Journal Of Contemporary Urban Affairs 2019, Volume 3, Number 2, pages 35– 46 Towards Reviving the Missing Noble Characteristics of Traditional Habitual Social Life: “Al-Farej “In Kingdom of Bahrain * Dr. Islam H. El-Ghonaimy 1 , MA. Mariam Haider Al-Haddad 2 1 & 2 Department Of Architecture and interior design, College of Engineering, University of Bahrain, Bahrain E mail: [email protected] E mail: [email protected] A B S T R A C T A R T I C L E I N F O: Article history: For a long time, Social life in Bahrain was unique and positive. Public Received 16 January 2018 Participation and social cooperative with no reference of segregation or Accepted 16 February 2018 discrimination for long time. Regularly residences were gathering together to Available online 26 September discuss the daily life, solving problems, discussing their economic and social issues 2018 with spirit of respecting human rights and civilization. In Bahrain, there were many Keywords: elements, which were positively in city quality of life. For example, “Al-Farej” Urbanization; which is common name for space in old time in Bahrain, played the role of two main Social planning; issues. Sustainability; The research problem is that, unfortunately, most of the old part of Manama city, Quality of life. Capital of Bahrain, area suffer from losing the identity by modernization in many forms by urban developing. Consequently, day by day, the social life became different and lost most of noble characteristics of traditional habitual Social life. Bahraini heritage alive in the old area of Manama City, the area needs a node and a reference point for the community to gather in a better-built environment. Therefore, there is essential need for proposing solution to revive the brilliant of social life in Kingdom of Bahrain in term of gathering people for cultural events with economic return to keep the rich history and importance of the area and This work is licensed under a enhance the environment of the center of Manama. Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivs 4.0. The aim of the research is to propose solution to solve the missing of social life in "CC-BY-NC-ND" old part of Bahrain by giving guidelines in representing “Al-Farej” in modern way matching with the modernization of life in Manama. JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2019), 3(2), 35-46. https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2018.4699 www.ijcua.com Copyright © 2018 Journal Of Contemporary Urban Affairs. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction the encountered challenges, stipulating their The discreteness and positive credence of the individualistic socioeconomic codes owing to social life in Bahrain had stood the test of time their inherited civilization. The difference lied in by virtue of public participation and social their cradle of eminence, for their variant yet cooperation void of ethnical or racial solidary composition nourished their life quality. discrimination. Since the birth of their *Corresponding Author: community, the residents took to non- Department Of Architecture and interior design, College of stereotypical assembling to settle upon their Engineering, University of Bahrain, Bahrain. daily routine regulations, the daily life, sort out Email Address: [email protected] JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS, 3(2), 35-46 / 2019 For example, “Al-Farej” played the role of two 1.3. Research Goals aspects of premier importance; firstly the city Searching about a node “reference point” for acted as a prominent cultural center, which is the community which should be a building with an organization, building or complex that social, culture, historical, economic, promotes culture and arts in Manama. It was urban,…etc values. Moreover, introduce common within Manama neighborhoods, to guidelines to enhance social residence life in supply the community with arts and other the study area. related faculties. While the second was community gatherings centers, where the 1.4. Research Achievement community members get in touch to perform “Al-Farej” at the heart of Manama gathers some group activities, grant social support, people for cultural events for financial profits is gain public information, and secure other the key to enhance and revive the cultural and purposes. They may sometimes be open for the social of the center of Manama. whole community or for a specialized group within the greater community. Commonly “Al- 1.5. Pilot study Farej” had been organized by residencies Studying the history of Manama in general within private, government-sponsored bodies, while concentrating on Al Fadhel District (block or activist-run. From the researchers’ 305), while Manama is the minor context, this perspective, “Al-Farej” was the node of the research will review and analyze the urban, ancient part of Manama city. social, economic, architectural developments throughout its timeline past to present 1.1. Research Importance chronological sequence. The research casts the light on the social and historical roots of Manama in general and Farej 