Bahrain

I was pleasantly surprised by all the ancient history in Bahrain; there’s an excellent archeological site dating back as far as 2300 BCE, including the old fort and tell that Qal’at al-Bahrain is built on, and the city that was once the capital of the Dilmun civilisation. And it wouldn’t be the same in this part of the world without camels, dates and coffee, so there was plenty of that too.

I’m fairly sure there’s no real need to visit specially, but if you find yourself here with a day to spare, there’s surprisingly enough to keep you well entertained.

The main image is a view of Manama from the Qal’at al-Bahrain, or Bahrain Fort.

Walking through the Qal’at al-Bahrain.

Camels. Although I wasn’t quite sure if this was a shelter or a farm.

Burial mound from the Dilmun civilisation.

A recently unearthed ancient village. Hilariously, a local I was talking to at the site swore that it had recently been constructed by the government 🤫

Lots of coffee, this one of the cardamom variety, graciously given to me from across the Saudi border….

…by this hospitable chap. Yes, his job in Saudi Arabia seems to be giving coffee to crazy people like me who only come to gawp at the border on the King Fahd Causeway 🤪

The Tree of Life, over 400 years old. The sign for the Visitor Centre appears to have rusted before they’ve even got the building up.

Manama. Do doo di doo doo. Manama.