Post by Fatima Farhat
Echoes of Al Zireh Island reimagines the relationship between Sidon and Al Zireh Island, restoring the island’s lost connection to the city’s waterfront and collective memory. The project’s main goal is to reactivate the island as a socio-cultural and ecological landmark while revealing its overlooked historical and touristic potential. Once deeply integrated within Saida’s coastal identity, Al Zireh gradually became disconnected from the urban fabric despite its strategic and symbolic significance. Situated along the Mediterranean waterfront, the site is shaped by the continuous interaction between land and sea, where waves, tides, and coastal movement define both its physical edge and experiential character.
The design is inspired by the rhythmic echo of waves that continuously strike and reshape the island’s shores. This natural phenomenon becomes the conceptual generator of the project, translated into a radial grid system that acts both symbolically and spatially. The grid organizes movement, circulation, and visual connections between the city and the island, mimicking the motion of echoes that extend outward before returning to their origin. At the heart of the project lies the idea of reconnection—between people, landscape, and waterfront identity. Functional zones unfold along this radial structure, integrating public gathering areas, cultural spaces, ecological landscapes, and waterfront pathways. These layers work together to transform the island into an accessible civic destination while reinforcing its environmental and urban significance.
Movement through the project follows the radial geometry, guiding users across interconnected pathways, waterfront promenades, and layered viewing points that frame the relationship between sea and city. Horizontal circulation expands outward from the urban edge toward the island, while transitional spaces create moments of pause, reflection, and visual engagement with the surrounding landscape. The project emphasizes openness and continuity, allowing visitors to experience shifting perspectives of the coastline, water, and skyline throughout their journey. Ultimately, Echoes of Al Zireh Island becomes more than a waterfront intervention; it acts as a spatial and symbolic reconnection between Saida and its forgotten island, transforming natural rhythms into an architectural language that restores memory, identity, and collective experience.
