Qumma - From Desert to Rose (June 3rd - The CocoWalk)

[Pat]

Nedalezz a great update # 7 was and i enjoyed the way you used pegs fort and most of all a biiiiiiiiig congrats on Septembers OSITM

oh and welcome to page 4

[Yoman]

Ive just read through your entire CJ and I must say wow, you've nailed the feeling perfectly. Along with your rich history, graphics, maps, and graphs. Incredible. Now I have two suggestions. The first one is fish is shown as an export, yet there is no fishing port, perhaps you should construct one with Nob's set (I'm sure you know where to find it, if not I'd be happy to show you). The second suggestion is perhaps a ring of oasis farms just behind the town, perhaps even grazing land for cattle etc.

I look forward to what you do next

[Ennedi]

Hello nedalezz,

I see your MD first time and I must say I'm impressed!
Great story, a lot of interesting information, and Qal'at Turbia is fantastic!

You choosen very challenging place to develop, I'm sure you know the destert very good, but it is very difficult to do something diversified on the sand  You can't use a lot of stuff - farms, trees, canals and many others. But it has also a good side - if you will create something interesting, it will look even better than in typical surrounding, because of the contrast with harsh and monochromatic landscape.

Very good and very creative work! 

Edit:

fish is shown as an export, yet there is no fishing port, perhaps you should construct one with Noob's set (I'm sure you know where to find it, if not I'd be happy to show you).

Good suggestion, I think Somy's Gyoko 2 will look perfect here - here is it

[nedalezz]

UPDATE EIGHT
EMPHASIS ON EDUCATION

The QEC, about a year and half back, proposed a detailed assessment to Berber Dawa about the need for a high school.  One of the primary reasons was the desire by the residents to have their children continue their education past the elementary stage.  A staunch supporter of education in itself, Dawa quickly accepted the proposal and did the QEC one better: he directed them to construct not only a high school, but a whole educational facility, made up of a new elementary school, a high school, and sports facilities as well.

The first step was allocating the proper site for the new facility, and after some discussion, land on the northern border of Fursan was put aside for construction. The high school, called Berber Dawa High School, came first, costing a total of $2.5 million, of which all came out of Dawa's pocket.  The QEC employs a local architect and has a local construction crew under his command, but the high school was the biggest project the QEC was responsible for since its inception (the Fursan Power Plant was constructed by a private Spanish firm), but they quickly found out if they were to meet their deadlines, they simply did not have the resources to finish the job properly.  Dawa then contracted a firm called Gallazo Development, an Italian construction and civil engineering company, to take control of the job, resulting in a building structure unlike any seen in Fursan before.

The elementary school, which kept the name Istral Dawa Elementary, was constructed by the local QEC team at the same time as the high school, and its cost ran at approximately $550,000.  It was slightly bigger than the old school, and able to fit nearly 20% more students. Around the two educational facilities, a football (soccer) pitch, 2 basketball courts, 2 tennis courts, and a large parking lot were developed as well.

In total, the project cost the QEC, through Dawa's financial backing, approx. $3.2 million, the 2nd largest investment ever made in Qumma after the power plant.  As for the old Istral Dawa Elementary site, there are plans to demolish the 3 year old building and construct the very first bank in Qumma in its place.  A total of 155 students were enrolled in the high school, and 215 students in the elementary school. The educational facility's monthly expenses run at approx. $45,000 per month.

A shot of the site prior to the construction of the educational facility.


The facility after its construction.


A night shot.


An overview shot looking north.

[thundercrack83]

Beautiful school complex, nedalezz! And the overview shot is amazing! Keep up the good work!

[Jmouse]

I'll second that! Your ideas inspire me to rethink the way I fit the necessities into the overall scheme of things. And those are very nice photos, BTW.

Until next time...
Joan

[Pat]

Nedalezz a very great story on the construction of the school complex and also great pics to match too...
I do have a question though whats planned for the old school?  Will see you back again - pat

[bat]

Yes, wonderful looking school complex! Great work!

[nedalezz]

REPLIES

Nisha: Thank you. I like throwing in little history sessions about Qumma every now and then. I have a feeling you will be seeing alot more of Hussein Ja'afar in the future

urban: Likewise, my friend! Im a chronic lurker of yours, although I do believe Ive left a couple of comments!

thundercrack83: Thank you, thank you! No matter if you're late, the party is still happening (I hope)! Welcome to Qumma.

patfirefghtr: A biiiiiiggg thank you on the congrats, lol. PEG's fort is awesome, and fit Qumma perfectly. As for the old school, it will be demolished, and the QEC plans to replace with the very first bank in Qumma, the Qumma National Bank, owned 100% by the QEC.

Yoman: Thanks for the amazing compliments! Fursan is developing, and sooner or later, larger developments and projects will start to appear. With the export of fish growing into southern Morocco and Il-Ayun (largest city in Western Sahara), the QEC has already initiating ways to further maximize its profits from it as well as aid the local fishermen, including the construction of a fishing harbor to accomodate them.