1.6. Research Methodology Al-Fadhel in specific for they once had the i. Theoretical Phase: Data collection upper hand; thanks to their wealth and worth. about old district from different Lamentably, these have been no more but resources about Manama throughout decayed ruins after the negligence of the old assembling old photos. Interviewing social pattern and the traditional vernacular residence even elderly or recently architecture of the deceased Bahraini style. In residents in Al-Fadhel district or its brief, the research comes up with a solution novice immigrants for information that will revive the Genius loci of the area by retrieval from Al-Farej residents. an architectural product, serving as a cultural ii. Analytical Phase: gathered data and community center at the heart of Manama, to generating a timeline comprising the revive the former domineering center of social most important information and cultural values of the Bahraini iii. Findings: After analyzing all data that communities. were collected, design guidelines will be generated. 1.2. Research problem 2. Manama city, Capital of Kingdom of The disintegration of the urban fabric and Bahrain architecture structure in the study area 2.1. Location negatively affected the social traits, life quality The kingdom of Bahrain is in the Gulf between and cultural values of the residents. Saudi Arabia and Qatar and is made up of 36 Unfortunately, most of the old part of Manama islands. The capital city of Manama serves as area suffer identity loss by the rampant wave of the hub of most of the population and modernization in many aspects of the action of economic activities. (Susan W, 2014). Before its urban development. Consequently, each the development of the planning schemes and day passes by ripping off the remains of their housing projects from the government, the distinguishing legacy, to mourn the loss of their island's inhabitants were dispersed in bygone noble and traditional traits of their approximately fifty small settlements, which regular social life. Consequently, the research primarily included villages and hamlets. These will explore problems in depth and find why villages were mostly located near the coast applying modernism are commonly negative and in the interior part of the island near the upon the study area. springs. The settlements were based on the sources of natural springs and the presence of date palms. (Al-Nabi, 2012) Islam H. El-Ghonaimy, Mariam Haider Al-Haddad 36 JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS, 3(2), 35-46 / 2019 Manama (Al Manamah), the capital, is located tackle the prime constituent of the country on the northeastern tip of the island of Bahrain. which is identity. The identity is acknowledged Moreover, Manama has the most commercial to be manifested in the urban pattern, and cultural centers. Manama's expansion architecture and social and economic since 1960, when its population was only 62,000 activates in a named community. The following and estimated the population of 152,000 in points will explore the significant changed 1992. Most of the residences were in entire locations. villages, fields, and palm and fruit groves located to the east, north, and south being 3.1. Identity of Vernacular Architecture in incorporated as part of the urban sprawl. Bahrain Recently, it also spread to the west through the The term identity, from the Latin word meaning reclamation of hundreds of hectares from the (sameness), has become problematically sea. (Pike, 2011). See figure 1&2 in Appendix defined throughout the history to mean ‘A’. differences as well as similarities, within traditional Western/Euro-centric approaches to 2.2. Manama in the Decay Aftermath Era the study of cultural identity; many people Historically Manama started developing as a have been excluded as (others). gateway to the central Bahrain Island. The old “The issue of architectural identity has been a Manama Port, the place on which the present global concern for many nations, especially in Bab-Al-Bahrain building was erected during the last century”(Al-Bahar, 1985, p.98). 1940, was the starting point for the growth of Contemporary architecture in some Arab Manama and expanded eastwards towards countries lost the traditional values, which Ras Ruman and westwards towards Naeem encouraged the researcher to investigate along the coast. Gradually it also extended these values and try to revive them in the towards the south. See figure ‘3’, Appendix ‘A’. contemporary architecture. According to The 1951 aerial photograph below shows the Guibernau (2007) identity is defined as the extent of growth of Manama as a dense continuity over time and differentiation from contagious area extending to the south up to others taking into consideration the Sunni graveyard and up Hoora and Gudaibiya fundamental elements of national identity. in the southeast. (Hamosh, Manama City Plans. Continuity springs from the conception of the Bahrain, 2009). Further, south and at southeast, nation as a historically rooted entity those there was barren land and at the southwest projects into the future.