FAKHRO Properties will be participating in gulfBID for the first time, where it will be putting the spotlight on a patented product that has received good response from the market.

The sanitary fixture – the Wudu (ablution) washbasin named after the ceremonial cleansing practice that Muslims are required to perform before prayers – is the brainchild of businessman Hamed Fakhro, who heads Fakhro Properties.
Patented and manufactured in the GCC, the Wudu washbasin facilitates washing the face, both the arms, and the feet up to and including the ankles.

“The stylish porcelain washbasin revolutionises the ability of worshippers to perform ‘wudu’,” says Fakhro.

On sale in Bahrain, Fakhro’s product has sparked interest from mosques, the government’s endowment directorate, and even from a client, who insisted on purchasing a Wudu for each member of his family.

The Wudu is targeted all ages, but in general the elderly and/or people with back problems, and children, for use in commercial centres, restrooms, hotels, malls, mosques, towers, offices, and even homes.

“Instead of lifting children to wash their hands or risk them standing unattended on a stool, they can safely wash their hands by themselves using this product. Wudu’s height was also designed around the average foot placement height when tying a shoelace. It’s easy on the back and gives a person full reach to thoroughly wash his feet, which is a requirement in Islam,” says Fakhro.

The concept for Wudu came to Fakhro while he was recovering from a back injury. “During that period, I found it difficult to perform the wudu, and I began to notice that others were experiencing similar difficulties.”

Fakro then set about looking for a better, cleaner and safer way to do it – the result was a design for a washbasin with two basins on either side below it in the framework of a single unit.

With the support of YK Al Moayyed and Sons, which is the exclusive distributor of Wudu in Bahrain, Fakhro managed to produce his very first units.

Fakhro 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 sinks, can be used by persons of all sizes and ages, and reduces incidents of injury. Most injuries occur in the home, and most of those occur in the bathroom.”

The product is estimated to reduce some 20 per cent of water consumption as it saves time in lifting the foot (or child) up towards a standard basin during which the water is kept running; it also minimises spillage, he says.

“Wudu has also been designed to fit in any bathroom, and needs no new infrastructure – the drainage, and water pipes need not be changed. A simple modification that any plumber can perform is all that is required, Its dimensions are also within the limits of standard washbasins,” says Fakhro.

With the growing popularity of his invention, Fakhro remains focused on customer satisfaction. “The standard model has provided such positive feedback that we are also providing customers with the option of customising the product to meet their own size and design specifications.”

Fakhro Properties is now looking at expanding into the other GCC markets as well as Asia, Europe, and the US.
Fakhro Properties, which has its office in Seef, was established in 2008. It is responsible for the design, outsourcing manufacture, assigning distributors, arranging contracts for the Wudu washbasin.

The company can be visited at Stand 1A20 at gulfBID.