The Dilmun Burial Grounds, for a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is not impressively presented at all. In fact, A’Ali Burial Mounds were very unmarked and had absolutely no tourists around. I think Bahrain should promote it more, like it does the Bahrain Fort & Museum, for example.
Location in the World map …
Some interesting tidbits about Bahrain …
Bahrain is a small “Island Country”. It is situated in the Persian Gulf, and comprises of a small archipelago made up of around 33 natural islands and an additional 50+ artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 80 per cent of the country’s land. Bahrain is the site of the ancient Dilmun civilization. Bahrain has been well-known for its pearl fisheries, which were considered the best in the world up until the 19th century. Bahrain was one of the earliest areas to be influenced by Islam, during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad around 628 AD.
The 3rd smallest Country in Asia (Smallest in the Middle-East), but made up of 33 (!) Islands. A “Chotta” Kingdom 😊 (Kingdom of Bahrain).
Quite a young Country. Gained Independence in 1971 (August 15th!)
Home to 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: (1) Bahrain Fort (2) Muharraq Island Pearl Trail (3) Dilmun Burial Grounds.
3rd largest per-capita consumer of electricity, after Iceland and Norway.
Bahrain was the seat of Dilmun Empire (3200BC-330BC).
Al Khalifa family has been ruling Bahrain since 1782.
Bahrain is home to the Tree of Life, a single mesquite tree planted around 1583 in the southern desert.
Bahrain has a long history of harvesting pearls from oyster beds in the Persian Gulf.
First impressions: (1) 80% of people I ran into were “Mallus” (People from Kerala, India) 😊 (2) Was a bit bummed that Bahrain Immigration did not stamp my passport. Apparently they stopped doing it.
The ruling Al Khalifa Family Sheiks …Manama does have its fair share of moderate Skyscrapers …Bahraini Concert … Could see a lot of national pride on the faces. Manama, Bahrain.Flag of Bahrain … Manama, Bahrain.Bahraini Dinar. BHD. 1 BHD == 222 INR. 1 USD == 0.38 BHD. 1 BHD == 1000 Bahrain Fils.Bahrain National Museum … Small, but excellent displays. Had a great time here … Also bought lots of quality souvenirs from here. Manama, Bahrain.Costumes of Bahrain … Bahrain National Museum. Manama, Bahrain.Liked the new upcoming flooring in the Bahrain National Museum. Drone shots of Bahrain! Manama, Bahrain.The boat ticket for the ride to Muharraq Island. Manama, Bahrain.The boat that took me to Muharraq Island … Manama, Bahrain.The boat ride from Bahrain National Museum to Bu Maher Fort in Muharraq Island. Manama, Bahrain.Walking to the Bu Maher Fort, after the boat ride … Manama, Bahrain.A view of the Manama skyline …UNESCO seal for the Muharraq Island Pearl Trail. Manama, Bahrain.Displays showing the various elements of the Muharraq Island Pearl Trail. Manama, Bahrain.Bahrain Coast Guard … Manama, Bahrain.Bu Maher Fort and Manama Skyline … This entire region of Muharraq Island is a part of the historic Muharraq Island Pearl Trail. Manama, Bahrain.Symbol of Kingdom of Bahrain … Manama, Bahrain.I was told that this building is locked in a legal dispute. Solid construction. Manama, Bahrain.Haji’s Cafe displayed a lot of old photos … Bahrain, over the years. Manama, Bahrain.Local bus … Manama, Bahrain.Al Fateh Grand Mosque, Manama, Bahrain: The Mosque is named after the ancestor of the ruling Al Khalifa family, Ahmed Al Fateh. Took the 15:45 conducted tour in English, with about 10 of us. Wood used in the Mosque was from India, handmade lamps from France, marble from Italy and Chandeliers from Austria. Built in 1984, by the Al Khalifa Bahrain Royal Family. The Mosque can accommodate 7000 people. The lady guide, clad in Burkha/Hijab, seemed very passionate about the subject and at the end of the actual tour, went into full-on “Class” mode. Got to learn some new things about Islam.Bahrain National Library … Alas, could not enter. Was closed for prayers. Manama, Bahrain.Formula 1 Grand Prix!Couldn’t find any Bahraini Beer … So settled on Germany/Singapore/SriLanka 😀 1st Alcohol in 13 days … By the by, it is 1 can per day, not all 3 today 😀Displays showcasing treasures from the Dilmun Civilization (3200BC-330BC). Bahrain National Museum, Manama, Bahrain.Displays in the magnificent Bahrain National Museum, Manama, Bahrain. Showing the daily Bahraini life in the good old days …The colorful high-rises of the Kingdom of Bahrain … I am counting 30+ floors as a “High Rise” 🙂 Not in the league of Manhattan or Dubai or Shanghai Etc., but pretty impressive for a tiny nation …Manama Souk. Lots of Mallus around 🙂 Manama, Bahrain.Haji’s Cafe, near Souk. Manama, Bahrain. Beef Biryani. Was okay, not great, for my taste.Bahrain World Trade Center, Manama: Unique building … Not very tall (50 floors). Read that it is the 1st slyscraper in the World to integrate wind turbines into the design. Could not enter (Wanted to see if there was any Skydeck). Instead, roamed a bit in the luxury mall nearby …The luxury mall near Bahrain World Trade