Dissertation_Dr Faisal Almubarak

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dilapidated, mud houses had become an impediment in the path to modernity. Al-Tua'is
asserts
Yet, the opening of Huraimla's municipality in 1385/86 (c. 1965) constitutes
an important civilized leap in the history of planning the city [sic]. For it
contributed to its change through the implementation of projects, one after
another, according to plans each, in the long run, suits its [Huraimla's]
progressive period as part of the Kingdom at present. In addition to the
widening of the old streets, [the municipality] also has embarked upon the
demolishing and laying of wide avenues as it aspires to eliminate the
haphazard [sic] layout of the city during the coming twenty years, and the
overseeing of rapid urban growth, the coordination and modern residences
according to styles which suit the needs and hygienic requirements. 12
The municipality has since led the march to a new growth suited to the exigencies of
the modern age. The combined impact of widespread use of the automobile, the increasing
population, rising living standards, and the acculturation brought about by modernization,
all justified seemingly radical intervention by the fledgling municipal staff. 13 Starting with
the demolishing of the Al-Jama'ah historical wall and its gates, the municipality
spearheaded the sudden departure from the vernacular standards of urban design and
building processes which forged the traditional built environment of Huraimla. Inside the
traditional fabric, the municipality embarked upon a program of modernizing the "archaic"
fabric, implementing surgical operations that disemboweled the compact walled settlement.
Since its creation in 1968, in its efforts to "modernize" the ramshackle quarters, the
municipality bulldozed a significant proportion of the meandering alleys of Huraimla to
allow for the construction of new buildings, streets and parking space (Figures 8.5-8.7).
Old buildings that lay in the way of the automobile were mercilessly demolished to allow
for wider, straight streets suited for the car. Al-Tua'is, who marveled at the active role of
the municipality, likened the municipality's intervention as being "civilized touches", that is
the introduction of hygienic standards, implementation of new services and expanding
circulation space to allow access for the increasing traffic brought about by the rising
number of automobiles, despite the loss of the historical buildings. 14
In 1968, the municipal staff presided over the demolishing of the traditional central
suq area of Al-Mashab as part of the municipality's modernization program. The old suq ,
which comprised twenty six small (2 by 3 meters) shops (stalls), some of which stood for
the last 150 years old, was razed. The dilapidated structures were replaced with rows of
larger shops built with concrete. While the need for a larger commercial area (suq) was
justified by the fact that the crammed central area and its tiny shops could not be adopted to