against it, it stopped working. He got it started again, but as he tried again to knock the little dome over, his hand was suddenly paralyzed (he spontaneously recovered later).

Naturally, it was decided that this was a miracle, and the building was spared. It turns out it is a 16th century Mamluk structure that was used as a hospice. If I knew Arabic, I could let you know what the plaque currently attached to it says. This area used to be a souq, but it was destroyed by the war. Apparently, it will be rebuilt, but who know what sort of souq it will be now – maybe one where Gucci handbags and platinum cell phones are sold.