House of Mirrors

On a hot afternoon back in the middle of June I was fortunate enough to go on a tour to the House of Mirrors here in Kuwait.


(50 degrees Celsius (122F) outside at 5:29pm...)

Calling it the House of Mirrors is certainly no joke - the ENTIRE house is covered in mosaics made of pieces of mirror:


(House of Mirrors - front view and main entrance)


(House of Mirrors - front view. An 'Art Museum' it certainly is!)


(House of Mirrors - the main entrance)

Now, before you think this is part of an amusement park or some art project, let me just say that this is a private home (!) and the lady who transformed it from a typical Kuwaiti house to this House of Mirrors still lives there. Her name is Lidia Al Qattan - an Italian lady who has lived in Kuwait for decades and is the widow of the famous (at least within Kuwait) Khalifa Al Qattan. He was a pioneer artist and in the 1960s he created the school of circulism.

What mostly attracts people, though, is the chance to have a look inside this spectacular house:


(Wall decorations in the sitting room - note that the mirrors form not only animals but also Arabic writing)

Lidia Al Qattan didn't limit herself to a few wall decorations - in fact there seems to be no limits whatsoever to what she decorated with mirrors - including the ceiling and the fan:


(Mirror decorations on the walls and ceiling - and the fan - in the sitting room)

In between the many pieces of mirror there has been made space for some of the art work that the couple has produced over the years - including this portrait of Lidia by her husband...


(Lidia Al Qattan by Khalifa Al Qattan - framed by mosaics of mirror)


(A door in the sitting room - covered in mirrors)

Lidia got the idea of decorating her house with mosaics of mirror while her husband was away for an art exhibition - apparently she started with a piece of furniture and when her husband came back and said that he liked how it looked covered in pieces of mirror, she continued over the years until most of the house and furniture was covered...

Kitchen is pretty much covered as well (I guess she is saving the fridge project for a rainy day :)):


(Kitchen covered in mirrors)


(Kitchen covered in mirrors - fish, crabs, apples, grapes - nothing that cannot be made in mirror mosaic!)

Another view of the sitting area - with its leopard printed sofas where she invites her guests to sit and hear the life story of her and her husband, their art and not least the house while extending traditional Kuwaiti hospitality in the form of cake and drinks:


(Sitting room)

Like I said - there are no limits. Electrical socket? No problem!


(Mosaic on the electrical socket - and a fish mosaic, sitting room)

Most of the rooms have a theme - and this room is the Zodiac Hall with planets, galaxies, stars - she has put those little rubber stars that glow in the dark on the ceiling and her art work (the two round shapes in the picture) glow as well! Quite an experience. It is Lidia Al Qattan in the picture:


(Lidia Al Qattan explaining the room and about to hit the light switch leaving us all under the stars)

A few more examples of the extent of her project:


(Door phone covered in mosaic)

Even the bathroom was not spared (and let me again remind you that this is her private home!) - you better like the look of yourself in the morning if you do a bathroom like this!


(Tissue box in the bathroom)


(The shower, bathroom)


(The toilet itself, bathroom)

After everyone had taken turns to squeeze into the bathroom (wouldn't want to miss that!) she showed us more of her dedicated rooms - a lot of them focusing on the universe, galaxies etc. but still mixed with animal motifs and inscriptions from the Qur'an.


(View of the ceiling)


(A decorated cabinet standing on a decorated floor...)


(Patterns, circles, birds, Qur'an inscriptions, planets - and they are all connected in her mind and her thoughts behind the room)


(Bird mosaic - and one of those glow-in-the-dark stars)

Lidia doesn't just show you around her house - she tries to take you on a journey. All the rooms have meditative music, many of them incorporate some "show in the dark", glowing stars, glowing art, colored light...


(Colored light reflecting in the mosaics during one of the journeys...)


(Lots of colored light to add another dimension to the mosaic)


(A light switch and some more bird mosaic)

Here's a view of the sitting room I showed before - taken from the hall. The neon lights - and of course the fact that the walls have been painted blue - give the whole place the bluish shine.


(Sitting room)

Her library is decorated as well:


(Library)

If you look closely, the edges of the book shelves are covered in mirror mosaic and she certainly skipped no corners: behind the books there is mosaic as well!


(Mirror covered book shelves along with family pictures)


(From the courtyard)


(The courtyard and house facade with Arabic inscriptions and more animals)


(From the courtyard - it's about life-size)


(Front door)

Part of the tour also included a look into the first floor galleries - where her and her husband's art is on display. This room is dedicated to Khalifa Al Qattan (and therefore not covered in mirrors) and his accomplishments:


(Khalifa Al Qattan's room - with portraits, medals, photographs of him shaking royal hands)


(Khalifa and Lidia Al Qattan)

Some of Khalifa Al Qattan's art work on display:


(By Khalifa Al Qattan)


(By Khalifa Al Qattan)


(By Khalifa Al Qattan)

I'm not sure which one of them did these ones incorporating traditional Arabic objects but I believe it was her:



Much of Lidia Al Qattan's art work is also on display (and for sale):


(By Lidia Al Qattan)


(By Lidia Al Qattan)


(By Lidia Al Qattan)

Fancy a somewhat different candle holder?


