Reclaiming Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain sits between Saudi Arabia and Qatar in what looks like an international tug-of-war.  This image is not without some merit, though, as the tiny island has historically been the subject of claims and counter-claims over the years.  Initially, Bahrain made reference to the land stretching from Iraq to Oman.  This eastern part of Arabia was one of the first to embrace Islam and was a vital player in the trade conducted along the Gulf.  Over time, the province of Bahrain gradually shrank as other Arab fractions and the Persian Empire conquered and divided until all that was left were a series of islands.  This didn't prevent the country from enticing first the Portuguese and then, much later, Britain.  In 1971, Bahrain declared its independence, but its political struggles still continue to this day.

My first task getting into the Kingdom of Bahrain was to clear passport control.  Although I had nothing to hide and filled in the declaration form correctly and truthfully, it was still eyed with suspicion by the officer behind the desk.  After a few questions about my purpose of visit and taking my money, he stamped me in.  No sooner had I gone a few feet, though, another officer stepped out and asked for my passport.  This one asked the same questions as the first and scrutinised my document.  This wouldn't be the last time this happened during my brief visit.

Stepping out into the hot summer morning, I instantly started to wonder just why I had opted to visit at the end of July.  The thermostat told me that it was 38 degrees and it was still only 8am.  I had arranged to meet my Couchsurfing host later on in the day, so I had the bulk of the day to wander around by myself..  As the airport wasn't situated on the mainland, but on the neighbouring island of Muharraq, I thought it as good a place as any to start my exploration.  Muharraq is the more traditional part of Bahrain, with its old-style buildings and labyrinth of alleyways.  In the heart of all this are a couple of interesting homes which have been preserved and offer a look into the life of the people in their pre-oil days.  The most interesting of these was Beit Sheikh Isa bin Ali , which offered a little shade from the oppressive heat and lots of chambers to snake in and out of.

From Muharraq, I hopped on a bus across the bridge to the mainland and into the city of Manama.  Officially the capital of Bahrain, it's probably fair to say that it is the only city of Bahrain as much of the rest of the island in undeveloped or uninhabited outside of the city limits.  I am pretty much opposed to taking taxis when I arrive in a new city, largely because I worry that I'll miss out on something by being off the street.  As such, I tend to walk a lot.  My resolve would be tested many many times and not just by the heat which left me resembling a fountain at times, drenched in sweat.  No, what almost had me hailing the nearest cab, was the constant police checks and roadblocks.  It began to get really repetitive answering the same questions and assuring the police (and soldiers at other times) that I wasn't a journalist and demonstrating such by showing them the photos I had taken.  At one point, while taking a photo of Bab Al-Bahrain, a gateway that was originally built by the British, a policeman appeared from nowhere to scold me for taking pictures of other police officers.  The fact that he couldn't tell me where these officers were and subsequently failed to point them out in my pictures didn't deter him.  I apologised anyway and left, scratching my head.

This paranoia and, seemingly, overbearing police presence was not without reason, however.  Since February this year, the country has been a part of what has become known as the 'Arab Spring,' a series of revolutions and civil uprisings across the Arab world.  The protests here, though, were unlike those of other Arab states.  Bahraini people were not interested in overthrowing the monarchy or the government, merely being granted greater access to political freedom and human rights.  That changed, however, when the powers that be, got nervous after seeing what was happening around them, and tried to end the protests with violence.  The result left a bad taste and as such the country is still a ticking time-bomb.  One of Bahrain's more famous sights, the Pearl Monument was torn down in a bid to remove an iconic reminder of the protests.  It was near here that I was stopped by soldiers operating a tank.  On another occasion, I was going for some food with my host and his friends when our eyes started watering and the other complained about the smell.  It turned out that a couple of hundred yards away, a gathering was being dispersed using tear gas and rubber bullets.

I met Taher, my host and a native, that afternoon and accepted his hospitality and hung out with him and his friends for the rest of my trip.  Driving around the city and seeing how the skyline is rapidly changing as skyscraper after skyscraper is in the process of being built.  Many of these buildings, including the impressive World Trade Centre - with wind turbines that provide 15% of the towers energy requirements, have been constructed on land reclaimed from the sea.  Just like in the UAE and Qatar, Bahrain is expanding in an effort to allow more businesses to set up.  Although the country built it's economy on the harvesting of pearls and then the production of oil, today Bahrain is the region's centre of finance and banking.  As such, the new Financial Harbour has been created on land that only a few years ago had a watery grave.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is such as small place that you could see everything you need to see in one day, but by taking the time to hang out with locals you can get an idea into the mentality of the region.  Liberal by other Arab standards, Bahrain is a favourite destination of Saudis looking to blow off a little steam and women to let their hair down, literally.  Smoking sheesha or drinking coffee and watching the world go by are particularly popular past-times.  A few days was probably enough time in the country and it might have been better outside of summer, but I had a pleasant stay and would recommend it for a couple of days.  Unless there's a full-scale revolution anytime soon, obviously.