Restoring pride

IN the same way that the Taj Mahal can inspire love and beauty among thousands and Rome's Colosseum can bring forth visions of the Roman Empire's glory and might, Bahrain's Bin Matar House is set to instil in many the pearling pride and achievement of this tiny archipelago.

The final touches of restoration are being put on this century old house which belonged to the Bin Matar family - one of the most prominent pearling families of this kingdom who were supplying natural pearls to the world renowned French jeweller and watchmaker - Cartier, in the 1900s.

Situated in Muharraq, this beautiful structure to be inaugurated next week as the latest among the renovated traditional houses managed by the Shaikh Ebrahim Centre for Culture and Research. It will host a permanent exhibition which will serve as a reminder of the pearling tradition and history of Bahrain.

Melissa Enders-Bhatia, in-charge of art and exhibitions at the centre, said: "The beauty of this house is that it was used by a prominent Bahraini family and the structure has remained intact. This is not always the case ... old houses are long gone or are not as spectacular as this one.

"I think it is very authentic to have an actual house and a family who lived there. It is another feature and facet of Bahraini culture that we can promote and we can use to remind people that yes, it was here.

"This will be the location of a pearl exhibition, which will talk about the history of pearling in Bahrain and the role of the Bin Matar family in pearl trading.

"Documents, photographs and some of their original trade implements ... sieves etc which were used to grade pearls will also form part of the exhibition. We will also have a little cafŽ and a space here to put up temporary art exhibitions.

"The sculptures from Muharraq's first sculpture symposium will also find space in the house and the management is trying to get approvals from the municipality to install three of the sculptures on the adjacent roundabout."

The Bin Matar house was built by the family patriarch, Salman bin Matar, at the peak of his pearl trading business in 1905. With an unbroken view of Bahrain's beautiful sea, it was used by the family to receive and accommodate social and business guests.

Around the 1940s it was used as the residence of the kingdom's first physician, Dr Achuth Bhandarkar and in the 70s and the 80s for the Al Eslah Society. It was in use by the family until 2002.

Care has been taken to retain the original look and feel of the old house. The pillars and openings have been retained and the traditional ceilings have been restored with palm leaves and hatching with wooden beams.

Manar Sirriyeh, project director of the renovation of this magnificent two-floor building said: "This may be the most unique house in Muharraq because of its size. It's very big, has spacious rooms and a high ceiling. It has aligned rooms, a very clear access and all this indicates that it belonged to a very rich family."

Renovation work on the house began around a year ago. While modern equipment such as air-conditioning and lighting have been introduced, care has been taken to maintain the original feel and look of the building.

Manar said that the greatest problem was to find workers trained in the traditional ways and sourcing structural and decorative materials used in the old days such as palm trunks, stones, gypsum, a local material called noura and shells, many of which have been bought from Africa.

She added: "There is no steel foundation in these houses. They are made of stone and gypsum and shell and had to be strengthened with a specially made gypsum mix. Again the problem is that gypsum is alive and is breathing and it absorbs water from the ground.

"Our aim has been to protect the major traditional and architectural elements as much as possible. We also introduced air-conditioning without disturbing the main features."

See next week's issue to read about the official opening and the exhibits.