Arad Fort, Muharraq Island Suq Al-Khamis Mosque Yateem Mosque, framed in BATELCO Commercial Center Pleasure craft in Bahrain on a typically sunny day

Bahrain: A study in contrasts

If you are a first-time visitor to Bahrain, within just a few days you will surely notice that without fail, the people you encounter - from the staff of a hotel restaurant to the CEO of a major corporation - are among the friendliest you can ever hope to meet. Though business or sightseeing may bring you to Bahrain, it is undoubtedly the people who will make your stay memorable. You will also be impressed by the artful mix of the traditional and modern that the industrious people of Bahrain have created in their country. In Bahrain ancient coastal fortifications coexist with shopping malls less than a mile away that can hold their own against any malls in the world. You can find an interesting example of this harmonious blend next to the Bab al-Bahrain, the official entrance to the Souq of Manama. There, the Yateem Mosque, built in the 1930s, stands quite comfortably next to the glittering glass façade of the BATELCO Commercial Center. When exploring Bahrain you are taken on a journey from ancient civilizations to the pulsing rhythms of one of the most modern societies anywhere. It is quite remarkable, and it is all found in the confines of a country that can be crossed north to south and east to west in less than one hour.

A land of tradition

As the government of Bahrain creates strategies in its major effort to attract more leisure travelers, it highlights the impressive record of continuous human habitation on the islands that make up the country. The history of man on the Bahrain archipelago has been traced back to the Dilmun civilization, a people who over 5,000 years ago were the contemporaries of the ancient Sumerians and Mesopotamians. The Dilmun built a substantial society along the Western seaboard of the Gulf, with Bahrain as its center of trade and government. Dilmun was a thriving center of towns and villages with palaces, houses, markets, natural springs, irrigation canals and temples. The most remarkable evidence of Dilmun life in Bahrain is the expansive series of burial mounds used to inter the dead. Belief in an afterlife had great influence on the people of Dilmun, who took particular care of the dead and their graves. They buried their dead with personal effects and other articles that they believed may be needed in the afterlife. This practice continued from 3000 BC to just before the advent of Islam in 622 AD. Bahrain is the site of more than 100,000 of these graves, making it the largest pre-historic cemetery in the smallest land area in the world. They are in evidence throughout the island.
Evidence of Bahrain’s later history is also visible throughout the archipelago. A trio of interesting forts is scattered across the main island of Bahrain and its smaller neighbor to the east, Muharraq. Arad Fort, built in the 17th century, was used by the Omanis during their brief occupation of Bahrain in 1800, and is located adjacent to the strategic waterways between Bahrain Island and Muharraq. Arad has been renovated and has an information office located just in front of the fort.
Bahrain Fort, or Qal’at al Burtughal (the Portugese Fort), was named for its creators, who built the fort in 1522 on the ruins of an earlier small fort built by indigenous Bahrainis. The fort is an easy drive from the capital city of Manama, which is visible from the fort’s ramparts. Dusk is a particularly good time to end a visit there, as the setting sun provides a dramatic backdrop to the surroundings. Further inland, near the town of Rifa’a is Rifa’a Fort, constructed in 1812 by Bahrain’s then ruler, Shaikh Salman bin Ahmed Al-Fatih, who used the fort, with its commanding view of the surrounding desert, as his seat of government. Of the three forts, Rifa’a has undergone the most renovation and has been restored to its original condition. Today it is one of Bahrain’s prime tourist sites.
Another trio of historical structures providing an excellent glimpse into life in Bahrain in an earlier time are the Al-Khamis Mosque and two very special houses, the Shaikh Isa Bin Ali and the Siyadi.
Al-Khamis Mosque is one of the oldest Islamic relics in the entire Gulf region. It is believed to have been built during the Umayyad Dynasty, although some inscriptions in the Mosque have led researchers to surmise that it may have in fact been built in a later period. Through extensive excavations, it has been determined that the mosque survived many historical periods and was renovated about 1058 AD. In the 12th century, the Ayounite Prince, Abu Sinan, had the mosque extended and built one of the two minarets that stand before all who come to see the mosque today. The second minaret was added at a later date.
The Shaikh Isa Bin Ali House and Siyadi House stand within one block of each other in the old quarter of Muharraq. The Shaikh Isa Bin Ali House was constructed by Shaikh Hassan bin Abdulla bin Ahmed Al-Fatih and was used by Shaikh Isa Bin Ali as his residence and center of government from 1869 to 1932. The house is designed in a traditional style, with the rooms directly overlooking an expansive courtyard. A prominent aspect of the home is its wind tower. Wind towers provided the primary means of cooling a home in this part of the world before the advent of air conditioning.
The Siyadi House was constructed about a century ago by the well-known Bahraini pearl merchant, Ahmed bin Jassim Siyadi. It is a prime example of what a typical Bahraini pearl merchant would have lived in at the beginning of the 20th century. It is traditionally decorated with geometric ornaments, gypsum designs and engraved wooden windows with stained glass, all of which were made by local Bahraini craftsmen.
As you can see, when visiting Bahrain you can plan a varied and interesting itinerary exploring the diverse periods of its rich cultural heritage. You will undoubtedly come away with a deep appreciation of the role Bahrain and its people have played in the history of this part of the world.

World-class destination

A number of significant factors greatly contribute to the State of Bahrain’s increasing worldwide recognition as a major tourist destination. In extolling the country’s growing recreational appeal, Brian Davis, General Manager of Budget Car Rental in Bahrain says, "In terms of tourism, we have a great climate here. When you know that every day is going to be a sunny day, you tend to be outdoors much more. I think most people here do some kind of sport pretty regularly." Fine year-round weather is ideal for the many land- and sea-based sporting and leisure activities avidly pursued throughout the islands of Bahrain, whether paragliding, diving for pearls in the Gulf, an excursion on a traditional fishing dhow, or birdwatching in the desert. Weekend horseracing between October and May is especially popular, as is the country’s renowned gold souq, which boasts over 80 jewelry shops.

Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Causeway Bridge

If all goes as planned, within the next two years Bahrain will become home to a state-of-the-art Formula I auto racetrack, attracting an influx of fans of a sport rapidly growing in popularity throughout the world.
Al Bandar Resort and the Bahrain Yacht Club, both on the southern tip of Sitra Island, provide numerous opportunities for sailing and various supervised sports. The Al Dar Resort, situated on a group of man-made islands near Sitra, offers a wide variety of water sport activities, including jet skiing and water skiing, and The Hewar Island Resort Motel in the southern islands makes available all the usual water sports and arranges a number of interesting day trips.
Bahrain has been a pioneer in the region for preserving nature and caring for its natural land and sea environment. In the mid-1970s, in the south of the country, Al Areen Wildlife Park was established to protect endangered animals indigenous to Arabia, including the Arabian oryx, the Reem gazelle, and the Houraba Bustard, a small desert bird.
Ecotours to the Hewar islands are growing in popularity, especially with the resolution of the competing ownership claims over the group of islands between Bahrain and Qatar earlier this year. Visitors to these islands are treated with splendid views of the more than 250,000 Socotra cormorants, as well as terns, osprey, and the rare Sooty falcon, all of which have chosen the islands as an annual spring breeding site. The main island of Hewar offers extensive visitor facilities, complete with comfortable resort-style accommodations, fine dining and many recreational activities. Visitors interested in ocean diving can team up with experienced instructors to explore large areas of the coral reefs which surround the islands, where a dugong, or sea cow, might be seen up close.
Construction has recently begun on two projects of major significance to Bahrain’s tourism sector -- Amwaj Islands, a private venture, and Durrat Al-Bahrain, a joint venture between the State of Bahrain and a Saudi Arabian real estate development company.
A key factor in the Amwaj Islands project is its location, just northeast of the island of Muharraq, where, according to Saud A. Kanoo, Chairman of Ossis Property Developers and director of the project, residents and visitors will benefit from the freshest air in the country, provided by the prevailing northerly winds coming down the Gulf.
Amwaj Islands will be a mixed development project featuring hotels, shopping areas, and marinas, as well as plots for the construction of private homes. Developers say there is a strong demand for private housing in Bahrain, especially, according to Kanoo, from Saudis living in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom desiring vacation homes within an hour’s drive of their primary residences. Recent Bahraini laws allowing for foreign ownership of land in Bahrain have created conditions favorable to making this project and others like it a success.
The joint venture Durrat Al-Bahrain will provide similar opportunities for leisure, but on a much larger scale. In fact, according to Durrat Khaleej Al Bahrain Co. Board and Executive Committee Member, Mahmood H. Al-Kooheji, at 20 square kilometers, the Durrat site will be larger than Bahrain’s capital city of Manama. It will be located on the southern coast of the island, with a large portion of construction planned just off the coast on reclaimed land. According to Kooheji, the project’s impact on the environment will be of primary importance, both during and after construction. He explained that because of its sheer size, the development will be a complete, self-contained city, providing all of the services that any city would to its residents. There will be a wide range of apartments, townhouses and villas for sale, as well as plots of land, well-suited for custom-designed villas.
As construction of Amwaj Islands and Durrat Al-Bahrain moves forward, the Bahraini government is already considering planning more such developments in its ongoing efforts to establish Bahrain as a world-class tourist and leisure destination.