JEDDAH: For hundreds of years, houses built on the Farasan Islands withstood the sands of time while enduring storms, extreme heat, and humidity, as they also stood firm against battles. The simplistic beauty of the houses is one of Saudi Arabia’s architectural wonders.
Located 45 kilometers off the southern shores of the Kingdom’s Red Sea coastline, the homes were built using nothing more than elements found in nature: the island’s stones, corals, and plaster. Their facades were adorned with inscriptions inspired by the Indian and Roman civilizations. The inhabitants were known to the pearl divers and merchants, and if you look deeper, there is more than meets the eye.
Ibrahim Muftah, a writer and researcher in Farasan’s…