Graduation Project | Thesis

German Jordanian University (GJU) School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE) Department of Architecture and Interior Architecture Jerash’s Interpretation Center (Reviving and narrating the story of the modern city of Jerash) Student Name: Aya Al-Obaidi Student ID: 20152601013 Under the Supervision of Dr. Saja Nashashibi Second Semester 2019\2020 Amman, Jordan

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Acknowledgements

First and foremost, praises and thanks to God, the Almighty, for His showers of blessings through the tough times that we’ve been through this year to complete the project successfully. I am extremely grateful to my parents for their love, prayers, caring and sacrifices for educating and preparing me for my future. Also, I express my thanks to my sister and brother for their support and valuable prayers.

I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my project supervisor, Arch.Saja Nashashibi, for providing valuable guidance and supervision throughout this project.

I am extending my thanks to Dr. Janset Shawash and Arch.Lubna Alawneh for their support and efforts during the extraordinary situation that we’ve been through this year.

Finally, my thanks go to my friends and all the people who have supported me to complete my graduation project directly or indirectly.

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Abstract

Heritage and conservation have been always an interest of mine. Especially the documentation of the tangible cultural heritage as well as the intangible heritage. I believe that architecture narrates the story of the people that’s why I chose to focus on documenting and presenting the social and cultural aspects of the local community of Jerash for my graduation project.

Narrating the story of the old Souq and the local handcrafts by providing a structure that offers functions to deliver this narrative.

Another Important point was to integrate Tourists and local visitors with the local community of the modern city. In other words, to redirect tourism towards benefiting the local community of 6the city of Jerash.

The project is basically a bridge structure that beholds a Market hall that sells local goods , as well as several workshops for locals to work on their crafts and create recreation spaces for them, and other workshops to teach visitors of the city some of the crafts as part of the intangible heritage.

Calling the project an “interpretation center’ because it beholds and narrates the intangible heritage of the city and its people.

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Table of Contents Chapter 1: The Context……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…. (07) ‒ -Introduction to the site ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ‒ -Historical Timeline………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ‒ -Archeological site …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ‒ -Macro scale site analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………………… ‒ -Meso scale site analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ‒ -Micro scale site analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chapter 2: The concept…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (23) ‒ Introduction to the project………………………………………………………………………………………………. ‒ Design motifs and elements from site …………………………………………………………………………………… ‒ Functional Diagram ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ‒ Mind map ………………………………………………………………………………………………….….………….

Chapter 3: Case Studies……………………………………………………………………………………………….….……… (35) Chapter 4: Functional Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chapter 5: The Design…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (55) References ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. (67) 6|Page

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Chapter 1: The Context

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Chapter 1: The Context

Location of the site within the city The site is in Jerash city, one of the most important touristic and agricultural cities in Jordan. Situated in the northern of Jordan. To be more exact, the site is in the Golden valley ,"‫ "وادي الذهب‬a valley separating the Archeological site from the modern city of Jerash.

Figure Abstract Map of the site within the context

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The Context: Introduction to the site

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Figure 1 Location of Jerash in Jordan

Figure 2 Area of Jerash in comparison with the area of Amman

Introduction to the site Jerash (Arabic: ‫ ;جرش‬Ancient Greek: Γέρασα) is a city in northern Jordan. The city is the administrative center of the Jerash Governorate and has a population of 50,745 as of 2015. It is located 48 kilometers (30 mi) north of the capital city Amman.

Jerash today is home to one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman cities, which earned it the nickname of "Pompeii of the East".

Approximately 330,000 visitors arrived in Jerash in 2018, making it one of the most visited sites in Jordan.

(Reference: Wikipedia)

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The Context: Historical Timeline

Historical Timeline Jerash was largely a Roman creation, and the well-preserved remains of all the classic Roman structures – forum, cardo maximus, hippodrome, nymphaeum – are easily distinguishable among the ruins.

Figure 3 Historical Timeline done by author

Following Roman general Pompey’s conquest of the region in 64 BC, Gerasa became part of the Roman province of Syria and then a city of the Decapolis.

Over the next two centuries, trade with the Nabataeans (of Petra fame) flourished, and the city grew extremely wealthy thanks to local agriculture and iron-ore mining. In the 1st century AD the city was remodeled on the grid system, with a colonnaded main north– south street (the cardo maximus – one of the great highlights of the site today) intersected by two side streets running east–west.

