Historic buildings, mosques and temples are among sites in old Manama that have been identified for a new preservation list.
It comes as 550 properties were surveyed by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) in co-ordination with 52 students from Bahrain University.
The first group of sites covers Block 305 and parts of Block 304, while the second is expected to cover the remaining parts of Block 304 and from Block 301 to 303.
The survey was conducted as old Town Manama was last year added to a tentative list to be considered for nomination for Unesco World Heritage Site status.
The town is considered one of the most important trade hubs in the region in the last 150 years.
Identified under the survey were Al Fadhel Mosque, the Shri Krishna Temple, the Baha’i Temple, Golf City, Fatema Alzahra Primary and Intermediate Schools, the old Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry building, Awal Building, and the former Canada Dry Building in Naim.
Other archaeological sites were the Oyster Plot, where shells and oysters still remain, the Alsafafeer (blacksmiths) site, and the original foundation of Almehz’aa Mosque.
Results of the survey were revealed yesterday at an open meeting with residents and property owners at Bab Al Bahrain.
Baca architectural engineer and survey in charge Fatema Abdulnabi released details of the project in the presence of Baca President Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa and Youth and Sports Affairs Minister Ayman Almoayyed among other officials.
Shaikha Mai addresses the meeting. Right, entrance to Khonji House ... heritage
Shaikha Mai also discussed plans to turn the car park area opposite the InterContinental Regency Bahrain into the Manama Lake, an ambitious project that has been on hold since 2012.
She revealed that funding has been secured from Jeddah-based Islamic Development Fund and was awaiting the Cabinet’s approval.
“We have a vision merger between new urbanisation and culture and that’s linking old Manama with the Bahrain Financial Harbour and Bahrain Bay,” said Shaikha Mai.
“There has to be a direction on how to better use existing buildings, historic and modern, within a futuristic vision that sees water brought back to Bab Al Bahrain, and we already have a pending project that would enable that through the Manama Lake.
An historic building in Manama
“The current car park (opposite the hotel) could be organised much better, and it could include the lake with an open theatre, children’s museum and other activities.
“Funding for this project is awaiting approval from the Cabinet.”
She also said that the project to study the identified sites in old Manama would take time.
“We have lost a lot of buildings, some were destroyed while others have been damaged or distorted,” she said.
“We need time to finish studies related to each property that we identified or will identify.
“No property will be allowed municipal permit for anything without our consent in Manama.”
Old Town Manama is being considered for Unesco status because it is the physical embodiment of the manifold historical processes in the region during the last 150 years.
Located in the centre of the Gulf, the city developed as a trade hub that was connected to an international maritime trade network connecting the Arabian Gulf with the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The architecture of Manama exhibits an important interchange of foreign influences which have prompted a typical response in the local style.
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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