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[helminadin]

The influence of history and death in Amoud El- Sawari street in Alexandria

Life, death, and history are the three main marbles that can cross the mind when you are passing Amoud El- Sawari street in Alexandria, Egypt. On the eastern side of the street stands a wall covering the historical monument ‘Pompey Pillar’ and the neighboring Islamic tomb and separating both the pillar and the tomb from a local public market. I have a personal relationship with the neighborhood as I lived there almost four years, and I was usually occupied with the idea of the presence of those three combinations together. There were always questions regarding what influenced and shaped the people's cultural identity in the neighborhood: did the existence of a historical monument change the cultural print of the residents? or the atmosphere created by the tomb has a bigger impact? This paper will review and follow how these two elements affected the crystallization of the neighborhood’s daily life habits and will investigate the influence of each through three themes, the market trade activity, traditional atmosphere, and the establishing scene of the street.

If one stands in the northern area of Amoud El-Sawari’s street, the first thing she will notice is the brick-paved ground permeating the routing of the yellow tram railway (Figure 1). Although the railway is meant only for the tram, yet the cars use the same passage as the sellers occupied the available car way in the street from both sides. To describe a typical Alexandrian afternoon, in Amoud El-Sawari Street, the yellow tram is passing, mixing the sound of its wheels on the railway with the horns sounds of cars trying to find their way out through the street. That is usually linked with the Sellers’ voices in the background shouting the prices of their goods to attract customers in the crowded market. All this life stops for a few seconds when a funeral passes by from the market to the other side of the wall where the pillar and Muslim tomb are, and it resumes seconds after as nothing had happened.

Amoud El- Sawari street is in Karmouz district in Alexandria[1] (Figure 2). The neighborhood is considered as one of the oldest districts; it existed before the construction of the city by Alexander the Great. According to the Arabic name, the area includes Roman and Ancient Egyptian ruins[1] such as Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa[1], Serapeum of Alexandria[1] and Pompey Pillar or Amoud El-Sawari[1] . The pillar was constructed during the Roman area in Egypt as a free-standing red granite column at the Serapeum of Alexandria (Figure 3). The Muslim traveler Ibn Batouta[2] mentioned the magnificent pillar in one of his monographs and described how large and glorious the pillar is through a story. The Pillar is the highest monument of its type in the world, the pillar is around 27 meters, which answers the question of how much the pillar is visible to people who live in the neighborhood.

The pillar is located between the Muslim tomb and Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa (Figure 4) and the whole area had been surrounded by a wall to separate it from the neighborhood. Moreover, unlike other historical sites in Egypt, you cannot spot any facility related to tourism or hospitality in the area such as restaurants, hotels and bazaars. Next to the pillar there is the Muslim burial land called Amoud Tomb. The tomb has many entrances marked with numbers so the families can identify the burial place of their loved ones. (Figure 5) Although I could not find any available information or documentation related to the tomb's construction to prove that it is a modern extension for the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, it is hard to deny the similarities regarding the use of land.

Outside the wall, the scene is different, from both sides of the street there is a local market where sellers display their goods either in a small shop or in a table with a hanger (Figure 6). The local market can be seen as a representation of the economic status of the people living in the neighborhood. As poverty had driven people to create illegal market which occupies most of the street sides to sell low-priced goods for the residents and non-residents of the area. There were many failed attempts took place by the police to evacuate the street resulting many clashes between sellers and policemen. Eventually the state decided to establish small booths by the wall as another attempt to legalize and organize their situation[3].

The market goods reflect the neighborhood image. To illustrate, there are shops selling new bride’s accessories and new home needs such as clothes and curtains. Also, shops for school supplies for kids as there are many schools in the area including two in the street. Furthermore, the existence of Islamic tomb affects the trading activity in the street through the spread of funeral supplies shops (Figure 7). In addition, the small local bazaars in front of the monument door sell small gifts but not specifically for tourists. These shops are not as fancy or prepared as the shops in the other historical areas.  

Despite the active crowded daily scene in the street, every Sunday life disappears with the closure of the market which changes the features of the market. The first time I visited the neighborhood on Sunday I thought there was a mistake and I went to the wrong place. The street was wide, clean, calm and empty of any life forms, only the silent walls and the dead lying in peace. Furthermore, the presence of a tomb usually in the Egyptian cultur is associated with ghosts’ legends. I have heard that story once I moved to the neighborhood including a warning not to walk alone before the wall at night because I might meet the famous ghost “Abuo Manasha” or “Dakn Tarboush”; who are popular among the residents as the guards of the tomb, feeding the visitors curiosity with those stories[4].

