Under the Spotlight –تحت أضواء المحرق
Project Leads: Maryam AlNoaimi, Rawan Jahromi
Research Interns: Mariam Sharif, Sara Allaith
Graphic Designer: Dalal Alkhuzaie
As the Pearling Path seeks to conserve and promote the island’s historical heritage and legacy, it also creates new opportunities to nurture the surrounding living areas and communities, bringing the city’s organically embedded qualities closer to its visitors.
Through direct engagement with local businesses, careful site analysis, and culturally grounded interventions, the project aims to bridge traditional commerce with experiential tourism. By doing so, everyday shops are transformed into interactive heritage touchpoints that resonate with both local residents and visitors.
Under the Spotlight (تحت أضواء المحرق) is a project that highlights existing shops within the souq and the surrounding urban fabric as active participants in Muharraq Nights. The initiative introduces interactive layers that connect the commercial and social components of the urban environment, encouraging visitors to engage with shop owners, employees, and the spaces themselves through visual and physical placemaking interventions.
For its first edition in 2025, a selection of 10 local shops was chosen following a high-level survey that covered more than 50 shops across Muharraq. The survey assessed seven key pillars, including the shop’s history, storytelling potential, physical condition, and others. From this process, an initial shortlist was refined to the final ten shops based on three main criteria:
All selected shops achieved consistently high scores across the seven evaluation pillars
The group represents a diverse range of commercial typologies
The shops are located within close walking proximity, allowing for a seamless, single-route visitor experience
Each selected shop was then assigned site-specific graphic elements, which were applied across various touchpoints including storefront enhancements, stamps, postcards, and tote bags. The initiative was conceived as a self-guided experience, complete with a dedicated map and walking route that complemented activation strategies along Muharraq’s historic streets.
Shop owners and employees were informed in advance about the project’s concept and objectives, enabling them to actively participate by stamping visitors’ festival maps and engaging directly with audiences. This approach fostered a sense of ownership and collaboration, positioning each shop as a meaningful and interactive stop within Muharraq Nights 2025.
