When I pulled back the curtain this morning, the view was less than inspiring. The ship was docking at an industrial looking pier. The view was of shipping containers and low block-like storage buildings. No green anywhere.
The ride into central Bahrain took about thirty minutes. I kept expecting to see the gorgeous skyline and architecture of Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. There are a few buildings that fit that standard, but they aren’t near each other, so there isn’t much of a skyline.
But let me go back and provide some background. Bahrain is an island nation. Actually many islands, 50 natural and an additional 33 man made ones. It is situated in a strategic position on the Persian Gulf. Its nearest neighbor is Saudi Arabia, reached via a causeway.
Because of the location, it is home to a massive international force that patrols the Persian Gulf.
They were one of the first nations to discover oil, and as a result it is a very wealthy country. Unlike Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, half of its population is native.
For tourists there isn’t a whole lot. We went into the biggest mosque in the country. It’s lovely, but a poor cousin to the mosque in Abu Dhabi. There’s a fort that is a world heritage site. The site was first occupied as a port in 2300 BC. Because of its position it’s been used by 7 different civilizations, the last being the Portuguese. Archeologists are still exploring the site. Historically it is extremely interesting, but aesthetically, not so much.
We ended the tour at the souk (market). To be honest, it was unimpressive. In the first shop I stopped at, almost everything was made in India. But I had fun window shopping at the jewelry stores. They feature elaborate gold and pearl necklaces (pearl diving was and remains important here), earrings and rings.
I’ve now been to the Kingdom of Bahrain. It isn’t on my list for a return visit.