��������

BUKHARA, UZBEKISTAN: A piece of Jeddah landed in the Uzbek city of Bukhara this month. 

As part of the inaugural Bukhara Biennial, the Bukhara Archive welcomed the winning design of the inaugural AlMusalla Prize, first unveiled at the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah in January. 

The prize — for the design of a multi-faith space for prayer and contemplation — was awarded to the UAE- and Lebanon-based EAST Architecture Studio, engineering firm AKT II, and artist Rayyane Tabet for their design, “On Weaving,” which was constructed almost entirely from reused palm tree waste. 

The design was conceived as a traveling pavilion, and its relocation from Jeddah to Bukhara reflects shared legacies — Jeddah as a gateway for pilgrims, Bukhara as a Silk Road hub. 

“We designed it for deconstruction, to be able to be taken apart, to be able to be rebuilt. Because what we didn’t want was to save this waste only for it to go back into the landfill or be burned,” AKT II’s Christopher Blust told Arab News. 

“(The musalla was) a structure that really followed nomadic cultures — very much present in the Gulf, and in �������� in particular,” said Nicolas Fayad of EAST Architecture. “Unlike mosques, which are very much static, there was this idea of transience, which manifests very well in its presence at the Bukhara Biennial. 

“I am someone who is very much in touch with that otherness — that layer that essentially protects us as individuals,” Fayad continued. “(This) is a project that speaks a lot to this otherness but also to the idea of spirituality and the dialogue that exists (within) the human being as an individual, but also what emerges in terms of spirituality when you are experiencing it as a group, as well. So, there’s this very interesting dialogue between plurality and individuality which manifests in this structure.” 

Blust said the building process for “On Weaving” caused “some sleepless nights” — not just because of the tight deadline between being told their design had won and actually having to exhibit it at the Islamic Arts Biennale, but because, he claims, it is “a world first” in terms of creating a building from date palm waste. 

“It’s an immense opportunity to educate others about what you can do with materials,” he said. “We built something out of waste — or what people think is waste. Everyone you tell the story (of how it was made) just (finds it) jaw-dropping. So what I’d like everyone to think about is: What other waste is out there that’s not truly waste? We just need to find a way of repurposing.” 

“There’s always that element of surprise, which is very gratifying to see,” Fayad agreed. “Here in Bukhara, it feels that this pavilion is in direct conversation not only with the context but with the culture. Having walked very briefly in the old town, having looked at this weaving, craft and process on the streets and then looking back at the musalla here… really this conversation that exists not only in the material but also in the colors, in the proportions of the building and how it references, somehow, the proportions that are found elsewhere, almost makes you feel as if this pavilion has always existed here.” 

Both men are excited to see where their project heads next. 

“We know that the third chapter is coming, we don’t know where yet, but it is going to exist somewhere else after (this),” Fayad said. “Honestly, it’s the most beautiful thing to see this place inhabited. It gives it this intangible layer of making this space lived in and experienced; it almost makes it shine. This is not something the architect is in control of. It’s really the visitors.” 

“And people come into this space not knowing the story,” added Blust.” Once they understand the full narrative and the (ideas) and the sustainability — even the economic justification behind it — I think it’s a jaw-dropping moment. We’re hoping to change people’s minds when it comes to culture, when it comes to waste, when it comes to looking at what is sustainable.”