(By Lidia Al Qattan)

It comes in a large version as well:


(By Lidia Al Qattan - oversized candle holder sculpture...)

As another part of the 'journey through her house' Lidia has built this room that also glows in the dark. It is really something else - spacey! The walls are made of a decorated fabric that velcro will stick to (I guess that explains why the flying skateboards stay on). Visitors are encouraged to throw the velcro-backed decorated triangles seen below at the wall and try and make them stick...


(Another glow-in-the-dark room - the triangles to the left are the ones you can throw at the wall and make stick)


(Close-up of the skateboard/space ship/UFO thing)

And last but not least another relaxation room (you can almost hear the meditative music) full of lit-up art, colored glass and the works:


(Relaxation room)

I certainly cannot imagine living in a house like this day in and day out - but you have to respect her for going after her vision/dream and completing it. In Kuwait it is extremely rare to let strangers into your house so the fact alone that she invites people in to see it is commendable (and probably only permissible since her husband has passed away). I truly appreciated the opportunity to meet Lidia and to see her house and am very grateful for her hospitality - but boy what a surreal place!!

The 'New Old' Souq Waqif In Doha

In the 'good old days' before the huge air-conditioned malls brought international brands and western style shops to the region, the souq(s) was the center of life of any city. In Doha the main souq - Souq Waqif - is often referred to as the 'new old souq' because the Qatar government decided to knock down the old souq and rebuild it much as it used to look (but to last for many years to come).

We really enjoyed Souq Waqif - it did not feel like a Disneyland at all nor as a tourist attraction and we saw many locals come here to do some shopping or get some food. We went together at night and I went during the day alone as well and there was always something new to see.


(The outskirts of the souq - a popular hang-out place for the many pigeons)

The souq is very centrally located - close to the Fanar and right off the Doha corniche (and about 15 minutes' walk from our hotel):


(The outskirts of the souq with the Fanar (Qatar Islamic Cultural Center) in the background - a popular hang-out place for the many pigeons)

There is something like a main road running through the souq with shops and restaurants on each side:


(Main 'road' of the souq)

And then there are smaller narrow alleyways as well as an entire part of the souq that is completely covered (and too dark to take decent photos in):


(A smaller alleyway of the souq)

As with any decent souq there seems to be a bit of everything for sale. This little shop had some very colorful fabrics and woven items in the traditional Bedouin patterns and colors:


(Small outdoor shop selling products with traditional Bedouin style patterns and colors)


(A limited display of men's sandals in a side alley shop)

And of course there are plenty of shishas (or nargila or hubbly bubbly or water pipes or whatever you prefer to call them) - an inevitable part of the culture in the Middle East:


(Small stall selling shishas and belts (?))

We came across a shop inside the covered part of the souq bearing the name Danish Trading Co. We thought that was a bit odd and had already started wondering whether they were selling Danish dairy products (Danish design seemed a bit out of question given the location):


(From the Danish Trading Co. in Souq Waqif)

As we went inside it became clear that it had nothing to do with Denmark (we even asked the owner who spoke little English and he looked quite surprised at our suggestion that there would be a connection with the country Denmark) - so apparently it's just a name with no reference. I wonder if he had a lot of trouble during the recent years' crisis over the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammed. The shop sells nuts and sweets:


(Nuts and sweets for sale at the Danish Trading Co. in Souq Waqif)

They were quite happy to let me take these pictures of the small store - they almost seemed proud, which was really nice.


(Nuts and sweets for sale at the Danish Trading Co. in Souq Waqif)

These small stores are on the outskirts of the souq - if you click to enlarge the picture you will see that all 3 store owners are sitting by the door reading:


(Small stores selling a bit of everything, outskirts of Souq Waqif)

There were lots of stores selling fabric and clothes, small tailors sewing dishdashas, kitchen supplies of all possible kinds and sizes and lots of little stores selling a bit of everything - I just didn't take any photos of that. In the evening, women would come with home-cooked dishes in insulating containers, sit on a little square on the backside of the souq and sell portions to passers-by. Most of them had no signs of any kind and a few had hand written pieces of paper mentioning today's dishes (in Arabic only). I haven't seen local women sell food in the souq anywhere else in the region. I'm sure it was delicious!

Another section of the souq houses falcons - another Arabian tradition. However, the place was closed when I was there with K and I did not dare go in alone as it seemed very much a man's world (groups of men sitting on sofas outside as well). I did see one afternoon, however, two of the men taking a falcon out for training in a little courtyard with a patch of green grass. They didn't mind me watching but I never asked if I could take a photo.

