(MENAFN- Arab Times) Architect Bashar Al Salem talks on history of Kuwaiti diwaniyas and its evolution at the Yarmouk Cultural Centre on Dec 10.- Photo by Rizalde Cayanan, courtesy of DAI
A showcase of generosity and wealth
Architect Bashar AlSalem presented an illuminating lecture on a major element of Kuwaitiarchitecture – the diwaniya, tracing its history and charting its evolution tomodern day Kuwait, at the Yarmouk Cultural Centre on Monday evening as part ofthe Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyyah's 24th cultural season.
Architect
Bashar Al Salem is a founder and partner of Kayan, a Kuwait-based architecture
firm. He is a principal architect, leading a team of young architects producing
residential and commercial projects. Prior to Kayan, he was a senior architect
and a project manager with SSH, a member of the Sphere Design Group, and worked
with various government entities on projects including the Failaka Island
design.
Al Salem presented a
snapshot of the architecture of
diwaniyas in Kuwait, and stressed on how rooted it is in the local culture of
hospitality. A Kuwaiti diwaniya is a
traditional reception area where business colleagues and guests are received
and is a tangible representation of the importance of hospitality in Kuwait's
culture and traditions.
In his presentation, Al Salem focused on defining the diwaniya and
detailing its architectural design elements. He also looked at contemporary
diwaniyas and the ways in which they were similar and dissimilar to local
historic diwaniyas.
He revealed that Kuwaiti diwaniyas
are well-known and highly regarded in the region. While variations of it exist
in other parts, there is a something different and unique about the Kuwaiti
version. It is not only a place where people gather to discuss politics and
socialize, Al Salem shared but also the place where people visit each other in
times of celebrations like Eid and weddings, to receiving guests offering
condolences during a funeral. The concept of this diwaniya is truly unique to
Kuwait.
Architecture
He
shared a painting by the great Ayoub Hussain in which men are seen gathered
atop the terrace of an old house replete with activity and an ample courtyard.
The diwaniya is both architecture and art, and the painting, Al Salem shares,
provides a glimpse into the memories of an older Kuwait with spaces like
courtyards that have since been forgotten.
The diwaniya, located on the terrace, defines it not merely as a space
but portrays its function within the house. They were not always built as
purposeful structures but became places where people gathered. The diwaniya
soon became a men's club for the discussion of politics and trade, a place
where deals were struck. As for women, it provided the right balance of
congregation and privacy in their meetings.
While the diwaniya as a
structure was not always as defined, it is rooted in the history of hospitality
in the Middle East. 'Hospitality is a
very important factor of our lives. We really have to cater for our guests.' Al
Salem added that every visitor is considered important and hosting them is an
opportunity to provide hospitality, and showcase generosity and wealth.
Al Salem pointed out that
plans of the old Kuwait City of 1795 show no physical diwaniyas at the time.
While hospitality was existent, there was no formal structure to facilitate it.
In painting a picture of the first
gatherings without a the architectural framework of a diwaniya, he shared that
people would gather around the docks, shops, trade posts close to the beach to
strike trade deals, discuss politics, and storytelling. 'It was a place for men
to relax and do business.'
In the Arab region,
similar structures exist that are comparable and are found in Iraq, Yemen, Iran
and Saudi Arabia where compact structures were used to entertain guests with
coffee, and would double up as resting rooms for travelers from afar as they
used the amenities of the house for their comfort. He pointed out that among
these, the Najd in Saudi Arabia bears the most resemblance to the Kuwaiti theme
in guest architecture. But in many of these, the function is for family
reunions. It is a majlis for people of the same family to gather. So the
Kuwaiti edition, where doors are open and all are welcome to come in to meet
and greet, linger for a while, chat and gossip, is of an entirely different
mood and function.
There
are many structures in the region that embody the culture of hospitality, a
majlis exists in one form or the other. Even a tent would have a space for
guests, to show that being hospitable is a very important part of the culture.
In the majlis, men would gather from different tribes, when travelling, and
discuss matters.
In
Kuwait, built structures of this kind weren't always in existence. They started
off as spaces left over and occupied by men to be used as a diwaniya. A typical
house in Kuwait City depicts that a diwaniya came in as a space near the exit
or doors that people could gather without intruding in the whole structure of
the house. This became an annex of sorts, a space where guests came in after
long trips to use for rest.
Preserved
He showed pictures of
preserved diwaniyas like Diwan Shamlan, Diwan Al Roudhan and others from Kuwait
City. Kuwait's dry and extreme climate, was another factor in the prevalence of
diwaniyas as it made shelter necessary. People would go to these closed spaces
to shelter themselves from the sun in the summer and the cold in the winter.
'This is how it evolved, from a space created adjacent to the house, they grew
to the lavish diwaniyas we see in Kuwait today.'
It was a space for
families to showcase their culinary delights, their space and decor. While the
architecture was local, some diwaniyas displayed borrowed styles that merchants
witnessed in other areas and brought in as features to their own diwaniyas. For
example, wooden elements that aren't typical to Kuwait, were brought from
India.
