Interior cities

In the world of urban planning and architecture, the term "Falanor" is used to describe those who traverse urban squares and spaces with a conscious awareness and architectural analysis, sensing their passage through psychological and phenomenological experiences influenced by the engineering design of places. The contemporary Iraqi architect Rifa'a al-Jaderji, in his many books and articles, often narrated his journeys in which "he wandered aimlessly" by car or on foot, contemplating the facades of buildings in Baghdad and the Arab and Western cities he visited and lived in. It is certain that he would have used the term "Falanor" if it had been within his knowledge, but he understood it intuitively and used it as a tool for framing, analysis, and theorizing. Since I first encountered this term in the architecture of contemporary architecture class, I have shared the Sufi view: "Who has tasted, knows; and who knows, drinks." I loved that act of wandering, spending time aimlessly strolling through streets and public places, alert with wonder at what city phenomena I might encounter, considering wandering an extension of my specialization and a practical application of it. And since I am a "Falanor" myself, wandering over the years in Manama, Paris, and Minneapolis, without knowing the term, its history, or its origins, I can say that this intuition—like al-Jaderji's—is something that brings joy.