Author(s)

M. M. Sirriyeh

Abstract

The Kingdom of Bahrain is the smallest island in the Middle East, it is located on the Arabian Gulf, and traces show that the island has been inhabited since 3000 B.C. In the past 200 years, the island has started to have its architectural identity when people moved from straw, man made tents to bearing wall houses. They continued building using the same structure, building material and architectural elements. The structure upon which these houses was built was a 60 cm thick bearing wall system in which they carved their niches. In addition, there were round columns carrying the cantilevered balconies. The roof structure consisted of round timber horizontal pieces spanning from one wall to another, carrying the weather protection of handmade sheets (bamboo and mangrove) covered by a thin layer of mud. The purpose of this paper is to focus on a renovation and rehabilitation experience of one of the traditional houses that was built in 1834. This house has social and cultural values for being the place where the founder of the first press in Bahrain and one of Bahrain’s famous authors was born and raised. In addition, the house enjoyed many cultural events at that time. Furthermore, this house has distinguished architectural elements and traditional building materials. This paper will discuss the structural situation of the house and the misuse of it before it was renovated. Later on, it will consider the procedure of renovation and reconstruction using traditional building materials and the traditional way of building. The rehabilitation of the house to be \“The House of Bahraini Press Heritage” will also be brought under discussion. This paper will also discuss the impact of conserving and reusing the house on the local community on the one hand, and on the conservation of the heritage of Bahrain on the other. It will also include the role of the local communities and the government in preserving the architectural heritage. Finally, conclusions and recommendations relating to the issues discussed through the paper will be presented. Keywords: cultural heritage, renovation, conservation, traditional buildings, rehabilitation, value.

Keywords

cultural heritage, renovation, conservation, traditional buildings, rehabilitation, value.