There
have been a lot of modifications in Kuwait's diwaniyas. He bemoaned the fact that no records exist of
the old diwaniyas and the old architecture of Kuwait. The diwaniyas that have
been preserved because of their function, preserve the Kuwaiti identity and
architecture, he commended.
He
pointed out that Kuwaiti architects today do not have a point of reference, 'If
we want to do a design, and we want to look at architecture in Kuwait, there is
no reference except of those few five or six diwaniyas that we see in Kuwait
City, and a few mosques.'
So
the function of the diwaniyas as a vestige of Kuwaiti architecture makes it all
the more important. 'It is what really saved the Kuwaiti local architecture.
Some of it is existing in its original matter and the elements.'
The
liwan served as seating areas, intermediate between the courtyard, the external
area, and the internal diwaniya, a shaded area with a colonnade sometime with elaborate design and wooden
elements coming from India and sometimes Africa.
Today
as people are moving towards more external areas, modern architecture is
looking back to using terraces applying some functions as seating and barbeque
areas but he pointed out, that this is part of history.
Family
ties to and trade with different towns adjacent to Kuwait saw the bringing in
of lavish materials and incorporating it within the space. The doors of the
diwaniya displayed the wealth of the family. 'They are unique to the region.
Doors are very important part of Kuwait's history and architecture. Diwaniya
and merchant houses use those doors.'
He stated that a lot of the original diwaniya
has been remodeled, many of the textures and colours are incorporated now, seating
areas evolved from floor seating to some chaired seating.
Attention
He
drew attention to the fact that windows weren't typically found in Kuwaiti
houses, and was reserved only for a diwaniya, where passersby could see a gathering and venture inside. 'Kuwait has a
very private society, people were not
open to having windows in bedrooms and other areas but the diwaniya
would have that. We wanted to show people that we have guests, they were used
to communicate activity.'
He
lamented that Kuwaiti architecture has lost its way, 'We have lost our local
vernacular elements of architecture, we see contemporary designs and buildings
in residential, commercial and public venues.'
The
door which is an important element in the diwaniya and signifies the importance
of familiy living and the structure, he pointed out. 'It is unique to this
area. Wealth is displayed on the door and even contemporary architects would
have to see it as an element to be preserved and saved and used over and over
again.'
He
reiterated that courtyards are another important element of vernacular
architecture that have also been eliminated. 'This is something that people are
going to look back at in the region to provide security, privacy and a better
environment. It provides a cooler environment.'
The
liwan is another element, unique to historic diwaniyas, where people would sit
down in the shade. It is an architectural element common to a lot of hot areas
with plenty sun and wind as seen in many parts of Europe. The wijar has been
totally lost and eliminated. 'I haven't seen them in a very long time. Only a
few houses in the Nejd have kept them as a tradition where you have that coffee
corner with a small fire pit for the winter days. This would never be off, it's
hot and serving fresh coffee for guests who are passing by through the
diwaniya, a beautiful element that has to be seriously conserved or brought
back to our architecture.'
Windows
are really unique to the diwaniya. While openings existed around the courtyard
external windows would only apply to the diwaniya. He shared that young
architects today are confused on what to use for windows. They have to factor
in privacy from neighbors and heat issues. He stressed that this was an facet
that effected the whole language of architecture if not used properly.
Outdoor
A
dekah outdoor space is another lost element. Today building codes do not allow
for a dekah within the parameter of the house or diwaniya. 'It is a beautiful
element it's something that doesn't weather at all. it has no maintenance. you
can put any kind of cushion, sit down and use.'
But
he also affirms a cultural shift in this regard, 'Nobody wants to do this now
and have gatherings around their houses. In the '60s-'70s, we used to go around
neighbourhoods and people would have chairs out and they'd sit and look at the
passersby. This communication has been lost and unfortunately in doing so, the
city has lost a little bit of its identity.
'Outdoor
seating, which currently we have in some areas of Kuwait, is part of the
diwaniya, an extension of the space itself, when the whole space has been
occupied, this is when people go out and sit down.'
The
jandal has been used as a construction material, and provided for the use of
smaller spaces due to the limited length of around 4m. This created a lot of
intimate spaces. 'Today, current structures spans of sometimes six, twelve and
twenty metres creating a shift in the whole identity, the way we talk and the
way we mingle, the spaces are not defined correctly.'
He stressed
that if we go back and study the use of materials rather than having them just
as a decorative elements, its use would improve the way we design our current
buildings. In order to design a
contemporary diwaniya we need to get back those elements, use them, redefine
them and try to put them back into our local architecture without merely
copying history. We have to go further
and improve what we have build on. This all starts with a definition of the
space itself, the rhythm of the design, the importance of simplicity, intimacy
and using the right local materials.
By Cinatra Fernandes
Arab Times Staff
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