LUXOR: The residents of El Gourna village in Luxor continue to be divided on the question of their relocation after being evacuated to make room for excavation efforts. Many were optimistic at first with promises of better living conditions and utilities in their new homes. However, some found this was not the case, and are now complaining about the amount of money they have to spend repairing their new flats, which they claim were not built in line with set standards. In April 2006, some of the old Gourna residents moved to their new homes in El Taref area, east of the Nile's west bank, as part of a master plan to improve the villagers' living conditions and allow the unearthing of the tombs lying beneath their old abodes. El Gourna, home to a population of 30,000, stretches across an expansive hill between Habo City and Nagaa El Atiyat. Once evacuated, the village will be removed in stages in preparation for a major archaeological project to modernize Luxor, aiming to position the ancient city as the biggest archaeological site in the world.As the project progresses, many are protesting against the displacement of a community that has always been considered as significant as the surrounding monuments. Throughout history, the Gourna villagers have specialized in making pottery, emulating the work of their forefathers, the ancient Egyptians.While the evacuation decision is irreversible, Gourna villagers struggle to adapt to the changes. "I really don't know what's going on, said Abdel El Hamid Haridi, a clerk who still lives in the area. "We were informed of a major plan for this area, but we don't know exactly what they have in mind, he added."Life is becoming almost impossible for me and other families in Gourna. many of our townsfolk left for the new area located four or five kilometers away. "We have lived as one community and we're waiting impatiently to be reunited. We visit each other regularly. Each has to wait for his turn to receive his new house in El Taref. However, the long-awaited relocation turned out to be a big disappointment for some who, for the past seven decades, have been dreaming of the promised better living conditions. "Certainly moving to El Taref was a blessing for those who have been deprived of a sanitary system, water and electricity and other services for a long time, said Mahjub Jaber, another Gourna resident. "But arriving in the new area, some were shocked to find walls collapsing and pipes bursting. The third phase of the housing project was completed so clumsily that some had to be evacuated [again] so that repairs could be carried out. Of all neighborhoods on Luxor's west bank, El Gourna is the most coveted due to the lucrative trade of pottery and the rumored clandestine trafficking of antiquities recovered from the tombs beneath the houses. "Let them say what they like. Only few of us are well-off, said Ahmed Mahmoud, a potter at an alabaster workshop in Gourna. "Don't speak of trade or heritage. There is no future in these houses. Look at how dilapidated they are, added Mahmoud as he pointed at the village uphill."What kinds of traditions are we bound to preserve in this unhealthy environment? The new houses that need maintenance pale in comparison to others here that are collapsing.He continued that those houses are convenient for most of the potters who may find it difficult to pay for the transportation expenses in case they move to the new area. Still, he says, there is no guarantee that all these workshops and exhibitions will survive the change either.Some of the residents welcomed the move, while others rejected it for various reasons. One complaint is that the large families of 10 or 12 formerly accommodated in spacious old houses are now crammed into one- or two-room flats. Others claim that they were not compensated for the luxurious tiling, interior décor and other renovations made over the years in their old homes. The majority seems satisfied with the better living conditions, but their outlook for the future remains tainted. "We don't know if they will remove or keep the workshops. You never know how decisions are being made, said Haridi.El Gourna became conspicuous on the tourist map more than 20 years ago. Pottery outlets and workshops were set up downhill to attract tourists with skillful artwork and colorful Pharaonic paintings. Before the shops were set up, "potters used to work at home and sell their pieces in any part of the country, said Rashed Abdel Wahid, a shop assistant at a bazaar in Gourna. "We hope that at least these outlets won't be moved elsewhere so we would remain part of the tours, he added.Barakat Ali, owner of a small souvenir shop from the neighboring village of El Buaraat, does not sympathize with El Gourna residents. "Looking at the conditions of the village, I don't think anyone should object to the relocation, he said. "More than a decade ago, accumulated rain water flooded their cemeteries and coffins were seen floating on the water. Some will tell you they are holding on to their heritage, but they are liars. "Many have become rich by plundering the tombs under their houses. They build houses for their children in Cairo and continue to claim they are poor. This is the reason why they refuse to move. Modernization efforts are not focused on the west bank but on the entire city of Luxor. Some say that an open archaeological museum will replace El Gourna village. The tombs underneath will be illuminated to dispel the dark that envelops the west bank after sunset.