On the other hand, tracing the influence of the tomb is much easier than the effect of the historical pillar. The pillar is disconnected from the local scene, making the people alienated from the whole sense of having a monument on the other side of the wall. As if the pillar is not part of the local scene, but the whole other side of the wall is a separate world, deepening the impression that monuments are not for the locals but rather for the foreigners who observer, who have the privilege of contemplating the history. Another point, the presence of the tomb is a constant reminder of Islamic principles stressing on the obligation to respect the dead in their final home. Also, there are a number of texts from the Quran written on the wall and the gate (Figure 8) stressing the same point.

To conclude, the inhabitants have access to the Muslim tomb daily simply to visit or burry their relatives but not to the historical site where the vendors and the tomb guards work daily to serve the visitors of the tomb. This disconnection between the daily life of the residents and the historical site is caused by including the Pompey pillar requires an entry fee, and there is no activity inside except observing the site, which they probably already have done once or twice in their life. Yet, undeniably the site is a tourist attraction monument but mainly for outside visitors who enter the premises in a bus through the gates and leave the same way without interacting with the locals. Furthermore, the existence of the Islamic tomb in the area influenced the whole scene of the street and shaped the overall culture of the people who are treating the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, and the tomb with the same respect as burial lands more than recognizing it as historical importance. Therefore, in general, the influence of the tomb is clearer and easier to be identified by observing the locals’ trade activity and the establishing scene of the street.  

[1] Egypt. The Ministry of Antiques. Pompey Pillar Site.http://www.antiquities.gov.eg/DefaultAr/Archeological-sites/Pages/Archeologicaldetails.aspx?ArchCode=36#.

[2]Ibn Batota. Rihla " A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling". 1st ed. Vol. 1. Beirut: Dar Ihya El Ouloum, 1987.

[3] A.SH.A. "allocating 145 Booths for Street Vendors next to "Amoud El Sawari" in the Western District of Alexandria." Almasryalyoum, April 28, 2015. https://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details/719405.

[4] "Karmouz Ghosts "Abuo Manasha” and “Dakn Tarboush”." Cairo Dar, June 23, 2014. http://www.cairodar.com/307741/بالصور-والفيديو-عفاريت-كرموز-بـ-مَنَ.

Amoud El-Sawari Street, Karmouz, Alexandria

Figure (1) Amoud El-Sawari Street, Karmouz, Alexandria

Figure (2) Karmouz District. Alexandria

Figure (3) Picture of Pompey Pillar inside the wall

Figure (4)  Marking Pompey pillar, the Muslim tomb and Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa

Figure (5) Amoud El-Sawari Islamic Tomb/ entrance number (5)

Figure (6) The Market Place in Amoud El-Sawari Street

Figure (7) Funeral supplies shop, Amoud El-Sawari Street

A sign in front of the tomb with a prayer

“Peace on you the residents of this land, the faithful ones and the followers of Islam, you are the preceders and we are the followers.”

[helminadin]

Unconscious eyes| Me and the city

[helminadin]

Irrelevant remarks|  The fat old policeman

This semester I’ve worked in two movies for two courses. both movies I was a watcher, an observer. I’ve watched what people do to other people and what people do to other things. I cannot deny my surprise how far can a person go when he is sure he is not being watched. 

While shooting the uncle charlie film we had to spend quite of time in the same position on the street, shooting the same statue day and night. we knew that we will get something worth analyzing. Our expectations were more towards tourists' fun attitude. And since the statue is not a monument and does not include any type of text to indicate any significance, It is up to everybody to make something out of it. I am not goin to discuss the identity people created for him or their assumption who he is ( there is a 10 mins movie about that already :D) I am goin to talk about something entirely different. i am goin to make remarks about how people touched it !!

The first two days of shooting we noticed how people act when they aware of our existence. for example, laugh in a certain way or move in a certain way because there is a camera. since it is a public and touristic space we have the right to shoot, everyone can see what we are doing but does not know why. Finally, we end up with pretty, performative footage we  didn't use most of it 

Unlike the footage we got when we kept the camera rolling yet we were occupied with other things, smoking, talking, looking for the freaking batteries in a hundred pocket's bag. 

