Abstract
Since the discovery of oil, the decline of the pearl industry and the emergence of modern architecture, most vernacular buildings in Bahrain had become dilapidated. Over time, their occupiers had moved onto other modern and luxurious buildings that are available aplenty now, although often lacking in local identity and national character. Recently, there is a renewed interest in the historical vernacular, considered necessary to be rejuvenated for the infusion of national pride and construction of national identity. The Ministry of Culture as well as reputed architects have adopted strategies of ‘re-dignifying the historical vernacular' of Bahrain with the intention of rekindling the interest in the historical traditions and re-infusing them to modern life. This paper examines a number of re-dignified buildings, and re-invented grand traditions of Bahrain and how they are being re-modeled for the present day consumption. It advances the theory that architecture and national identity are intertwined through ‘elitism' and ‘grand traditions', and buildings that embody such narratives are considered culturally rich. It thus re-assesses the reproduction of vernacular being articulated in the present context of globalization.
