Anne Holtrop Qaysariyah Suq

Source: Anne HoltropPhotography: Anne Holtrop

Date: December 27, 2021

The Qaysariyah Suq and Amarat Fahkro played an important role in the pearling economy as it hosted coffee shops where some of the pearl purchasing deals took place, as well as the place where wood for building the pearling fleets would be received and stored.

For both parts, the renovation of the Amarat Fahkro and the new stores for the Qaysariy suq, we continue to build with the characteristic forms of the tradition coral stone building material. The new stores of the suq are made out of concrete elements that are casted with unconstrained sand borders. Each cast results in a unique element. The amarat is in a ruin state without a roof and partly destroyed walls. In a simplified way we reconstruct the walls and roof in in-situ cast concrete. The concrete follows and fills exactly the missing parts of the walls. In both designs the amorphous borders emphasize the forms of the coral stone slabs that can be found in the old structures.