19/03/2019 A Brief History Of The Iron Market In Port-au-Prince — Uno Backpack

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A Brief History Of The Iron Market In Port-

au-Prince
in haiti

Marché de Fer, or Iron Market is a major landmark in Port-au-Prince, the

capital city of Haiti. This beautiful orange structure is a living example of the
vagaries of time and circumstance. It was originally built in the late 19th century
in Paris and was intended for the railway station in Cairo, Egypt. The French
builder who was awarded the contract specialized in minarets which are
ubiquitous to Islamic architecture, and that is perhaps why the structure bears
some resemblance to a mosque, sans onion dome.

However, the deal between France and Egypt fell through and the then
President of Haiti, Florvil Hyppolite got wind of the failed transaction. He
worked with the French authorities to get the structure shipped to Haiti, where
it was finally erected in 1891. Overtime, this market became the hub of trading
activity in Port-au-Prince and many hundred tradesmen and merchants began
selling their wares there. This historic iron structure has been witness to some
setbacks in the recent past. It was partially damaged by a fire in 2008 and then
in 2010, a powerful earthquake reduced the market to rubble. The Iron Market
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was reconstructed and formally opened in January 2011, largely due to

philanthropic contributions by Denis O'Brien, an Irish billionaire whose
company, Digicel has a huge footprint in the Caribbean mobile communications
market.

Ariel view of Marche de fer (Iron Clock Tower and Minarets of the Iron
Market). (Image Market
courtesy http://www.990px.pl/index.php/2011/01/12/haiti-
w-rok-od-trzesienia-ziemi/)

Despite being advised against been too adventurous while in Port-au-Prince, I

mustered enough guts to hitch a ride on a moto taxi from my AirBnb digs at
Petionville. After hailing a driver, we haggled over the price using sign language
since he spoke no English and my Creole and French skills do not go beyond
exchanging pleasantries. To seal the deal, I took out my iPhone and typed
my final price on the calculator app - 1300 Haitian Gourdes (approx $25). A
fist bump followed, signifying agreement and thus began the journey which
would end up being the highlight of my quick and impulsive weekend jaunt to
Haiti. Midway into the ride, I realized the driver didn't have the first clue
what Marché de Fer was or where it was situated. After roaming around the city

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in circles, trying my luck with the google maps app, and asking a few passers by,
we finally arrived at the Iron Market to be welcomed by a cacophony of motor
horns, screams and shouts.

The area in the vicinity of the market can be described as a muddy

grey haphazard sprawl where bikes, lorries, chicken buses, carts, cars and people
all jostle for space. Red umbrella stalls sprout like mushrooms everywhere, both
inside the market complex and on the outside, under which vendors sell
everything from souvenirs, Haitian style paintings, kitchenware, to even
livestock. Many of the shopkeepers will aggressively chase you until buy
something from them. Thankfully, my moto taxi driver was kind enough to keep
me company as it was his first time in there too so he kept the hawks at bay.

Iron Market, Port Au Prince (Image Jalousie Slum as seen from Petionville,
Courtesy Port-au-Prince
- http://www.sabinehomrighausen.com/)

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Galland Semerand, Marche de fer (Iron Jalousie Slum, Port-au-Prince (Image

Market), 2009. Acrylic on canvas, courtesy http://www.aljazeera.com/, Art
courtesy of Expressions Galerle d'Art, Port project gives Haiti slum a facelift, Nov 16,
Au Prince, Haiti 2014)

After spending about 30 minutes in the Iron Market, I decided to head back to
Petionville. Another spot that I was very eager to see was the Jalousie slum,
which the government has painted in psychedelic colors to make the view
pleasing to the eye. Squalid conditions inside the slum notwithstanding, it does
mean for a very pretty sight from afar. Somehow, my driver understood what I
meant and stopped the bike at a good vantage point. All in all, this was a
morning well spent.

INTERESTING READING AND

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In addition to my own personal experience while visiting the Iron Market in

Port-au-Prince, I have taken the liberty richly leverage from some great work
online in writing this story. Besides sources below, which by the way also make
for tremendous reading, I have also quoted all image sources (when not self
clicked)

NY Times: A Symbol of Hope for Haiti, a Landmark Again Stands Tall

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Live Or Die: The Struggle to Survive by the People of Haiti by Paul Lee

Al Jazeera - Art project gives Haiti slum a facelift

Wikipedia - Marché en Fer

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