Tag Archives: Architecture

Old, as always, is gold

Posted on by
3

DSC_5664

One of the several old houses on Bahrain’s Muharraq Island, which are earmarked for complete renovation as part of a comprehensive Culture Ministry project to restore historical buildings. This particular mansion, one of the oldest, is visibly in a dilapidated state, with even its once majestic walls almost ready to give way. However, the intricate glass work on the doors and the ‘semi circular’ windows, the appeal of which is accentuated by the mesh covering them and popularly known as ‘Jali’, seem to be in perfect shape.
Hopefully, these splendid structures will soon be back to their once majestic glory!

The Church on the Hill

Posted on by
Reply

DSC_8233One of the most ‘period’ places I have seen is the small little town of Kasauli, tucked away in the hills of Solan District in India’s Himachal Pradesh state.
And, in Kasauli, there is no more quainter a place than the old Christ Church, established in 1844.
DSC_8243Nearly 200 years old, this place of worship still stands tall and strong, majestically overseeing all the modernisation around and as buildings nowhere near the age of this stone and stained glass structure bite the dust!
Christ Church was earlier an Anglican church, and has, since 1970, been under the auspices of the Church of North India in the diocese of Amritsar. The church has Spanish and Italian imported stained glass windows depicting Christ, Mary, Saint Barnabas, and Saint Francis.

The Colosseum – in Bahrain!

Posted on by
Reply

IMG_1489-0.JPGIMG_1564.JPG
This is the Colosseum – and it’s in Bahrain!
Yes, it is the same shape and look as the famous amphitheater in Rome, Italy – and perhaps inspired by its design, but this one hosts the offices of the country’s Electricity and Water Authority.
This is one of Bahrain’s many brilliantly – designed buildings that have taken shape in the past decade and certainly one of its landmarks, south of the capital, Manama.

Park Royal

Aside

20140619_17570320140619_17573220140619_175636When I first saw this sight a few weeks ago, I thought a car had just fallen out of a parking lot.
Then, again, I saw it the same night and it was still there, hanging precariously as if for dear life.
Silly of me not to have realised it was just a prop on one of Bahrain’s newest parking spaces, perhaps to attract people to book spaces there. It surely is an innovative idea to have the vehicle placed as it is – particularly because it’s a well-known and rather expensive model.
It’s also one of the few eye-catching sights in the country, in Diplomatic Area.

Minaret matters

Image

Reply

DSC_7731 DSC_7701During my ‘evening walk’ in the old Manama Suq on Friday, I took pictures of these two mosque minarets that had escaped ny attention all these years. What drew me to take a picture was the colourful mosaic work on one of them and the very spacious courtyard within its premises. As I walked around, I saw another very elegant minaret, also within the confines of one of Bahrain’s oldest neighbourhoods.Bahrain has hundreds of mosques within striking minarets that stand out in their splendour. I had earlier blogged about a mosque under renovation in Budaiya with its colourful domes and paintings. This is another blog as part of that series.
More will follow!