Here's a local man carrying home some shopping next to where the falcons are:


(Carrying home the goods, Souq Waqif, falcon section)


(Local men walking in the Souq Waqif, falcon section)


(Local men walking in the Souq Waqif, falcon section - and a man walking behind them carrying some items they have bought)

As can also be seen on the picture above, this part of the souq is nicely built with the traditional style ceiling - made of 'woven' leaves from the palm trees bringing shade and cool. I like the shapes they make:


(Section of Souq Waqif with a view to the traditional ceiling)


(Looking up to the ceiling, Souq Waqif, falcon section)


(Looking up to the ceiling, Souq Waqif, the Art Center section)

As I already mentioned the souq is not very touristy and also sells the needed nets, traps and other supplies for the local fishermen:


(Shop in Souq Waqif supplying the local fishermen)


(From the outskirts of the souq)


(A man clipping his toe nails in the souq)

There is also a part of the souq that is dedicated to animals. Although some of them were being taken very well care of, many of them were in a sad state (as is the case in most of this region as well as many other places in the world). The majority of the animals were birds - I suppose they are relatively easy to keep whether on a balcony or in a proper garden.


(Parrot outside a pet shop)


(Bird cages - with and without birds - for sale at Souq Waqif)

Without offending anyone I think it's fair to say that many people here have little respect for animal life and have not learned to appreciate or care for an animal. It seems that among some there is a tendency to buy a small rabbit or a chicken or another cute little animal if a child points at it - not with a deeper intention of taking proper care of the animal but just as you would buy a balloon (and expect it to 'die' after a few days) or a lolly pop that is another 5-minute pleasure.

To further help this demand, many sales men have resorted to painting the animals (something I have heard of in Kuwait as well but not seen myself) - you can almost hear the "Daddy, Daddy can I have the green chicken?!? And Mummy mummy I want the pink rabbit".

Speaking of pink rabbits - we walked up to one of the sales men that had these for sale. K asked him if rabbits are always pink in this region of the world. For a minute the sales man seemed unsure if we were really so stupid that we had not realized that the rabbit had been spray painted pink (which of course we knew) - and for a second I guess he really hoped that he would be able to sell us a rare Arabian pink rabbit at an exorbitant price. Our smiles gave us away and he said that he had painted it - and allowed us to take this photo:


(Pink - spray-painted - rabbit for sale in Souq Waqif)

And here are some of the spray painted chickens I mentioned:


(Colored chickens for sale at Souq Waqif)

I suppose you could argue that dressing up little chihuahua dogs - as the recent trend in the west seems to be - is no less cruel than spray painting animals...

It was in the same animal section of the souq that I got caught up in a combined sand storm and thunder storm one afternoon. In this picture you can almost see how the sky has turned sand colored and it's about to start raining with heavy thunder:


(Sand and thunder storm approaching rapidly, Souq Waqif)

Having spent so much time at the souq over the days, I made it through the covered alleyways to a juice bar almost without getting wet. I sat at the juice bar, had a fresh pomegranate juice and enjoyed listening to the rain (and seeing people run for cover):


(Watching the rain pour down - an unusual sight in this part of the world)

The souq hides many other interesting things - among other the Qatari Dama Association. I never knew checkers (dam) was being played here - inside plenty of local men were sitting at checkers tables deeply involved in their games:


(The Qatari Checkers Association deep inside the Souq Waqif)

Here's the local police station (inside the souq) with their 'police vehicle' out front. I already talked about how the Qatari dress very conservatively (How to spend a weekend in Firenze, Italy) - and quite interestingly, the white head scarf (ghutrah) with the black rings (aqal) that men in this region usually wear with their dishdashas is part of the police uniform in Qatar (in Kuwait for example the police uniform is western style clothing and no head gear).


(The local police station inside Souq Waqif)

In a small alley right next to the police station we heard clicking sounds one evening. The clicks were unmistakeably the sound of old typewriters. My mother had one when I was a child and although she didn't use it often, the sound has remained with me. In tiny shops with nothing more than a table, a chair, a typewriter and a typist, business seemed to be going very well. Some customers had come to have official documents typed (I suppose applications and other paper work to be handed to government offices) and one man was sitting next to the typist reading out a long hand-written letter that the typist then repeated and wrote on his typewriter line by line.

In other alleyways old local men were pushing wheelbarrows through the narrow alleyways filled with people constantly standing in their way. It is a common way in the Gulf region to earn some money by offering to drive around the goods that people have bought in the souq - often following them around for a long time before finally taking the goods to the customers' cars. The only difference is that in Kuwait this service is typically offered by Indian men (migrant workers) that were not lucky enough to land a job as taxi drivers. I have never seen old local men doing this job and I felt sorry for them - they were physically frail from what appeared to have been a long and hard life working and they should have been at home with their families being taken care of and shown the deep respect that elders normally enjoy in this region (not to say that I don't feel sorry for the Indians normally doing this job but at least they are still strong and not too old men).

I believe there is much to learn about a country by observing what is going on in its souqs and I enjoy being caught up in little time pockets.