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Capital: Manama
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Bahrain first emerged into world history sometime around 3000 BC as the seat of the Dilmun trading empire that lasted some 2000 years. The Babylonian, whose Epic of Gilgamesh mentions the islands as a paradise where heroes enjoy eternal life and some have suggested that Bahrain may be the site of the biblical Garden of Eden. Dilmun eventually declined and was absorbed by the Assyrian and Babylonian empires. The Greeks arrived around 300BC and maintained their influence for some 600 years in the islands they called Tylos. After experimenting with Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Manicheism, the islands' inhabitants converted to Islam in the 7th century. After a series of Islamic rulers, Bahrain was conquered by the Portuguese in the early 16th century who held it for a century before it became part of the Persian empire for a short time until the arrival of the Al-Khalifa clan, Bahrain's current ruling family. In the 1830s, Bahrain signed the first of many treaties making it a protectorate of Britain. Although oil was discovered in the area in 1902, large-scale drilling and processing didn't happen until the 1930s. Oil money brought improved education and health care to Bahrain but the British installed a major naval base there in 1935 and kept a close control on the ruling Emirs until 1971 when Bahrain proclaimed its independence near the end of the global decolonisation era. As the price of oil increased during the 1970s and 1980s, the country prospered and wisely began to diversify. The opening of the King Fahd Causeway between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in 1986 gave a boost to business and tourism. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain turned to petroleum refining and transformed itself into an international banking center. Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who came to power in 1999, introduced liberal economic and political reforms. Petroleum now accounts for only about 30% of GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is now home to many multinational firms with business in the Gulf and construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. In 2005 Bahrain and the US ratified the first Free Trade Agreement between the US and a Gulf state. |
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I think that the Seef Hotel, the cheapest place to stay in downtown Manama, catered mostly to the hourly trade. A lot of girls in short skirts hung around after six in the evening.
They charged 50 $US a night for a room with shared bathroom but it was conveniently located, the place was clean and the girls did not bother me.
Single rooms at the Gulf Pearl Hotel just around the corner on Govenment Avenue started at 120 $US without bath. The oil rich Arab gulf states are definitely not backpacker territory.
This mosque looked diminutive wedged in between the Gulf Pearl Hotel and a 10 storey appartment building. It was still open for business and an attendant gave me a brochure on Islam in English.
The very large size of the Manama Post Office for a population of only 700 000 might be explained by the importance of Bahrain as a business and financial center in the region.
Just in front of the Post Office is the Bab Al-Bahrain entrance to the old souq area.
The old souq was almost deserted because of the Ashura holliday commemorating the death, in 680 at Kerbala, of Hussein, the grandson of the prophet Mohammed.
When Mohammed died leaving no sons his succession was disputed between Abu Bakr, the father of his second wife Aisha and Ali, Mohammed's cousin and husband of his daughter Fatima. Abu Bakr became the first Caliph but his son was murdered and power passed to Ali who was himself assasinated in 661. Then, Ali's successor Hussein was defeated and killed in 680 at Kerbala by the founders of the Umayyad Dynasty and of the majority Sunni variety of Islam.
The Shiite minority who still support Ali's claim to the prophet's succession flagellate themselves on Ashura to atone for their ancestor's failure to protect Hussein three centuries ago.
I was strongly tempted to take pictures of these public self flagellations but had been advised to avoid public demonstrations of religious fervour on Ashura because Shiites tend to become very emotionnal on this day.
Instead of continuing southward through the souq towards the area where the manifestations were going on, I therefore moved east through the empty business center shown here and on to the Museum.
The construction boom is not as feverish in Bahrain as it is in Dubai but there was a lot of it all over. These twin towers will be a new World Trade Centre. Another set of twin towers is also being built near my hotel west of here.
This beautiful Sail Monument near the Bahein National Museum was worth a photo. The hotels in the background are the Diplomat and the Holiday Inn.
It was stupid of me to walk all the way across town to get here for I should have kown the National Museum would be closed on Ashura. I should have dared to mix with the excited Shiite crowds in the southern part of town.
The three friendly policemen in the guard house made an effort to allay my deception by showing me brochures of the exhibits. This was going to be a group picture souvenir for me but the senior man decided that they should not pose for a photo that their superiors might see on the internet.
On my way back to the city centre I stumbled over a loose pebble in the street and fell heavily against the kerb breaking five ribs on my left side. It hurt like hell but I did not worry about it because I knew that ribs heal by themselves with time.
I ground my teeth and continued my visit of Manama. I had come so far and did not want to miss the opportunity of taking pictures of this audacious architecture on Government Avenue
Finally I took a cab to the Mega Mart in the western part of town that was also closed as expected.
Walking back along the King Faisal Highway I took this picture of the Harbour Financial Center under construction near my hotel.
It was hot and I was tired so I stopped at the Gulf Hotel where I enjoyed a few beers with two American and British expats who had crossed the long King Fahd Causeway from Dahran in Saudi Arabia for a few days relaxation in more permissive Manama. Naturally, we exchanged on the demeaning treatment by the Saudis of their well paid foreign help and on the strict religious police that I had met in Dammam in 1979.
