Bait el Gahwa

A traditional house restored tucked away in Muharraq, through narrow winding lanes next to the Kurar House and one of the latest from the series of projects by Sh. Ebrahim bin Mohammed Centre for Culture and Research, headed by Sha. Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa. Its Bait el Gahwa otherwise known as the House of Coffee. Walking through the lanes in the cool air (yes its cool here), the scent of coffee lingering and the Bahraini rich cultural presence welcomes us with open arms again with this recent opening. Its always a rich cultural delight when going to these places!

Bait el Gahwa is a recently opened cafe, a great place to unwind after some sight-seeing around the freej (neighborhood). They serve traditional Arabic coffee and other varieties such as nespresso to suit modern tastes. The interior is light and modern designed by Bahrain Interior Designer, Ammar Basheir, of MelaBlu Interiors.

"I love Muharraq's traditional architecture, and when designing the House of Coffee, respected this while bringing in modern design, so there's a juxtaposition of old and new and an element of surprise when you enter through a small wooden, traditional Bahraini door. Inside, the lines of the space reflect the patterns of the coffee leaf, as well as the shapes made by grounds in the bottom of a cup. We've mixed coffee essence into the paint on the walls and integrated coffee beans into the floors, so that the whole space speaks the international language of coffee, uniting people from all over the world." exclaims Ammar.


Credits: Time Out Bahrain, Sh. Ebrahim bin Mohammed Centre for Culture and Research, two photos me .

Bin Mattar House P.2

New pictures. To read about the Bin Mattar House, click here. It will lead you to my previous post about it. I have more images however I won't put it up because its sooo worth visiting yourselves to understand the true history of pearling in Bahrain.

Bin Matar House- A Pearl Merchants House restored

A rich history of Bahrain has been reflected yesterday as we saw the opening of the newly restored Bin Mattar House in Muharraq. Under the patronage of HH Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

It is one of latest in the series of projects by Shaikh Ebrahim Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research, sponsored by Arcapita, which focuses on the restoration of traditional Bahraini houses of well-known Bahraini families who had a strong cultural personality, and were part of a large history of Bahrain. The juxtaposition of the traditional Bahraini Architecture with modern design elements, and the long hard efforts of Shaikha Mai bint Mohamed Al Khalifa has made by restoring historical sites like these a place worth visiting, rather than facing demolision and having a part of a rich history of Bahrain gone.

It was designed by well-known Bahraini Architect Mussa bin Hamad and built in 1905.
The house was used in many ways during the years. First, it was used as a permanent majlis by Salman bin Hussein Mattar. In the 1940s, it was used as a clinic by Dr. Bandar Kar, and during the 1950s to the 1980s, it housed the Al Eslah Club. The Bin Mattar family used the upper level of the building until 2002. It later took 18 months to restore this house, extending it with some added amenities.

Now a museum, the Bin Mattar House (Memory of the Place) is reflecting a large history of the pearls of Bahrain. On the ground floor lies displays of pearls, trade implements, historical documents, and photographs of the Bin Mattar Family. While on the upper floor, it focuses on the family, especially Haj Salman Mattar.

The Bin Mattar House will be open to the public from today. The timings are expected to be from 8am to 1pm and 4pm to 8pm, except Fridays.

More about bin mattar house, click here