Carved plaster
Indian-style ornament.
Mohammad Umair Yaqub — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Richard Mortel — CC BY 2.0 · Richard Mortel — CC BY 2.0 · Ghadeer89 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ghadeer89 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mohammad Umair Yaqub — CC BY-SA 4.0
A historic house in Farasan town, built in 1923 (1341 AH) by the pearl merchant Ahmed Munawar al-Rifai, taking more than a year to finish. It is one of the island's best-known landmarks and reflects Farasan's prosperity in the days of the Red Sea pearl trade in the early twentieth century. Its design was shaped by the Indian architecture its owner knew from his trading voyages to India, from where he brought two architects, and fine carved plaster covers most of its outer walls. The house is about seven metres high, and its highlight is the majlis with its decorated walls. In the same town is the Al-Najdi Mosque, built in 1347 AH (about 1928) by another pearl merchant, Ibrahim al-Tamimi, known as al-Najdi, who brought its decorative materials from India and its builders from Yemen; its colourful ornament has been compared to the Alhambra. The visit is short, so check locally when the house is open, and combine it with the Al-Najdi Mosque and a tour of the islands.
Indian-style ornament.
The house's finest room.
Colourful ornament nearby.
Farasan town, Great Farasan Island
The pearl merchant Ahmed Munawar al-Rifai, in 1923, inspired by the Indian architecture he knew from his trading voyages.