AT FAKHRO Properties’ stand at gulfInteriors, Bahraini inventor and businessman Hamed Fakhro will be promoting his brainchild washbasin which has been primarily designed to facilitate washing of the feet.

The sanitary fixture – the Wudu (ablution) washbasin named after the ceremonial cleansing practice that Muslims are required to perform before prayers – is patented and manufactured in the GCC.

Elaborating on the concept of the washbasin, Fakhro says the idea seemed simple: just a standard washbasin module with a lower basin attached that could be used to wash the feet.

Yet, he wondered why nobody had done it before.

Fakhro, however, faced an uphill task bringing the product from conception to realisation in the midst of a personal battle with cancer. Finally with the support of Y K Almoayyed and Sons, which is now the exclusive distributor of Wudu in Bahrain, Fakhro managed to produce his very first units in Oman (Oman Ceramics).

The product has recently gained the interest of the Muslim Educational Society in Bahrain, which immediately ordered several test units while the Awqaf Directorate is installing units in the largest mosque in Isa Town.

Fakhro, who heads Fakhro Properties, is particularly proud of the Wudu’s sustainability. “The product provides people with a safer and more efficient means of carrying out their washing requirement. It uses less water than ordinary washbasins, can be used by persons of all ages, and reduces risk of injury,” he says adding, “most injuries occur in the home, and most of those occur in the bathroom.”

Fakhro is now doing a pilot project with the Electricity and Water Authority, and Islamic Endowment Directorate to help conserve water and facilitate ablution in mosques. The foot basins of Wudu can support 400 kg of weight.

The licensing rights are available through Fakhro Properties, which can grant either distribution/agency/dealership or manufacturing rights. Fakhro Properties, which has its office in Seef, was established in 2008.

The company will be exhibiting at Stand 2C09 at gulfInteriors.