Jeddah: For hundreds of years, the homes built on the Farasan Islands have withstood the sands of time while enduring storms, sweltering heat and humidity, and even battles. The simple beauty of the homes is one of the architectural wonders of Saudi Arabia.
Located 45 kilometers south of the coast of the Kingdom on the Red Sea, the houses were built using no more than the elements found in nature: island stones, coral, and plaster. Their facades are decorated with carvings inspired by the Indian and Roman civilizations. The inhabitants were known to pearl hunters and merchants, and if you look deeper, there is more than meets the eye.
Ibrahim Moftah, a writer and researcher on the history of Farasan, told Arab News that the combination of nature and land confirms that it was once submerged in water.
He said that the presence of cannibals and fossils on the surface of the island or in its depth proves this claim and confirms that people have settled on the island since the Stone Age.
Muftah said that the island’s rocks and coral reefs are easy to shape and carve, which benefited the early residents in building and fencing their homes.
“This helped some historical nations, such as the Romans, who took control of this island in the first century,” he said.
This explains the influence of nature in the style of building the house. The geological nature of the islands mostly covers marine limestone rock formations that differ from the mountains and rocks on the eastern and western coasts of the Red Sea, where today there are mountain ranges and huge volcanic rocks.”
Fastfacts
• Forsan is registered in UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme, which is one of the objectives of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 due to its unique nature and architecture.
• The inhabitants were known to pearl hunters and merchants, and if you look deeper, there is more than meets the eye.
• The presence of Sabian and Himyarite inscriptions in homes goes back more than 2000 years.
Muftah said that the existence of Sabian and Himyarite inscriptions goes back more than 2,000 years.
He also said that residents used to grind and burn gypsum and lime found in mines to paint the facades and walls of their homes. This feature characterized the architectural tint of the inhabitants of the Knights.
“Through the pearl trade, the visits of merchants abroad influenced foreign architectural styles in homes, some of which still exist today,” Muftah said.
Ibrahim Siyadi, a researcher in the history of the Farasan Islands, told Arab News that Farasan is registered in the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program, which is one of the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 due to its unique nature and architecture.
“We hope that some of the existing and destroyed buildings will be restored in light of the ambitious vision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to preserve their architectural identity,” Al-Sayadi said.
“Due to their beautiful nature, these houses can be converted into tourist accommodations or private hotels. Especially since the necessary materials, such as stones and plaster, can already be found in abundance on the island.”
He added, “I am sure that Farasan will be a major attraction in the Red Sea. Besides its pristine coastline, beautiful habitat and restored architectural identity – this is my treasure.”
Hudhayfa Madkhali, a lecturer in tourism management and marketing at Jazan University, told Arab News that the architectural heritage of Farasan can be divided into residents’ homes, merchants’ homes, and forts or military fortresses.
“The General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage has restored and protected the village of Al-Qassar, which is a model for the village of Farasan, whose famous guard, Ali Al-Malisi, played the role of his village guard, guide and admirer.” Arab News said.
Once you enter the village, he tells you stories and poems about the lives of the people in his village where he also lived. The nature of the buildings in Al-Qassar is characterized by the local tools made of rocks used in construction. The village houses are close together for mutual relations and social solidarity. The village had a large courtyard, with a well on the side of each house used for ceremonies, and during circumcision, harvesting, the return of immigrants, and other ceremonies.”
Al-Madkhali added: “The other part is home to the homes of merchants, and pearl merchants in particular, represented by Al-Rifai House today, and it is a museum open for visits. Due to the nature of the island as a trading post, the architecture in the homes of the rich was influenced by the regions they traveled to.”
Al-Rifa’i’s house was very similar to the castles of India, Persia and the Arabian Gulf, with exceptional decorations that differ from the nature and heritage of the region.
“It came as a result of the influence of other cultures that the merchants knew during their travels,” he said. “The house is two-storey and has balconies. Likewise, a large part of the materials used in the construction of these houses were imported. In addition, the houses of the rich are isolated from the general population as Al-Rifai’s house is far from the villages of the island.”
Al-Madkhali said the diversity in the architectural heritage indicates that the island’s economy was diversified despite limited resources. The ability to import goods and building materials, even for only a certain class of people, was an indicator of the good economic situation of the island.
“There were in the Knights several forts and military fortresses, such as the House of the Germans, a warehouse built by the Germans for coal, in order to provide fuel for the ships in the Red Sea,” he said.
In addition, there was the Ottoman fortress. Local materials were used to build these forts as the designs were quite new to the island. The diversity in the architectural heritage makes the Farasan Islands an even more attractive tourist destination, despite its small area.”
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