Occupation stories like Gaza under siege, new construction in West Bank settlements, or demolition of Palestinians' homes in East Jerusalem, are prime-time stuff.
Even if the original horse existed — some scholars say it was really a siege apparatus — the construction is a charming emblem designed in the 1970s by the Turkish artisan Izzet Senemoglu.
But in the last two years, the city's architectural heritage has come under siege, with the construction of two new projects dividing public opinion and threatening Seville's Unesco World Heritage status.
"The siege has made all construction difficult, not just in the area of bomb shelters".
Following the siege, the Spanish began the construction in 1730 of the Lines of Contravallation, a fortified structure across the entire width of the isthmus anchored by two major forts on each end.
The hospital is under construction, and during the Americans' siege of the city, which lasted for most of April, it served as a storehouse for weapons, medical and food supplies, and sandbags.
In order to bring his siege engines within range, Alexander ordered the construction of moles.
On the east side of the court is the former office wing, a 16th-century construction mostly destroyed during the siege of 1646.
The quality of the wall's construction was shown in the final Ottoman siege, when repeated attacks, intensive bombardment (including the large bombard of Orban) and attempts at undermining it came to naught.
As the siege reached crisis point, Mr Hitch and his colleague JoJo Balmaceda, a BP construction worker, were among three dozen hostages loaded onto jeeps by terrorists.
They have also used their nine-month siege of the north to dig in, creating elaborate defences, including tunnels and ramparts using construction equipment abandoned by fleeing construction crews.
