The complex of 'Umar bin Shaikh al-Kaf, "Qaṣr al-ʿIshshah" () is one of the original Kaf houses in Tarim. Shaikh al-Kaf built the house on proceeds made in South Asian trade and investment in Singapore's "Grand Hotel de l'Europe" during the 1930s. "Ishshah" derives from the Arabic root (, ʿ-sh-sh}}, meaning to nest, take root, or establish. Qasr al-'Ishshah is a collection of several buildings constructed over a forty-year period. The first building, known as Dar Dawil, was constructed during the 1890s. As Umar's family grew, so did the size of the complex.