Bahrain, located on the islands of the Persian Gulf, is the smallest Arab country in terms of area. It is connected by a road bridge with Saudi Arabia, but getting to its capital, Manama, is much easier by direct flight from Moscow. Bahrain's unique natural world attracts tourists interested in rare animals and plants, fans of Arab exotic fly to taste local cuisine and bargain in colorful oriental bazaars, and car racing fans most often go to the island to see the Formula 1 stage. Planning an excursion and exploring what to see in Bahrain? Several interesting museum exhibitions, archaeological sites and many architectural structures - both past and present - await you.
TOP 10 attractions of Bahrain
Al-Fateh Mosque
The largest architectural structure in the country and one of the largest mosques in the world, Al-Fateh was built in the 80s. last century. The uniqueness of the building lies in the fact that its gigantic dome, whose diameter is 24 m, is completely made of fiberglass. Today it is the largest dome on the planet created from such a material. The other characteristics of the AL Fateh Grand Mosque are impressive too! The building is one hundred meters long, seventy-five meters wide, and up to 7000 people can simultaneously pray in the mosque.
The interiors of the building inspire no less respect. The floors and walls are inlaid with Italian marble, the chandeliers are made in Austria, and the Al Fateh doors are carved from Indian teak. The mosque houses the library of the Islamic center, which contains about 7000 copies of rare and valuable books, including very old editions.
AL Fateh Grand Mosque is open to tourists every day from 9 am to 4 pm, except Friday. Tours are also conducted in Russian.
Al-Khamis Mosque
Another famous religious building in Manama was built in the XI century. during the reign of Umar II, the Umayyad caliph, although the foundation of the building was laid at least three centuries earlier. One of the region's mosques, the Al-Khamis mosque, was then rebuilt in the 14th-15th centuries, when minarets appeared next to it.
Today, the mosque has preserved a prayer hall with a flat roof, which rests on columns of wood. This part of the building is dated to the XIV century. The more modern part of the roof is mounted on stone supports. On the mihrab slab, which has been in Al-Khamis since the 12th century, sayings from the Koran are inscribed.
Fort Arad
The ancient fortress of Arad, which is worth seeing once in Bahrain, was founded in the 15th century to protect against the raids of nomadic tribes, and in 1635 it served as a defense against the advancing Portuguese invaders. Typical Islamic features and principles of fortification architecture can be traced in the Arad Fort and show visitors the power and might of medieval Arab fortified cities.
The fortress has a rectangular shape with four cylindrical towers. It is surrounded by a trench previously filled with water from specially drilled wells.
The current state of the Arad Fort is very decent, it has been restored, and only those materials were chosen for the repair that were originally used in the construction. At night, the fortress is effectively illuminated.
Bab al-Bahrain
The historic building on the Customs Square in the former business district of the capital of the country was built in the middle of the last century. In front of him is Government Avenue, so named because it housed all government offices. Bab al-Bahrain consists of two wings connected in the middle by a huge arch. It is actually the entrance to the Manama bazaar.
Once Bab al-Bahrain stood right on the seashore, but due to the successful land reclamation of the coastal strip, the island was somewhat expanded, and now this part of Manama is separated from the Persian Gulf by hundreds of meters.
In front of the building, which is often called the gate of Bahrain, there is a cozy park and fountains.
Manama-bitch
Another famous landmark of Bahrain will surely interest fans of authentic Arab goods and souvenirs. The Manama Bazaar, the entrance to which is located in the arch of Bab al-Bahrain, is a real Mecca for shopaholics.
The market is divided into two parts - an old bazaar and a modern shopping center. Manama-suk offers customers handmade carpets and oriental spices, hookahs and sweets, jewelry and bijouterie, silk clothes and colored glass lamps, leather accessories and hats. There are cafes and restaurants in the modern part of the market.
Bahrain National Museum
Love history and interested in archeology? Then you should go to the capital's museum, the collection of which numbers hundreds of thousands of items and covers a huge historical period - from the third millennium BC to the present day.
