View of St. Anna Bay looking towards colonial merchant houses lining Handelskade along Punda's waterfront, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Willemstad, Curacao, West Indies, Lesser Antilles, former Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean, Central America

Old merchant houses on the canal in Amsterdam, Holland, The Netherlands

Old merchant houses, Basra, Iraq, Middle East

Old merchant house, Farasan islands, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Middle East

Restored 400 year old merchant's haveli, an all stone structure, Chanwar Palki Walon-ki Haveli also known as Amber Havali, Amber, near Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India, Asia

Interior of contemporary home of a wealthy owner from India's merchant class, a new residential build, New Delhi, India, Asia

Contemporary home of a wealthy owner from India's merchant class, new residential building, New Delhi, India, Asia

The 13th century Medieval Merchants House is one of the oldest surviving merchant houses in England, Southampton, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Living room of Diep Dong Nguyen house, built in the 19th centruy by a Chinese merchant, Hoi An, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Derby House, 1761, the first brick structure built in Salem, owned by India merchant Elias Hasket Derby, Salem, Massachusetts, New England, United States of America, North America

A 400 year old restored merchant's haveli, all stone structure, Amber Havali (mansion), Amber, near Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India, Asia

Old Chinese Merchant House, China Town District, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Asia

The contemporary home of a wealthy owner from India's merchant class, a new residence built in New Delhi, India, Asia

Crumbling old Russian merchant houses, Bandar-e Anzali, Iran, Middle East

A 400 year old restored merchant's haveli, all stone structure, Amber Havali (mansion), Amber, near Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India, Asia

Library with ancestor portraits in Diep Dong Nguyen House, built in the 19th century by a Chinese merchant, Hoi An, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Old merchant houses in Gamla Haga district, Gothenburg, Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe

Dutch merchant houses with stepped gables at the market place, Friedrichstadt, Eiderstedt peninsula, North Friesland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Bridge with ornate lamps leading to Haus der Seefahrt (House of Seafaring) at left beside historic timber-framed merchant houses on the Nikolaifleet in the historic centre of Hamburg, Germany

Elaborate ornaments on the portal of a Dutch merchant house from the 18th century, open-air museum Zaanse Schans, Zaandam, North Holland, Netherlands, Europe

Richly ornated merchant house, Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky), Russia

Historical Hamburg merchant houses at the Nikolaifleet channel at night, Deichstrasse Street, Hamburg, Germany

Historic timber framed merchant houses on the Nikolaifleet in the historic centre of Hamburg, Germany

Richly ornated merchant house, Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky), Russia

Aerial view, Prinzipalmarkt square, a historic merchant street, Muenster, Muenster region, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

Former merchant houses at the kremlin, art gallery, Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky), Russia

Aerial view, Prinzipalmarkt square, a historic merchant street, Muenster, Muenster region, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

Historic merchant houses, Corniche of Mutrah, Muscat, Mascat, Masqa&9;, Sultanate of Oman, Arabia, Middle East

Old merchant's house at Kinderdijk, Middelburg, Walcheren, Zeeland, Netherlands, Europe