Capturing the exquisite abandoned & unreclaimed controversial land of Al-Baqourah, located on the Northern borderline between Jordan & Occupied Palestine by a journey that narrates the site’s story and uncovers the inaccessible fragments of the site which holds historical, natural & architectural significance.
A walking trail, which follows the trace of the pre-existing railway, stitches existing fragments as well as new minimal interventions, reducing materials to those on site; rusted concrete plus cor-ten steel and glass, inspired by the industrial ruins on site.
Al Baqourah, an area in the Northern Jordan Valley located on the borderline between Jordan and occupied Palestine, it is the junction point of the Jordan River and Yarmouk River. The inaccessible fragments that shaped this area holds a historical, natural and architectural significance. This area is undergoing a political issue now. As part of the 1994 Peace Treaty, Jordan placed Al Baqourah under a “Special Regime” that guaranteed lease to Israel for 25 years. According to the agreement, Jordan can inform Israel by 26/10/2018 that it does not intend to renew the lease if Jordan wants to reclaim full control over it, or it will be renewed automatically for the same period (25 years). Now, Al Baqourah stands as an abandoned and unreclaimed, restricted military zone where it is frozen in a no man’s land. The project is an attempt to transform the experience of Al Baqourah area through a journey that narrates its story by shedding light on this forgotten site. A walking trail, which follows the trace of the pre-existing railway, stitches existing fragments as well as new minimal interventions, reducing materials to those on site; rusted concrete plus cor-ten steel and glass, inspired by the industrial ruins on site.
The journey starts from the old staff houses, transformed into a visitor’s center. The path first goes by to the train station, transformed into a gallery, reaches the zero channel, across the junction point lookout and the restaurant. It continues through the hydroelectric power plant, transformed into a site museum, which memorializes the area’s past, then crosses the transformer and electrical circuit station, through a memorial that symbolizes the important past events. Finally, it goes down into the complex of bridges and the final hope lookout over the River Jordan, the hope of reclaiming both sides of the land. The village, transformed into lodges for overnight stay and connected to the bird-watching area. Across the trail, there are several bench stops, three rest stops, and stop signages that gives information about the stopovers when reached. These objects, built with cor-ten steel, helps enhance the trail, making it more rich and accessible.
The Board:
