Youthful inspiration may reignite a long-delayed thermal insulation and cooling project for Isa Town Traditional Market after it was left out of Bahrain’s national budget plans despite being declared a ‘tourist destination’ nearly a decade ago.
The market, regarded by the community as a key commercial and cultural hub, is now grappling with soaring summer temperatures, diminishing footfall and repeated delays in long-promised renovations.
However, recent developments – including innovative student proposals and parliamentary advocacy – are injecting fresh hope for the facility in the Gulf’s oldest ‘modern-style’ residential city.
As part of the national competition ‘Innovative Solutions for Cooling Open Areas’, organised by the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry in collaboration with Bahrain University and Bahrain Polytechnic, two out of the top three placed projects addressed the persistent cooling challenges at the Isa Town Traditional Market.
The gold-winning Bahrain University team – comprising Professor Ahmed Yousif and Dr Abdulwahid Bader, plus students Mohammed Ahmed, Suleiman Mudathir, Talal Mohammed and Fahad Ahmed – proposed a solar-powered cooling system for the market.
The bronze-winning team also presented a sustainable proposal to expel hot air from the market corridors while improving thermal comfort.
Finance and National Economy Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, who honoured the winners, praised the student s’ creativity and stressed the importance of academic innovation in tackling environmental and urban challenges.
Area MP Dr Mariam Al Dhaen voiced strong support for the student initiatives, saying they reflected genuine community needs.
“The Isa Town Traditional Market has the potential to be something much better and bigger,” she said.
“This is not the way to treat the first modern market in the Gulf. It should have been prioritised a decade ago – not now, when the cost has increased tenfold.”
Dr Al Dhaen, who recently raised the issue with the Municipalities Affairs Minister, stressed that these winning proposals were practical solutions rooted in local expertise.
“This is a promising step toward improving the market’s environment. I sincerely hope these ideas are adopted and implemented soon,” she added.
She commended the collaboration between the government, academia and young Bahrainis, noting that such innovation drives national sustainability efforts.
“The fact that two prized projects focused on cooling the Isa Town Market shows the students’ real understanding of community needs,” she said.
Southern Municipal Council technical chairman and area councillor Mubarak Faraj voiced concern over a proposed BD1.4 million cooling and insulation project being stalled.
He noted that the market, which includes 580 shops within a larger Isa Town complex of 1,200 outlets, suffers from intense summer heat that drives visitors away.
“If we had upgraded it into an indoor market or mall, it would have attracted families, tourists and investors,” he said. “GCC shoppers mostly show up at night, bearing humidity and not the sun, as they buy handmade items for cheaper than their countries.
“It’s a vibrant, affordable shopping spot, but people rush out within minutes because of the heat,” he added.
The current market location emerged after a massive blaze in 2014 destroyed the original site, just 100 metres away. A previous fire in 2012 had already left many vendors struggling.
Despite being excluded from the 2023-2024 budget, both Dr Al Dhaen and Mr Faraj are hopeful the government will reconsider funding the project in 2025 or 2026.
“This market is a national monument,” said Mr Faraj. “We will continue to fight for its revival.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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