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The Context: Historical Timeline

The city was further enhanced in AD 106 under Emperor Trajan, and the triumphal arch at the far southern end of the city (through which the site is accessed today) was constructed in 129 to mark the important occasion of Emperor Hadrian’s visit. Jerash’s fortunes peaked around the beginning of the 3rd century, when it attained the rank of colony and boasted a population of 15,000 to 20,000 inhabitants.

Figure 4 Illustration of one of the gates by author

The city declined following a devastating earthquake in 747, and its population shrank to about a quarter of its former size. Apart from a brief occupation by a Crusader garrison in the 12th century, the city was completely deserted until the arrival of the Circassians from Russia in 1878. The site’s archaeological importance was quickly recognized, sparking more than a century of excavation and restoration and the revival of a new town on the eastern flank of the ruins.

Figure 5 map showing the site within the context

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The Context: Archeological site

The Archeological Site At the extreme south of the site is the striking Hadrian’s Arch, also known as the Triumphal Arch, which was built in AD 129 in honour of the visit of Emperor Hadrian. Behind the arch is the hippodrome, which hosted chariot races in front of up to 15,000 spectators.

The South Gate, originally one of four along the city wall and built in 130, leads into the city proper. One of the most distinctive sites of Jerash, the forum is unusual because of its shape and huge size (90m long and 80m at its widest point). Fifty-six Ionic columns surround the paved limestone plaza, linking the cardo maximus with the Temple of Zeus.

Northeast of the forum lies the cardo maximus, the city’s main thoroughfare, also known as the colonnaded street. Stretching 800m to the North Gate, the street is still paved with its original stones, rutted by the wheels of chariots that once jostled along its length.

The colonnaded street is punctuated by the nymphaeum, the main fountain of the city, before giving rise to a superb propylaeum (monumental gateway) and a staircase. The Temple of Artemis, towering over Jerash at the top of the stairs, was dedicated to the patron goddess of the city, but alas it was dismantled to provide masonry for new churches under Theodorius in 386.

Further north is the North Theatre, built in 165 and now restored to its former glory.

Figure 6 Map showing the Archeological site

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The Context: Macro scale site analysis

Site analysis: Macro Level

Solid and Void The city’s population is centralized around the downtown area. And the number of built up areas decreases the further it is from the center.

Urban Growth The shape of the urban growth of the city does not adhere to clear plan or pattern.

The city takes a circular shape growth at first but with the development of transportation routes another style emerged, a linear pattern that led to the growth of the city outward.

Figure 7 Urban Growth of the city

Figure 8 Map showing the built-up area in Jerash

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The Context: Meso scale site analysis

Site analysis: Meso Level

I. Greenery and Vegetation Known for its sweet water streams, Jerash has some of the most fertile land in the Kingdom. With over 266,00 Cultivatable dunums, 63% of the lands are used for agriculture which include seasonal and yearly production of crop.

Dairy production remains one of the main trades in the city.

Several medium and small businesses as well as home businesses still produce dairy products in the traditional way. Dairy is bought from the neighboring towns

Figure 9 Map showing green areas in the site

Figure 10 Images from site

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The Context: Meso scale site analysis

Site analysis: Meso Level

III. Built Up Area •

II. City Roads and Hierarchy •

The streets suffer from highly percentage of pedestrian movement also traffic congestion and through traffic

Location: half an hour drive from the largest three cities in Jordan (Amman, Zarqaa, Irbid).

•

Critical issues in streets near location: -informal car parking -overall physical conditions of the streets -lack of proper sidewalks -narrow unorganized streets -insufficient parking lots -lack of street furniture's

Main Road Figure 11 Map showing street Hierarchy

Access way Secondary Road Figure 12 Map showing Built up area

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The Context: Meso scale site analysis

Wasfi Al Tal Street

IV. Zoning -The central commercial area includes a grid of streets bounded by king Abdullah Street to the west.

-The ground floor of the majority of buildings are retail or commercials with residential or offices above.

-Commercial zone: The Souq

King Abdullah Street

Figure 13 Map showing Main Streets and Built up area

Figure 14 Map showing Zoning of site

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The Context: Micro Scale analysis

Site analysis: Micro Level

I.