We noticed that the people who were curious about the statue checks if we are paying attention to the camera or not before approaching the statue. If we acted like busy creatures they became more comfortable knowing that they are not being watched and they act more naturally. 

We had two types of interactions with the statue:

- Touristic 

- Intimate/Personal

The first type was treating the statue like a soules inanimate. The approach and touches were meaningless and for the purpose of posing for a fun photo or for the sake of good humor. However, the second type was completely different. People were reaching out not only approaching. That type implies the people who believed or not exactly believed as much as they considered the myth of the luck bringer. And since the myth is related to the act of touching, it was more than exciting for me to carefully observe someone stretching him palm to slowly move his fingers on the belly of a statue. hoping by that even by 1% that he did an action that will bring him more fortune, love or happiness. 

Well, of course, that was not the first time in my life I see such attitude. If you go to any religious site you will find hundreds of people acting like that. or fountain of fortune or, ... or... But I cannot deny the fact that I don't have a personal relationship with the place and the statue. But draws my attention that I pass there everyday goin to and from the university. I see people with different colors, ethnicities, age, gender doing the same move with the statue for different reasons. Since I came to Budapest I can say that maybe that was the first thing I saw looked familiar and not discluding. I am happy with the chance to work with my dear friends to document the phenomena which mean more for us that a movie. 

Not to mention how many crazy and beautiful irrelevant discussions we had about it and around it :D 

[helminadin]

The Act of the Act of killing

I’ve tried several times to write a blog post about the movie. But it is not an easy task with this movie. The act of killing reflects the worst of humans. It was shocking for me how much they open to talking about their crimes and how much they are reconciled with the idea. I decided not to write a post about it, yet I will share my random thoughts.

[helminadin]

The Possibility of spirits

The opening sequence of the Possibility of spirits

00:00 to 03:14

  In the opening sequence the film-maker established the theme and the atmosphere of the movie in the first seconds by presenting the CANDOMBLE drums in a split screen of what seems to be part of a ritual, the right screen served as a continuation for the first as the characters were passing from the first to the second personally I saw it as an indicator for “passing rituals” and continuation of a cultural. The sound of the glass, breaking cuts the chanting and set the mood for some intense events to be coming. That was followed by a serious of shots included all outdoor scenes of nature established the theme of the movie and the relationship between the researcher essay’s topic with the natural spiritual themes.

The location and the topic of the film established, through a random conversation with two kids sitting on the altar of “Milagre de sao roque” the miracle of saint rock and were curious (#4) about the researcher presence in the place and this is how the audience got to be introduced to the man behind the camera as Matheus. The sound accompanied the scene and the followed scenes was a water falling which gave the audience the feeling that the place is near a sort of water source.

The narrator/researcher (Matheus) introduces the topic of the film (#8) by coming back a few seconds before the kids start to talk with him while he was adjusting the camera. Matheus started introducing his topic based on the conversation mentioned with the kids. By reflecting on the kid's curiosity of his presence with his own curiosity with the people’s interpretation of natural phenomena. And connecting it to the possibility of the existence of miracles and spirits. Matheus voice over was accompanied with (B-roll) close-ups for the statues of the altar of saint rock.

[helminadin]

Conflicting faces of a woman

I’ve always seen Maya Deren films as the greatest reflection of my inner woman struggle.. madness, love, lust, playful, observing, fighting, contradicting and many more.

The experimental film Ritual in Transfigured Time was made outside Hollywood’s dominating commercial style. The film captures tens of emotions of a woman through time. The film starts with a choice, two open doors, and a playful woman is swinging between them from the inside. The Other is reaching out, trying to catch the joy, yet ended up desperate and hard working. The transformation of a woman and the conflict of time, love and chaos was pictured through a number of protagonists represent the same woman or at least I saw them all one. 

The second part at the cocktail party starts with a dramatic entrance of a woman with a black religious style dress with a cross on her neck. The possibilities are endless for interpretation at this point, but personally, I thought its the girl's initiation in the adult world. She came like a virgin into the cocktail/male world. The movement of the actors/dancers at this sequence was amazing. it gave me a sense of organized chaos. The transition between moving image and still image transfers the sense of overwhelmedness the woman feels in the middle.

Passion and lust. the beginning of a love story. Her lover lifts her high to the sky to fall directly down below his knees. by far this is my favorite sequence in the movie. The last sequence of the movie showed the girl dancing/escaping between Roman style sculptures. The freezing image in editing emphasized the same concept.

