In the sector called Sidi Ramdane, 500 families were moved out several years ago, freeing 189 buildings for renovation. Less than 10 percent were restored before the project was suspended. Another 300 families were relocated from a second sector, Souk el Djemaa. But that project too soon bogged down over disputes about what should be repaired and what should be torn down.
With the municipal government, the Algerian Culture Ministry and various nongovernmental organizations squabbling over what to do, Ammour said, the next logical step would be to create an independent entity with the power to make decisions. “Now we’re fighting for an authority to control the site,” he explained.
Another complication is figuring out who owns what and getting all of the property holders to support a preservation plan. Ownership of many of the houses has been fragmented through inheritance, making decisions difficult and in some cases impossible. The foundation recently completed a survey of all the owners it could find and registered more than 4,200 for 1,200 different properties.
Most owners have moved out of the Casbah and now rent their buildings for nominal sums. They spend little on maintenance because the buildings generate so little income; each room rents for only 500 dinars to 1,500 dinars, or US$7 to US$20, a month.
But the longer the preservation is postponed, the greater the peril to the historic district. Ammour said the foundation was battling both gravity and the threat of land speculation: The Casbah occupies prime real estate overlooking the sea, and developers have already proposed building luxury apartment blocks and even office towers on the scenic hillside.
If the political stalemate persists, neglect will eventually do the work of the wrecking ball, and the storied lair of the Ottoman corsairs will disappear forever.
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