Have you ever fancied spending a night in a museum? In a place amidst antiquities, each one narrating a tale of an extraordinary expedition around the world?
Let me introduce you to Caravan Serai - an exquisite mixture of museum, guesthouse, antique emporium, and studio - nestled in the heart of Qassim's Unaizah, right in the heart of Saudi Arabia.
Conceived by globetrotter, Huda Al-Tamimi, who never fails to collect keepsakes from her voyages. Within 5 months, Al-Tamimi transformed what she had collected over 10 years, into a safe haven for all her historical holdings.
In this house in Unaizah, you feel as if you have traveled in a time machine back 400 years. Each piece is a memorabilia, and this is what makes this remarkable establishment offers an unforgettable experience like no other. This place is actually part of her family’s house, that she altered into a museum for visitors.
Once you enter Caravan Serai, you’ll be immersed with history and culture - from the Turkish carpets to the Portuguese tiles, all centuries old. Al-Tamimi wanted to keep her family’s essence engraved in the place as well. If you take a closer look, you can find her grandmother's wedding dress and her grandfather's circular pocket watch, which is more than 70 years old.
Let’s not forget the stunning colors of an antique Najdi door, that was actually one of the interior doors of Al-Ain Palace in Al-Awshaziah. From Saudi Arabia to North Africa, you will find little valuables that portray human nature like no other, such as a postage stamp sent from Cairo to Mansoura in 1909, from two people that care about each other.
Al-Tamim’s love and passion for collecting antiquities, remembering history and the admiring ancient pieces is evident in this little piece of frozen time. “Maybe it’s because of this genetic quality that I have, you know my love for visiting museums and antique stores,” Al-Tamimi says, “But every time during traveling when I see something, my heart is capture by small heritage pieces, and my mind immediately starts thinking of a place for them inside the museum.”
The coolest thing is that this place is quite lowkey – shhh let’s keep this way.