[helminadin]

Just a random though

If you have not seen the movie “Man with a Movie Camera” you should do that, it is such an amazing film here is the link: 

But was it really a man with the movie camera only? well, the movie was written and directed by Dziga Vertov. Edited by his wife Yelizaveta Svilova and the  Cinematography was by Vertov’s younger brother Mikhail Kaufman.

When I saw the movie for the first time I was thinking .. wow the editing is amazing and it must be very complicated to create such a complex and innovative sequence in 1929. The editing is the key in Vertov’s movie.

Yet it is not only a man with a movie camera. it is also a woman with an editing machine.

Yelizaveta met Vertov while she was already working as a film editor. And I cannot stop my self from wondering is it  Vertov’s vision only was presented on the experimental movie and how much we can see Yelizaveta influance??

I think I will start an exciting journey reading about her and watch her work starting with the fall of Berlin. 

[helminadin]

Nanook of the north ...

It is inevitable not to relate personally to what we see on the screen. whether you hated it or loved it, it doesn't matter at the end when you found your connection you will start to build your opinion about/around it. With documentaries,  it is not easy for me to relate to what on the screen without understanding what was happening behind it. the narrative is incomplete I need more to truly build an opinion. Who are the movie makers? who paid for it? when it was filmed? why? among other questions, so whenever I got a chance to dig deeper I do. 

As for the anthropological documentaries, in my perspective, it is crucial to understand the circumstances around/behind the production. The researcher background, approach and many other factors can affect the final product” the film” and sometimes it made me question the credibility of the film. Sometimes what happened behind the camera is a completely different narrative waiting to be explored.  

Nanook of the north is a good example for incomplete narrative from my perspective. I’ve chosen to write my first blog about it because I had an argument with a friend regarding the hunting trip scenes whether it was realistic or just forced by Flaherty to make the narrative excited?!!!! i decided to rewatch the movie and take notes then compare it to Flaherty side of the story

“How I Filmed 'Nanook of the North' is the name of an article Flaherty wrote about the filming process. I remember how much I was excited the first time I read it because I got to know more about Flaherty's journey with Nanook, their relationship, the dynamics between the film crew including Flaherty himself and the locals. But it was disappointing for me when I was trying to connect the dots between what was going on in the field (from Flaherty's perspective) in return of what did he chose to include in the movie. Not to mention others who analyzed Flaherty’s work and added more exciting points to the narrative. so I ended up with a list of questions but I will leave two only to you all to answer: 

  Question one “ big aggle ” 

For the purpose of not writing 10 pages about Nanook, I will only focus my notices on one incident “ the hunting trip”  at the article Flaherty wrote “ The walrus hunt having proved so successful Nanook aspired to bigger things. The first of the bigger things was to be a bear hunt at Cape Sir Thomas Smith which lay some two hundred miles northward of us. "Here," said Nanook, "is where the she-bear den in the winter. I know, for I have hunted them there, and it seems to me that there we might get the big, big aggle”. 

Following this part, Flaherty talked about how much Nanook pictured and visualized the conflict scene with the bear. So other than just observing Nanook’s life. Nanook was actually discussing his narrative with Flaherty and was in control of what to show or not show. That raises a big question in my head “if creating specific circumstances which will lead to a conflict which becomes an essential point of the narrative or observation for filming purposes only can affect the credibility of the documentary?”

Question two “ We are in this together”

“ We forgot about bear hunting; for two and half weeks we tried for seals wandering from day to day along the broken ice foot of the Cape. In that interval, two small seals were killed and they were just enough to keep the dogs alive. For four days, at one time, we had no seal oil and our igloo was in darkness. The dogs were utterly weak and slept in the igloo tunnel. Whenever I had to crawl out of doors I would have to lift them to one side like sacks of flour for they were too weak and indifferent to move away. The irony of it all was that bears there were everywhere; four of them had passed within a thousand feet of our igloo one night but the dogs were too weak to bay them or bring them to a stand. My own food supply was nearing its fag ends. For days past I had been sharing it with the men. “

Well in the movie Flaherty pictured the journey differently. he removed himself from the equation to focus on the protagonist yet he was the main player and motivator for the journey to “make a big picture” how did that affect what we see in the movie?

At the end when you read about how he filmed the film you will discover that it is another movie.  I wanted to pose more questions but I have to run, I am not done with Nanook, still, a lot to say.

But I have to run now!