This music hall located Near Mohamed bin Faris House, for the art of the Khaleeji Sound will host musical evenings and folklore troupes to revive the art of the Gulf.

Nostalgia and passion for the sounds of Fan al Sut will fill the space of this performance hall, making it home for the magic of strings and an expression of passion for authentic music.

Belonging to the Royal family of Bahrain, it was not common practice to openly pursue music, and thus Bin Faris would play music in his personal space. The house is located in the center of Muharraq and has been restored as part of the ongoing project by the ministry of culture to hold onto the memory of the Kingdom’s most valuable members of society and those who have given the country its identity today. With only one room and a small courtyard, Bin Faris would gather all his friends and music enthusiasts, especially on a Thursday, and together they would delve into the world of Sut, as they all took turns to perform in their own signature styles.

The ritual is still carried out today in this performance hall where a live band performs every Thursday evening from 7 pm onwards. Located next to the music hall, the Bin Faris House walls are laden with records of his music and written text from which he would perform, as the sounds of his voice echo throughout the traditional courtyard. The inner room, though a small room, was once the grounds of some of the greatest musical rendezvous of the time and has been decorated with other string and percussion instruments, such as the violin and mirwas drums which were played as accompaniments to the oud.

The new structure built to solely host these events sits on top of the archeological remains of the original house, this alone transformed the way the building was set to develop its relationship with the neighbor and its history.

Tactfully independent, the structure leaves intact the archeological findings, unveiling them to the visitors of the center while preserving them from erosion, the pre-function area is deployed around it so the guests could appreciate the history behind the musical tradition prior an evening of local history through music.

Name: Performance Hall
Location: Muharraq, Bahrain
Client: Ministry of Culture
Status: Completed