Pedestrian Calculation

Figure 15 Map showing pedestrian circulation around site

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The Context: Micro Scale analysis

The Wadi (The Golden Valley) Jerash-Gerasa is located in a fluvial valley in the middle of a green hilly landscape with fertile soils. The agricultural use of the area was already a basis of prosperity in ancient times. Another lucrative source of income was the iron ore mines in the northern Ajloun mountains. Gerasa also maintained prosperity through ceramic manufacture and its trade during the Byzantine period. Thus, a small settlement developed into the magnificent Greek-Roman city complex of the 2nd century AD, to which almost twenty Byzantine churches were added by 600 AD, and then numerous Umayyad buildings in the 7th century.

Ancient Gerasa is divided in two by the Jerash Wadi. On the east side used to live most of the inhabitants, while the west side was the religious, administrative and economic center. This western part of the city has remained so authentically preserved, because it was abandoned by the inhabitants after the severe earthquake of 747 AD, and for ten centuries, hardly any structural or other interventions were done there.

Figure 16 Base map for the site

Figure 17 Section of the site showing context

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The Context: Micro Scale analysis

The Wadi (The Golden Valley) The wadi acts like a gap that isolates the Historical site from the modern city part which disconnects the people from their ruins, and they feel Alienated from the narrative.

Figure 18 Source: Tasneem Denis, Thesis JUST JERASH DOWNTOWN REGENERATION

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‫‪The Context: Micro Scale analysis‬‬

‫" تتعرض البيوت التراثية المشيدة قبل مئات السنين في جرش لالنهيار والعبث‪ ،‬فيما بعضها اآلخر يتعرض‬ ‫لإلزالة نهائيا‪ ،‬لعدم صيانتها وترميمها واستغاللها سياحيا‪ ،‬سيما وان اهميتها ال تقل عن آثار المدينة‪ ،‬وتنشر‬ ‫هذه البيوت التراثية والتاريخية بشكل كبير في الوسط التجاري بمدينة جرش‪ ،‬وبعضها يشكل حارات كاملة‬ ‫متكاملة‪ ،‬فيما تحولت اغلبيتها إلى مكاب للنفايات‪.‬‬ ‫وتتميز هذه البيوت بالتصاميم وطريقة البناء التي استخدمت فيها أنواع مواد قديمة وتراثية‪ ،‬يمكن أن تشكل‬ ‫نقطة جذب للسياح بعد ترميمها‪ ،‬وخاصة في مشروع مسار وادي الذهب ومشروع ربط المدينة األثرية‬ ‫بالحضرية‪.‬‬ ‫وبحسب رئيس قسم اإلعالم في بلدية جرش الكبرى هشام البنا‪ .‬فأن جميع هذه البيوت ما تزال غير‬ ‫مستملكة‪ ،‬منها ما يتعرض لإلنهيار في كل موسم مطري بشكل جزئي أو كلي‪ ،‬وأخرى تحولت إلى خرابات‬ ‫ومواقع للعبث ومكبات للنفايات‪ ،‬مشيرا إلى أن البيوت التي ما تزال بأوضاع جيدة يتم تأجيرها للعمالة‬ ‫الوافدة أو كمحال تجارية متواضعة‪".‬‬ ‫" وأكد أن البيوت التراثية في الوسط التجارية ما تزال ملكيات خاصة لمواطنين‪ ،‬على الرغم من أهميتها‬ ‫التراثية والتاريخية ويمكن أن تشكل استثمارات سياحية جذابة إذا تم إستغاللها واإلستفادة منها سياحيا‪.‬‬ ‫وبين الخطاطبة انه في الوقت الحالي ال يمكن استثمار البيوت غير المستملكة بأي مشاريع سياحيا‪ ،‬لحين‬ ‫استمالكها بشكل رسمي‪.‬‬ ‫إلى ذلك يؤكد عضو مجلس محافظة جرش والخبير السياحي الدكتور يوسف زريقات‪ ،‬أن البيوت التراثية‬ ‫قديمة جدا في جرش‪ ،‬وهي في مواقع متعددة ومعظمها مهجور ومنها مؤجر لمهن وحرف ال تتناسب مع‬ ‫قيمة هذه البيوت وتاريخها العريق‪.‬‬ ‫ويرى زريقات‪ ،‬أن هذه البيوت بحد ذاتها مشاريع سياحية استثمارية خاصة يمكن اإلستفادة منها بحكم وجود‬ ‫في الوسط التجاري داخل مدينة جرش‪ ،‬ويمكن االستفادة منها في مشروع ربط المدينة األثرية بالحضرية‬ ‫فيما بعد‪ ،‬خاصة وأن تركها عرضة للعبث والتخريب يقلل من أهميتها وقيمتها التراثية األثرية ويحولها إلى‬ ‫مكبات للنفايات‪".‬‬

‫المصدر ‪ :‬جريدة الغد – صابريين الطعيمات‬

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The Context: SWOT Analysis

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Chapter 2: The Concept

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Concept: Introduction to the project

Figure19 done by author

Connecting the Roman Archeological site of Jerash with the modern City The Golden Valley which is a commonly used name in the area works as a gap between these two narratives and it disconnects the people of Jerash from their History and Ruins.

