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Bahrain/ Shaikh Essa Bin Ali House |
Salim Al-Harthy posted a photo:
The house of Shaykh Isa bin Ali Ali Khalifa is located in Muharraq, the old capital of Bahrain, residence of the ruling Khalifa family. The house, considered to be the oldest in Bahrain, was built ca. 1800 as a private residence for Shaykh Hassan bin Abdallah, the grandson of Shaykh Ahmed Ali Fatih (reg. 1783-1794), conqeror of Bahrain. In 1869, under Shaykh Isa bin Ali Ali Khalifa (reg. 1869-1932), who was a distant cousin of Shaykh Hassan, the house was used as both the ruler’s residence and the centre of government. The house was then inhabited by his son, Abdallah, until his death in 1972. In 1976, the house was bought by the directorate of antiquities and restored to become a major tourist attraction, accommodating the Ethnograhic Museum.
The house is rectangular in shape and occupies a complete city block between the Shaykh Abdallah and Kharu districts. It is bordered by Shaykh Aballah Street on the south and the Great Mosque of the city on the east. Constructed of mud bricks covered with gypsum, its exterior walls are up to one meter thick, moderating the extreme climatic conditions. The house is divided into four quarters, each arranged around a courtyard. The house has two entrances, the family entrance to the north and the guest entrance to the east.
The majority of the rooms occupy the first floor, while the summer rooms are found on the second floor terrace.
More: continued here
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