I FIRST arrived at Manama airport on a Gulf Air flight as a member of Saudi media representatives, to cover an important press conference. I was eager to see how the passport department staff would receive visitors, since I believe the conduct of airport staff in any country reflects the behavior of ordinary people and sets the tone for the visit. Going across the lounge to the passport counters, I expected to join a long queue to have my ID card checked. Fortunately, there were five passport checking officers behind the counters, efficiently receiving their country's guests and I did not have to wait for more than five minutes. When it was my turn, I handed in my ID to the passport officer, who smiled and said: ‘Welcome, brother Kinani to Bahrain.' I sensed how friendly, polite and hospitable these people were. After half an hour's drive, we arrived at the magnificent Ritz Carlton Hotel where we were to stay for two days. I had plenty of time to explore the hotel and discover its surroundings -- the weather was similar to Jeddah at nearly 37 degrees Centigrade, and slightly humid. I waited on a neighboring sidewalk to observe the flow of traffic and noticed that the drivers were no different from Saudi drivers -- only the orange cabs cruising the streets and the distinctive family names on signboards made me feel I was away from my country. I walked along the pavement looking at people -- mostly Indians, Bangladeshis and Filipinos -- going back home after a long day of work. Bahrain is witnessing a massive construction boom which is evident even to the casual visitor -- in Manama, there were numerous high buildings reaching 40 floors or even more. I felt Bahrainis were intent on preserving their heritage and culture even in the way they construct their buildings: I saw two adjacent buildings shaped like big ships waiting or passing by each other. These buildings reflect the Bahrainis' pride in being the descendants of seamen, well known for legendary ability to hold their breath when diving to the depths of the Gulf searching for pearls. Back to hotel: Becoming aware that I had been away from my hotel for a long time, I decided to get back before it was sunset. At the hotel hall, neither the music band with its blonde players nor the majestic hall succeeded in keeping me awake for long, I headed to my room on the third floor to perform Maghrib prayer and have my dinner and fell asleep around nine o'clock. After the conference, I headed out to some of Bahrain's famed tourist sites such as the Bahrain Fort and the National Museum. It took me about an hour to find a taxi on Al Ma'aridh (Exhibition) Road, until Abu Riyadh, a Bahraini cabbie who also works as a real estate agent seemed to have sensed my desperation and stopped to offer me a ride. “I knew you are new to Bahrain and wanted help,” Abu Riyadh told me in his soft-spoken manner. It turned out I had been waiting in the wrong place. Passengers who want taxis are expected to wait in their appointed spots, otherwise taxi drivers would simply drive past them. Moreover, all taxis are equipped with fare meter which removes any scope for haggling or quarrels over fares. Entering Bahrain Fort was like taking a step back into history. Not spotting any tourist guides, I sat on one of the Fort's walls and used my laptop to search for information. According to the Ministry of Information's website, Bahrain Fort is one of the largest buildings in Bahrain and is located on the north coast of the island Kingdom. The fort covers an area of 280,000 square meters, and has an 8-meter high wall. It dates back to the 16th century CE and is believed to be the old capital of the Kingdom of Delmoon. According to excavations by a Danish archeological expedition, six cities were unveiled around the fort which had been inhabited 4000-5000 years ago. At sunset, I remembered that Abu Riyadh was still waiting for me -- it didn't matter that I had taken so long at the fort, his taxi meter was still running! On my way out, I met a Bahraini guard who told me that I could get information about the fort at the Bahrain National Museum, which was my next stop. I also met a Russian couple, who, like me, were shocked to find no tourism guides at the fort. The next day, I visited the museum which is administered by the directorate of Museums, Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and Information of the Kingdom of Bahrain. “The Bahrain National Museum is a non-profit, educational, and scientific organization built to preserve, increase, and spread knowledge of the artistic, natural and cultural history of Bahrain,” Fuad Noor, deputy director of the Museum told Saudi Gazette. The museum was launched in 1988 and the official inauguration ceremony was presided by His Highness Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa. “Built on an area of 123,000 square meters, sea-front site, the museum is located between the cities of Manama and Muharraq. It comprises nine separate exhibition halls; each one has a floor area of 625 square meters. The entrance itself is built on a 1,450-square-meter area. In addition, the Museum has administrative offices, laboratories, storage facilities, workshops, photo labs, as well as a library, restaurant, lagoon, and car parks,” Noor added. The most attractive part of the museum is the place where artifacts from the Delmoon Kingdom are displayed. In that section one can see graves with bones inside. It was a custom that when someone died, relatives used to put a jar of water close to the corpse. Commenting on the bones of a man in a flexed position, Noor said that the man probably died when he was 40 years old. ‘Archeologists believe that a sheep was slaughtered, cooked and placed next to his body along with pots and bitumen baskets, which probably contained food,' he added. Another section of the museum depicts the past life of the Bahrainis. There one can see how children used to circle around their teacher and repeat verses of the holy Qur'an and study mathematics at primary schools. Another section shows how housewives used to make woolen clothes for their family members and care for newborn babies. Talking about local customs, Noor said, “In the past, women used to give birth at their fathers' homes. When a baby was born, it was given his grandfather's name if it was male and her grandmother's name if it was female. The baby boy's umbilical cord used to be buried in the mosque, while that of girls used to be buried in the kitchen. (This was done based on the belief that the child would love the place where its cord was buried). After seven days the child was given its first bath and a sheep was slaughtered. Then, the mother would go back to her husband's house after 40 days,' Noor said. The museum also portrays how fishmongers used to spend their afternoons in Baraha, a small meeting place built near the seashore. ‘There were two sorts of Baraha: one used to be built with palm trunks and sand, another type with stone and gypsum. It has always been the focal point for local people, especially for pearl divers returning from pearling,' Noor pointed out. In the main hall of the museum, a 1932 Buick was parked, which was presented to H.H Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa, the late Emir of Bahrain, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the first oil well. The Emir had a similar car and donated this one to the National Museum in 1992. I later on decided to move to Banyan Tree (Al-Areen) Resort which is being built over an area of two million square meters in Bahrain's southern region, to enhance the Kingdom's reputation as a friendly destination for family and health-oriented tourists. The resort comprises splendidly appointed villas featuring private open-air swimming and jet pools, over-sized infinity bath tubs and sprawling master bedrooms. Each villa is designed to incorporate a mix of intimate traditional Middle Eastern and contemporary Asian architecture. The desert resort offers fully-fledged five star amenities including six international restaurants, the signature being Saffron which serves contemporary Thai cuisine and floats majestically on a lake. There are extensive meeting and banqueting facilities which lend themselves to a range of events from corporate retreats to weddings; a comprehensive fitness and wellness center boasting two-tennis courts, a squash court and separate male and female gymnasiums with the latest cardiovascular and fitness equipment; a kids club and an indoor lap and outdoor free form swimming pool. With a design inspired by the gardens of Royal Arabian palaces, the resort boasts the Middle East's largest and most luxurious spa and hydrotherapy area at 10, 000sqm (107 640 sq ft), a world first in terms of design and treatments. The development features eight Deluxe and four Royal Spa Pavilions, the world's first Garden Hammam and the Banyan Tree Spa Hydrothermal Garden. All these features assure that Bahrain is in keen competition with other Gulf countries to attract tourists from all over the world.
