Hebron - "Jerusalem" dot com - Jihad Al-Qawasmi - Al-Shalala Street acquires importance, as it is the main artery of the ancient town of Hebron, after the closure of Al-Shuhada Street, following the massacre of the Ibrahimi Mosque in 1994, and the link between it and the point of departure to the neighborhoods and suburbs of the city, and one of the most important streets The markets are vulnerable to attacks by the occupation and its settlers, which made his shops threatened with closure.

destination shoppers

Badr Al-Daour Al-Tamimi, head of the Tourism Services Union, fears that the scenario of Al-Shuhada Street will be repeated in Al-Shalala Street, which was the destination of shoppers decades ago, as it is a comprehensive market for all family needs, and its shops and stalls are distinguished by their popular prices, but the decline in demand for it led to a decline in movement. Economic and purchasing from it, due to the occupation and its settlers to limit the commercial movement that pushes towards the displacement and deportation of merchants and shoppers by creating problems.

Al-Daour stressed, we will not surrender to the occupation and its settlers, because Al-Shalala Street is the entrance to the old town and the Ibrahimi Mosque, which are considered the identity and spirit of the city, and we will not leave it to repeat the model of Al-Shuhada Street, and this calls for the presence of Palestine in this street, which is of great importance and reflects the city's cultural reality and its civilized face, pointing out that Its commercial stores are more than decades old, and therefore it must be preserved and citizens should be encouraged and motivated to reside in it, to restore the spirit to it and protect the remaining commercial stores and stalls in it, stressing that the occupation seeks to exclude us from the Old City and everything that reaches to empty the scene for the settlers.

A museum in itself

Imad Hamdan, Director General of the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, said that in order to preserve Al-Shalala Street, the committee, which has been seeking since its inception to restore life to the town’s markets, alleys and corridors, and its success led to encouraging citizens to live and occupy most of the residential buildings, indicating that since 2020 it has worked The committee decided to restore the shops again, and the old town itself became a museum that is visited with its old stones in its markets, alleys and shops after the restoration. A new imprint was made for it by completing the project of installing umbrellas in the old Shallala Street, in a sophisticated way and in a manner of architectural and historical splendor that carries with it the legacy of the fathers and grandfathers.

He added: The project was completed with the installation of iron awnings for eighty-five shops in the old al-Shalala market, which is considered the main artery of the old town, especially since it is the most vulnerable market to Israeli attacks. Sometimes the goods are damaged.

Shop protection

And Hamdan indicated that the importance of this project comes with the aim of protecting these shops and their goods from rain, dust and sunlight, in addition to providing a beautiful view of the street, which encourages citizens to visit the old town and enjoy wandering among its markets, explaining that the project came to meet the needs of shop owners in That area, as it was a collective demand from merchants and citizens, who suffer from daily Israeli attacks and suffer from weak commercial traffic because of these attacks, expressing his hope that all shops will open their doors and economic life in the Old City will return to its former state.

Sultan Street

The opening of Al-Shalala Street, which is located in the area extending from Bab Al-Zawiya Square in the north, to the Old Municipality Gate Square in the south, and is bordered by Al-Shuhada Street in the west, and “Nasir Al-Din Nasser Al-Din Street” known today as the New Al-Shalala Street in the east, is due to the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed in The second half of the eighteenth century.

Historian Dr. Youssef Abu Mazer stated that the reason for naming this street by this name is due to the presence of some Bedouins who were camping in the area surrounding the Arab Bank, and they were dealing in trade with the residents of Hebron, and they were from the “Al-Shalala” or “Al-Shalaleen” clan from Beersheba, and that was At the end of the fifties of the last century, until the year 1967 AD, that is why the residents called the street Al-Shalala Street after the Arabs of Al-Shalala.

historical landmarks

He added that the street, from which the urban expansion began on both sides of the road, includes several historical monuments, such as the "Al-Manjikiya" corner known as Zawiyat Al-Saeed, and to the south of it is the Al-Dabouya building, which the occupation calls "Beit Hadassah" and at the end of the road at the Old Municipality Square. In the Ottoman era, a water pipe was withdrawn from Al-Shuhada Street to Al-Shalala Street, and a water tap was installed, which was called “Ain Al-Askar,” noting that in 1929, a hotel was built opposite Ain Al-Askar, and it was called the Palestine Hotel, which was converted into Folklore and Interpretive Museum of the Old City.

Abu Mazer continued, that on the opposite side, specifically in the square of Bab al-Zawiya, there was a spring of water called the eye of "Umm al-Faraj", and there was a pool of water underground in the square of Bab al-Zawiya, and near it was a chapel and it had a small mihrab, adding: To the south of Ain Umm al-Faraj, a mosque Bab al-Zawiya, and near it is an old archaeological well, which the residents called “Bir Ibrahim,” which is different from the well that people know today, which is located opposite Nasir al-Din Bridge, pointing to the Shawer Mill, near the Arab Bank, which is closed today, pointing out that the street that was famous for orchards With various fruit trees due to the fertility of the land and the abundance of water, in addition to the old olive trees.

Many deserted him

Historian Abu Mirz explained that the occurrence of the Al-Dabouya building, on Al-Shalala Street, which was seized by settlers, exposed the neighboring residents and shops to the continuous attacks of the occupation and its settlers, by throwing dirt, directing insults, and attacking the shops to displace residents and merchants from the area, which prompted the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee , to the erection of an insulating mesh fence over Al-Shalala Street, pointing out that before the events of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, the street was teeming with pedestrians and commercial traffic and was the backbone of the area, but the large number of settler attacks led to the migration of many merchants to safer areas, and the movement in it declined.