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Inserted into a historical complex along Muharraqs pearling path, a new museum by Studio Anne Holtrop speaks of Bahrains evolving construction techniques and materialsIn Bahrain, discussions on matters ofheritage and conservation have become significantly more prominent in the past couple of decades. Yet aparallel timeline shows the topic emerged in the 1970s, coinciding with Bahrains independence in 1971 and the nation building project that followed. In 1972, theMinistry of Information commissioned UNESCO consultant Michel cochard toassess the conditions to establish a newmuseum. In the report he submitted, cochard applauded the Ministrys heritagelegislation and recommended thegovernment purchase a few historical homes in Manama and Muharraq either topreserve them, or to collect their ornamentation and display it in the future museum. One of the reasons for keeping a record of these advanced examples of local art and refined way of life is that future generations of Bahrainis will not think that building arts and techniques and the way ofliving were simply brought to Bahrain byforeigners, he wrote. The Siyadi complex, built by one of Bahrains leading pearl merchant families, was one of the sites cochard visited anddocumented; in the report, he used twophotographs of it to argue for the acquisition of houses. The oldest building ofthe complex is its mosque, from 1865; themajlis a space were men would receive guests and potential trading partners wasbuilt in 1921; and the house a decade later. The domestic complex grew to accommodate the needs of the family andits business. Through their differencesin material, colour, texture andornamentation, these three buildings reflectshifts in construction techniques andprocesses. Relatively recently, in 1989, theMinistry of Information featured the complex in the first listing of historic buildings ever compiled in Bahrain. The complex is now part of Muharraqs pearling path (AR May 2020), which was inscribed onUNECSOs World Heritage List in 2012. With its layers of expansions and renovations, the Siyadi complex defies limited definitions of heritage and binary understandings of what might be Bahraini as opposed to foreign, providing instead insight into a vibrant metropolitan island.The most recent intervention on the complex is the addition of a pearl museum, designed by Studio Anne Holtrop and opened to the public in February 2024. Commissioned by the Bahrain Authority forCulture and Antiquities, or BACA, it isan important part of the pearling path; if the visitor starts following the meandering trail from the Bu Mahir seashore the location from where divers would set out to hunt oysters this small museum marks the endpoint of their journey. While the Siyadi house remains a private space, and parts of it are still used by the family, this new museum seeks to open the domestic compound to the public and present thehistory of the pearl industry their extraction from the sea and their trade andto display pearl jewellery as well as loose pearls from the Bahrain National Museum, Mattar Jewelers and Cartier Collection. Before the age of air travel, jeweller Jacques Cartier visited Bahrain tosource gems himself.In order to renovate and extend this historically significant site, the architects started by removing the incongruous additions that had accreted over time, particularly from the 1980s, as they were deemed incompatible with the coherence ofthe whole. They then built upwards, literally extending the sites historic foundations and existing walls. The museum nearly meets the height of the majlis and the mosques minaret, three prominent structures that shape the skylineof Muharraq.The contact with air and humidity gives the silver foil a natural patina: a soft, golden hueHistorically, walls in Bahrain would be constructed out of coral stone and finished with a lime-based plaster; a first, thick layer of plaster would be thrown by hand on the coral stone, and a finer, smooth layer would then be applied as finish. It was common forthis final layer to integrate gypsum patterns, lime reliefs and painted decorations. The impressive gypsum patterns of the Siyadi majlis were most likely influenced by West Iran and South India, as many of Bahrains construction workers in the country used to come from these regions.The new walls are built out of blockwork rather than coral stone, but Holtrop and his team were interested in maintaining the characteristics of the past. They created their own plastering technique; as in the century-old majlis walls, they created two layers one rough and one smooth. Unlike them, however, both layers remain visible. While themajlis displays precise carvings and patterns, the new volumes emphasise textured surfaces; the contrast between therough and smooth plaster evokes the aesthetics of a weathered building. This technique is used for both exterior and interior walls, and in the main, 7m-high exhibition room, the plaster surfaces are finished with silver foil. The contact with airand humidity is what gives the silver this natural patina: a soft, golden hue. As if to shelter this interior from the outside world, the doors that take visitors from the entrance courtyard into the museum are made of rippled sand-cast glass.Another aspect of the complex which isequally significant yet less frequently mentioned is the treatment of its floor, designed to house the hidden machinery that facilitates the buildings expansion andits ability to meet contemporary needs. Throughout the complex, the ground floor includes a cavity that permits humidity to flow through small openings in the walls at regular intervals. This enables the house to breathe, preventing moisture accumulation and consequently slowing the deterioration ofthe older structure. Drawing inspiration from conservation methods used for installing heating systems, this has been implemented throughout the houses along the pearling path.While the majlis displays precise carvings and patterns, the new volumes emphasise textured surfacesMuharraqs pearling path has disrupted the prevailing narratives surrounding the Gulfs arid landscape, which was often described in the past as devoid of meaning and fuelled by oil wealth. As the pearling path receives international attention, itcould make a significant contribution locally, by encouraging research, generating discourse and building knowledge on matters of heritage.As the Siyadi complex shows, materials and techniques that have been utilised forcenturies are being re-adapted and aesthetically altered by architects, engineers and construction workers, toarrive at new forms of ornamentation and better preserve Bahrains architectural heritage. Since its beginning 160 years ago,the construction and expansion ofthecomplex has embraced ongoing changeandevolution influenced by various contributors, both Bahraini and foreign an indicator that history is never written once, nor is culture produced in a single moment.
