CP OPENS BIN MATAR HOUSE
THE CROWN PRINCE AND DEPUTY SUPREME COMMANDER SHAIKH SALMAN BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA COMMENDED THE EFFORTS OF THE SHAIKH EBRAHIM BIN MOHAMMED AL KHALIFA CENTER FOR CULTURE AND RESEARCH FOR PRESERVING NATIONAL HERITAGE THROUGH BUYING TRADITIONAL HOMES AND RENOVATING THEM.
THE CROWN PRINCE SAID THIS MOVE, CONTRIBUTING TO CULTURAL TOURISM, WAS INSPIRED BY THE WILL OF HIS MAJESTY KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA FOR MAINTAINING THE NATIONAL IDENTITY OF BAHRAIN AND REFLECTING ITS NATURE OF DIVERSITY, UNITY AND ADVANCEMENT. ON OPENING THE BIN MATAR HOUSE IN MUHARRAQ THIS EVENING AFTER ITS RENOVATION, THE CROWN PRINCE LAUDED THE APPROACH OF THE CENTRE TOWARDS INVESTING IN THE CULTURE, ARCHITECTURE AND HERITAGE FOR WHICH BAHRAIN ARE KNOWN TO BE RICH IN.
THE CROWN PRINCE ALSO VALUED THE EFFORTS OF THE CHAIRWOMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE SHAIKH EBRAHIM BIN MOHAMMED AL KHALIFA CENTER FOR CULTURE AND RESEARCH, SHAIKHA MAI BINT MOHAMMED AL KHALIFA AND THE BOARD MEMBERS IN SPREADING CULTURAL AWARENESS AND PRESERVING THE RICHES OF BAHRAINI HERITAGE.
THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE BIN MATAR HOUSE WAS BY ATTENDED SENIOR OFFICIALS, DIPLOMATS AND GUESTS.THE CROWN PRINCE WAS GIVEN A TOUR BY SHAIKHA MAI, WHO BRIEFED HIM ON THE OBJECTIVES OF THE FACILITY OF HIGHLIGHTING VARIOUS ASPECTS OF HERITAGE, ESPECIALLY PEARL TRADE IN BAHRAIN.
SHAIKHA MAI EXTENDED HER THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO THE CROWN PRINCE FOR OPENING THE BIN MATAR HOUSE AND HIS CONTINUOUS SUPPORT FOR THE PLANS AND PROGRAMMES OF THE SHAIKH IBRAHIM CENTRE.SHAIKHA MAI ALSO THANKED ARCAPITA BANK FOR ITS GENORUS CONTRIBUTION TO RENOVATING THE BIN MATAR HOUSE.MORE.
THE BIN MATAR HOUSE WAS DESIGNED BY THE WELL-KNOWN BAHRAINI ARCHITECT MUSSA BIN HAMAD AND BUILT IN 1905. IT WAS USED BY SALMAN BIN HUSSEIN MATAR AS THE VENUE FOR HIS PERMANENT MAJLIS. IN THE 1940S, IT WAS USED AS A CLINIC BY THE FAMOUS PHYSICIAN DR BANDAR KAR, AND FROM THE FIFTIES TO EIGHTIES AS THE HOME OF THE AL ESLAH CLUB. THE UPPER LEVEL OF THE BUILDING WAS USED AS A RESIDENCE BY MEMBERS OF THE BIN MATAR FAMILY UNTIL 2002.
PRIOR TO ITS PRESENT-DAY RESTORATION, THE BUILDING LAY EMPTY AND IN DISUSE, READY TO BE DEMOLISHED TO MAKE WAY FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION.THROUGH A PAINSTAKING PROCESS AND THE USE OF TRADITIONAL MATERIALS, THE RESTORATION OF THE BIN MATAR HOUSE HAS ENSURED THE PRESERVATION OF ITS ARCHITECTURE AND ITS UNIQUE FEATURES – TRADITIONAL CEILINGS MADE OF A PALM LEAF AND WOOD BEAM COMBINATION IN RED AND BLACK, AS WELL AS THE AUTHENTIC BUILDING AND FINISHING OF WALLS AND FLOORS.IN KEEPING WITH THE HISTORY OF THE BIN MATAR FAMILY AS LEADING MEMBERS OF THE PEARLING COMMUNITY IN BAHRAIN, A PEARL EXHIBITION HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR PERMANENT DISPLAY AT THE BIN MATAR HOUSE.
THE EXHIBITION EXPLAINS THE HISTORY OF PEARLS AND PEARL FISHING IN BAHRAIN, WITH A FOCUS ON THE BIN MATAR FAMILY. THE GROUND FLOOR PANELS PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE PEARLS OF BAHRAIN WHILST THE UPPER FLOOR FOCUSES ON THE FAMILY AND IN PARTICULAR, HAJ SALMAN MATAR. ON DISPLAY ARE PEARLS AND TRADE IMPLEMENTS OF THE BIN MATAR FAMILY, WITH HISTORIC DOCUMENTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS.IN ITS DEDICATED EXHIBITION SPACE, THE BIN MATAR HOUSE WILL HOUSE A SMALL COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY BAHRAINI ART AND WILL ALSO FEATURE AN ONGOING PROGRAM OF ART EXHIBITIONS. FOR THE FIRST SEASON, THERE WILL BE A ONE MONTH EXHIBITION OF SCULPTURES AND PAINTINGS BY ONE OF EGYPT’S FOREMOST ARTISTS, ADAM HENEIN STARTING ON MARCH 22.
THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY THE ABORIGINAL ART EXHIBITION OF ARTWORKS BY A WIDE RANGE OF ABORIGINAL (NATIVE AUSTRALIAN) ARTISTS FROM MAY 6 TO 20.
THE RENOVATION OF THE BIN MATAR HOUSE IS PART OF A PLAN FOR TRADITIONAL HOMES SET BY THE SHAIKH IBRAHIM CENTRE.THIS COVERS THE RENOVATION AND REVIVAL OF 11 TRADITIONAL HOMES, REFURBISHING THEIR CONTENTS AND REORGANISNG THEM TO BECOME CULTURAL CENTRES.