The museum complex includes several halls dedicated to ancient civilization, a natural history hall, a department for the study of manuscripts and a hall of documents and manuscripts.
The oldest exhibits date back to the time when the Dilmun civilization existed on the territory of modern Bahrain. The most valuable specimen of the Babylonian period is a sculpture made of black basalt. In the halls dedicated to the Arabic language and calligraphy, a magnificent example of a handwritten Koran is worthy of attention, and in the section on folk crafts, the most popular crafts of Bahraini residents from different eras are presented.
Qal'at al-Bahrain
No less interesting for tourists keen on history is Qalat al-Bahrain - an artificial hill formed by many cultural layers. The time period, which is presented on the archaeological site in the north of the island, is about a thousand years, and, moreover, this happened many centuries before the onset of a new era.
Among the most important archaeological finds in Kalat al-Bahrain are the ruins of the stone fortress of the state of Dilmun, which the ancient Sumerians spoke of as the cradle of humanity. Another cultural layer is the fortress walls of the era of Portuguese rule.
UNESCO has included Qalat al-Bahrain in the list of World Heritage of Humanity.
Beit al-Qur'an
The cultural complex of Beit al-Koran is recognized as one of the largest museums of Islamic culture on the planet. Do not assume that only Muslims will be interested here, because the core of the complex is the collection of Abdul Kanu, a former collector of unique Arab artifacts.
The complex includes a madrasah, a mosque, a library and a museum, where you can see the exhibits in ten rooms. It is one of the largest museums in Bahrain.
The stands display parchment manuscripts from Saudi Arabia, Baghdad and Damascus. A rare handwritten book of the Koran, created in Germany, dates back to the 17th century, and some copies of the holy book of Muslims are so miniature that they can be read only with optical instruments. The series of miniatures includes grains of peas and rice, on which suras from the Koran are engraved. These unique exhibits were created in the XIV century.
The collection of glass and ceramic objects deserves special attention, which were created by masters from Iraq, Iran, Egypt and Turkey in different epochs. The rarities are decorated with gold and mother-of-pearl and ivory inlays.
Bahrain National Theater
In 2012, a theater building was inaugurated on the embankment of Manama, which can be called a record holder among its kind. It covers an area of about 12 hectares, and its main hall can accommodate 1000 spectators. 700 people worked at the construction site at the same time. The architects planned that the roof of the building would shimmer like a precious stone, and they managed to bring their plans to life. In the evenings, the dome above the theater fills with soft, warm light.
The floor of the foyer is made of Italian stone, the walls of the temple of art are glass and through them a magnificent view of the Persian Gulf opens. The speaker system was developed in Canada, and special designs allow changing the size and configuration of the stage and auditorium in a few minutes.
The opening ceremony of the National Theater was attended by the King of Bahrain, and the first to be entrusted with the honor of performing on the new stage was Placido Domingo. The second performance was given by Russian ballet dancers.
Today, the most famous troupes and world-famous opera and ballet dancers perform on the stage of the theater in Manama.
Tree of life
In the barren Arabian desert, 40 km from the capital of Bahrain, there is a tree that is called an amazing landmark of the island. Explain how the plant survived in the sands and has been growing successfully for four centuries, no one undertakes. Most likely, its roots over several centuries sprouted deep enough to produce water, although some locals adhere to a different version. They claim that the Tree of Life extracts precious moisture from grains of sand. Believers have their own version of the miracle. It says that the Garden of Eden was once in these places and the Tree of Life is a descendant of trees that saw the first people.
The tree belongs to the acacia family and its resin is used to make scented candles. It bears fruit and the grains are processed into flour and sweet jam is made from them. In 2009, Bahrain's Tree of Life was even nominated for the New World's Seven Wonders of Nature.
Some artifacts were discovered near the amazing plant, which suggested that a large settlement existed on this place about 500 years ago. The found remains of pottery and tools are on display at the Bahrain National Museum.
