EXPLORE KSA
HISTORIC SAUDI
Beit Al Refai Farasan’s Masterpiece Built by a pearl dealer, Ahmed Munawar Refai, the house is a major attraction on the tourist circuit in Farasan Islands. By Mohammed Mirza
Refai was one of the most well known traders of the Farasan Islands. The house highlights the unique architecture of the region. It’s a masterpiece of architecture owing to its unique design and inscriptions. Beit Al Refai sits on an elevated platform encircled by a wall presumably made of coral. The main entrance of the house is through an arched gateway that hasornate designs on it. Instead of plain painted
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walls like other houses on Farasan, Beit Al Refai has intricate designs crafted on its entire exterior. Most notably the windows, which have triple arches. The upper part of the wall has a wide frieze running through. Today it stands as a testimony to the wealth of the residents of the archipelago during times of the flourishing pearl trade. A replica of the building can be seen in the Janadariyyah festival in Riyadh.