Center. Manama, Bahrain. I have zero, no, negative interest in “Luxury” 🙂 So finished roaming in 15min.Our Al Fateh Mosque Tour Guide explaining away … Manama, Bahrain.Here goes the brand new napkin box again … What do they do after a guest has used a few napkins? (Maybe fill other napkin dispensers). Manama, Bahrain.We had lunch at a Kerala restaurant in the Umm Al Hassam area, called AlReef Pan Asian Restaurant. My weakness, Porotta! The Chicken dish was spectacular. The Prawns not so much. The Prawns dish was very oily …At AlReef Pan Asian Restaurant, they had given a small glass of Buttermilk. It was so nice (Spicy!), I ordered a bigger bowl 🙂Local bus stop … While going to Jabal Dukhan, Bahrain.The pottery shop I visited in A’Ali Pottery area, A’Ali, Bahrain. Had to roam around and call out to get the proprietor 🙂 He was having lunch it looked like.“Talabat” Food Delivery App … Seems quite popular in Bahrain. Saw many of their delivery guys on motorcycles. In fact they (Food delivery guys. There are other Food Delivery Apps also) were the only motorcycles I saw on the streets.Bahrain Convention Center … On the way to Bahrain Grand Prix area.While trying to get to Jabal Dukhan (“Tree of Life”), we took this desolate road, as shown by Google Maps. It turned out to be a “Private Road” leading to one of the Palaces of Bahrain King(s)! We got stopped by Bahraini Police and were politely asked to turn around … This road is popular with cyclists, it looked like.“Tree of Life”, Jebel Dukhan, Bahrain. Over 400 years old. The tree is famous (Around 70K visitors every year) because it is the only major tree in the area and there are no water sources nearby. Apparently, its roots go 50 meters deep. It is on the southern side of Bahrain island.Some of the colorful clay products at A’Ali Pottery area, A’Ali, Bahrain. There are several shops/vendors in the area. Several of them were closed (Lunch? Prayer? Not sure …), but found a big one which was open. Bought a couple of pieces. Now the challenge is to get them home, in one piece … 😀At the A’Ali Pottery Center … A’Ali, Bahrain. Various clay items in different stages of production.Al Khamis Mosque … Tashan, Bahrain. Only I was there to visit. From the 7th Century (From around the early times of Islam). There is a way up the Minaret (Stairs), but the entry was blocked 🙁Bahrain Fortress, Manama. From the times of Dilmun Civilization (3200BC to 330BC). From Dilmun times through Tylos times (Alexander The Great, 300BC) through Islam times (700AD) Etc. this fortress has seen many transformations. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 (Bahrain has 3 total UNESCO World Heritage Sites). Very few people were there when I visited around 9AM.Bahrain Fortress Museum, Manama, Bahrain. The small museum did a good job of taking the visitor from early Dilmun period, through middle Dilmun period, late Dilmun period, Tylos period, Islam period Etc. Their Credit Card machine was not working and they suggested that I finish the visit and come back and pay later. When I returned later, there was no one at the counter. Came back for a 3rd attempt and that is when I finally got to pay …Had been searching for Luqaimat in Bahrain for 2 days … After several false alarms, I found this vendor. I went overboard! Look at the amount I bought. Could barely eat 6 of those dough balls (dipped in Honey). It was nice, but I bought way too much …A’Ali Graves and Dilmun Graves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was a slight disappointment in the sense that there were no clear signs or markings, no nearby museum and no visitors. Nothing much to see, as it is just a collection of mounds. Bahrain National Museum does a great job giving all the details, though.Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix … If my understanding is correct, this was the 1st in the Middle-East (2004). Preparations were ongoing for the upcoming March 2024 event. The security guys graciously allowed me to roam around, just requested me to keep away from the heavy equipment. They have a nice gift shop as well. The circuit is 5.4Km and the race involves 57 laps.Bahrain National Charter Monument, Riffa, Bahrain.Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, Awali, Bahrain. Inaugurated in 2021.BAPCO (Bahrain Petroleum Company) is a modest enterprise. Bahrain is not a part of OPEC (Ranked in the 60s in terms of oil producfion). Saw a few of their wells …We saw many such Desert Camps in the Jebel Dukhan area. Apparently Saudis love to camp in the Desert.When you get the urge to play Cricket, what do you do? You play Cricket 🙂 Some brave souls braving the Bahrain Sun … Manama, Bahrain.How to cover all the bases when you are a Hotel in a Country, that caters to a lot of visitors from nearby Countries? Display all their flags 😀 3 flags from Bahrain. One flag each from Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE and Kuwait (Then, why no Qatar flag? 🙂) By the by, the whole night yesterday, I could hear SuperBikes zooming along the Manama roads (Saudis weekend visitors, mainly, I am told by the Hotel staff). Manama, Bahrain.