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Concept: Introduction to the project

Introduction to the project The two narratives of city where the western side doesn't engage well with the eastern side is a main issue in Jerash. Focusing on Locals and supporting them so they can create products that would eventually be sold to Tourists.

Figure 20 done by author

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Concept: Introduction to the project

Embroidery, Sewing and craftsmanship are all Important Elements of the cultural History and Heritage of Jerash

Figure 21 done by author

Woman of Jerash are famous for making labneh, yogurt and other dairy products at their homes.

As well as having large agricultural lands where olive trees are widely spread.

Figure 22done by author

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Design motifs and elements from site

Design motifs and elements from the site

“‫”العبور‬ the structure of the building imitates the structure of the roman Bridge. Both of them deliver the concept of ‫العبور‬ but the building gives out a narrative unlike the Bridge that only takes you from one point to the other

“The Interior Space” The interior and main space is basically the market. The Central open space (core) that replicates the Bridge as a glass crossing \ transitioning spaces to the workshops zone

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Design motifs and elements from site

“The Interactive Show rooms” The show rooms provide the narrative of the modern city of Jerash, The Souq As well as the story of the Roman Baths found on the other side 29 | P a g e

Design motifs and elements from site

“‫”العبور‬ the structure of the building imitates the structure of the roman Bridge. Both of them deliver the concept of ‫العبور‬but the building gives out a narrative unlike the Bridge that only takes you from one point to the other 30 | P a g e

Design motifs and elements from site

“Panoramic view platforms”

Figure 23-28 done by author

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Design motifs and elements from site

East Façade

West Façade

East Façade

Figure 29 Old Souq Facades done by master students of GJU

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Functional Diagram of the project

LVL 1

LVL 2

LVL 3

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Images of site

Different images taken by author

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Mind Map

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Chapter 3: Case Studies

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(Reference for this Chapter is Archdaily )

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Chapter 5: The Design

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The Design

SITE PLAN

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Site Elements

•

Narrating the story of the old Souq and the local handcrafts by providing a structure that offers functions to deliver this narrative.

•

Another Important point was to integrate Tourists and local visitors with the local community of the modern city. In other words, to redirect tourism towards benefiting the local community of 6the city of Jerash.

•

The project is basically a bridge structure that beholds a Market hall that sells local goods , as well as several workshops for locals to work on their crafts and create recreation spaces for them, and other workshops to teach visitors of the city some of the crafts as part of the intangible heritage.

•

Calling the project an “interpretation center’ because it beholds and narrates the intangible heritage of the city and its people.

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Third Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

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First Floor Plan Basement Plan

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3D View I 63 | P a g e

3D View II 64 | P a g e

Main exterior shot of the Project (South elevation)

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North Elevation (Alternative Glazing)

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References

•

‫جريدة الغد \ اخبار جرش‬

• • • •

Urban Analysis of: Jerash Old Souq Area, done by master students from GJU. Article : https://universes.art/en/art-destinations/jordan/jerash#c42132 Wikipedia Archdaily : (Case Studies)

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Approval and Commitment to Ethical Standards and Integrity

I declare my full acknowledgment of GJU laws, bylaws, regulations, and decisions that are currently followed. I certify to have personally prepared my graduation project on my own with integrity and abided by ethical standards in preparing graduation projects; i.e., I did not receive any assistant in preparing the designs, rendering and presentation, model making, computer visualizations and animation, etc., by anyone other than my supervisor and the technical support team at GJU. I also declare that my graduation project was not plagiarized from other projects, books, journals, or any other source.

In compliance with the above information I hold myself fully responsible if my graduation project breaches the above. GJU’s Deans Council has the right to revoke the decision of granting me the scientific degree and to withdraw the certificate and approve a statement of “annulled certificate” to be recorded on all documents on my academic record.

Student name: Aya Mothanna Abd Alhamid Al-Obaidi

Signature:

Date:

29 / 06 / 2020

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