Ennedi: Thanks! It is true that it is challenging with the desert terrain, but these Qummans are smart people, and they seem to have the right financial backer.  Alot of the land has been deemed potentially agricultural worthy, but it will take alot of investment, time, and money to grow sustainable commercial farming in the area. Who knows what the future holds for Qumma? Maybe the growth will stop, maybe it will rise to 1,000,000 people in 10 Qumman years Again, thanks for the great compliments.

Jmouse: Thank you, Joan. Inspire is a very strong word, and it totally flatters me, lol.

bat: Thank you, I hope you keep liking what I do with Fursan!

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Alright, I will be gone for a few days on a business trip. I'll try to stop by and check on here every once a while, but I should be all done by Sunday/Monday. For now, I'll leave you with the first regional shot of the coastline of Qumma:

[bat]

That's a great looking picture of that coastline! Great overview!

[rooker1]

First congrat on the award.  And it seems I have missed a few very good updates.  I love to watch your city grow and school is a great addition.  Your coastline map looks ver good as well.  I can't wait to see it populated.



Robin   

[Jmouse]

Interesting photo of the coastline - it looks just like a RL aerial representation.
Have a safe and pleasant trip.

Until next time...
Joan

[paroch]

Hi Nedalezz,

What a very different MD you have here.

I admire your building style and the way you are keeping it all very "meditterannean".

Fursan is looking really good and I'll be interested to see how the region develops.

[thundercrack83]

Love the coastline picture, nedalezz! Can't wait to see how everything develops!

[nedalezz]

UPDATE NINE
THE BEGINNING OF COMMERCE

As the 3rd Year under Berber Dawa draws to a close, Fursan welcomes the very first bank in Qumma: the Qumma National Bank.  Fully owned by the governing body, the Qumma Executive Council (QEC), which takes its orders directly from Dawa, it serves the entire land as it's only means of banking and financial service. As education levels grow in the area, so does the understanding and need of such services.

The site of construction was the former Istral Dawa Elementary School. With the opening of the educational facility on the eastern outskirts of Fursan, the school was moved there and the old building was no longer in use. The original idea was to have the building which served as the elementary school turned into a bank, but the idea was scratched by Dawa, who insisted to have a new building replace it. After looking at several ideas and submissions, he chose local architect Dani Kumeisi as the man for the job.

The building, including all the inside equipment, cost approx. $675,000, and currently has a monthly operational cost of almost $90,000, a staggering amount for the QEC to handle. However, since it is fully owned by the QEC, it is estimated the bank will make the governing body close to $200,000-$250,000 a year with the current population.

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The opening of the bank has also coincided with the first real commercial activity in Qumma; the Macellebla Restaurant & Patisserie, and the Burjuweh Inn & Restaurant.  Although they can be classified in the same field of business, they are two distinctly different operations.

The Macellebla Restaurant was the first restaurant to open its doors for business in Qumma, and its success can be witnessed by the crowd in the place every night.  Situated just opposite of Barida Park, the location is ideal and the atmosphere always alive. The restaurant serves mainly French and Italian food, with some of Qumma's more popular dishes also on the menu, while the patisserie serves fresh cakes and sweets.  The place is popular with Fursan's slightly older, high-endish crowd who are looking for a relaxing place to eat.  It is owned and operated by Firas Mokhtar, a local Fursani who used to fish for a living.

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Burjuweh Inn & Restaurant is a relatively new addition to Fursan, having opened only a few months ago.  Its owner, Garhood Burjuweh, was motivated by the success of the Macellebla, and decided to open up his own eatery.  After buying land on the eastern outskirts of Fursan (approx. 3000 sq. meters for $30,000), he decided to take his idea a step further, constructing a building which he turned into an inn of 20 rooms. Outside, he developed a plaza for people who preferred to sit outside, much like Barida Park. The entire operation cost him nearly $150,000.  Burjuweh works a trader in Il-Ayun, the capital of Western Sahara, and his income comes from that. The Burjuweh Inn has proven to be a huge success with Fursan's younger crowd.

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So that brings to a close the 3rd Year; I will leave you with a couple of overview shots of Fursan. The first one is what Fursan currently looks like, with a population of 10,150. The second picture lists all the "landmarks" of the town so that one may have an idea of what is where. Both pictures are facing north.

[rooker1]

Fursan City looks fantastic and possible a great place to live.  Any house by the sea vacant?  hehehe
Great work my friend.



Robin   

[Jmouse]

Another lovely update. Unlike me, you are obviously taking your time and giving your attention to every little detail. Keep it up!

Until next time...
Joan

[bat]

Wonderful update of the commercial areas! Great work!

[Yoman]

I look forward to whats next

[Nisha]

I absolutely love the way you did the school in the previous update. It's good to see the development of commerce in Fursan as well.
Looking good!   
~Nisha