The Siyadi complex, created by one of Bahrain’s leading grand pearl merchant families (Tujjar Al Lulu), consists of three interrelated buildings: Siyadi House, a family residence built by Abdullah bin Isa Siyadi; Siyadi Majlis, a second family residence with an impressive guest room built by Ahmad bin Jassim Siyadi; and Siyadi Mosque, donated to the community by Isa and Jassim bin Ahmad Siyadi.
The Siyadi’s settled in Muharraq in the early 19th century. As grand pearl merchants, the family owned its own pearling fleet and was guaranteed of its annual pearl catch. The immense wealth generated from pearls allowed the family to build the Siyadi complex.
The exquisitely decorated Siyadi Majlis, the pearling era’s only four-level building, is the jewel of the nominated pearling testimony. Its ground floor apartments, built in 1850, are among the earliest stone structures in Muharraq. Added in 1921, the majlis offers the last remaining example in which a pearl merchant (Tajir Al Lulu) received pearl merchants from as far away as India and Europe to negotiate over his special pearl collections.
The majlis includes a pearl museum that contains some of the oldest pierced pearls unearthed in Bahrain alongside displays of pearl jewellery from the Dilmun and Tylos eras from the collection of the National Museum of Bahrain. The exhibition also includes highlights from several pearl jewellery collections, crafted from natural Bahraini pearls.
Siyadi Majlis, 2016 Camille Zakharia
79, Lane 910, Block 209