A BAHRAINI family business museum in the heart of the Old Manama Suq has been given the thumbs-up.
The Capital Trustees Board unanimously approved plans for The Kanoo Museum which is expected to open later this year.
The nod, during the board’s meeting at the Capital Trustees Authority in Manama, followed a presentation by museum exhibition developer Rawan Jahrami on behalf of owners Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group.
The existing 3,140sqm building, which dates back to 1960, will feature a new facade, ground floor and first floor.
The existing metal cladding is being removed and replaced with traditional-looking materials. New mouldings and dark hardwood shutters and railing will be added.
To give a traditional appearance to the building, the arcade exterior ceiling will be covered with a painted wooden framework.
The wider new arcade will invite pedestrians to visit both the introductory exhibition and coffee shop and the renovated travel agency.
Furthermore, traditionally used luxury materials such as white marble, brass and dark hardwood will be combined with modern designer furniture.
The museum is being built at the historic headquarters of Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo in the Manama Suq, which was initially inaugurated in 1960 by the late Ruler of Bahrain His Highness Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, as reported in the GDN.
It will showcase the Kanoo family’s history of more than 130 years in trade and commerce that spans across three continents and shed light on the regional trade and business environment of the Arabian Gulf in an attempt to inspire new generations of entrepreneurs in the region.
“The four-storey building, which will be divided into eight museum sections, will also include a café and restaurant,” said Ms Jahrami.
“It will be an environmental-friendly building with thermal insulators and natural lighting,” she added.
“The museum will provide financial culture workshops and courses besides artistic events.”
When board members raised concerns over parking spaces, Ms Jahrami said visitors would need to use car parks at the nearby Bab Al Bahrain.
Meanwhile, board chairman Saleh Tarradah welcomed the initiative from the Kanoo family describing the museum as a must-see monument in Bahrain.
“We are speaking of years of rich history now available for the public to witness and be a part of,” he said.
“Of course it is a thumbs-up as we seek to encourage others to follow suit and take this initiative by the Kanoo family as a model not just in the Old Manama Suq or the Capital Governorate, but the whole country.
“We are anxious to see this historic monument officially open later this year as it will greatly help attract more and more people to the Bab Al Bahrain area, an exemplary place the likes of which cannot be found in any other Gulf country.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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