A resident of Bahrain for over 25 years, Kavita is an architect whose journey has been influenced deeply by heritage art and architecture. For Kavita, architecture is not merely the creation of buildings, but an ongoing dialogue between past and present, between human needs and environmental considerations. This philosophy has been a guiding principle throughout her career, shaping her approach to design, craft, and collaboration with artisans.

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Originally from India, Madhavi has been living in Bahrain for thirty years. Her love for this genuinely beautiful country has grown steadily and sturdily. She has had around fifty articles published, and has composed as many poems, many of which have been presented at international poetry festivals.

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Arriving in Bahrain for the first time in 2006, I was a bit nervous as I did not know how geared-up the airport would be for someone in a wheelchair. I was pleasantly surprised; the airport is properly organized, the wheelchair assistance works perfectly well, and the people are polite. And those first impression have been consistent throughout the country for someone in a wheelchair.

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My favourite thing about Bahrain, and the most beautiful thing about it to me, is that it just so happens to be the setting I am finding my own peace in. As I am choosing to live a happy and peaceful life full of creativity, growth and freedom, I am increasingly finding these qualities in my surroundings. Wherever I may live in the future, I hope to take this beauty with me. 

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I remember when my husband told me we were moving to Bahrain. I was both excited and afraid; excited because I had always wanted to live in a foreign country, and afraid because I had never even heard of this place before I went online to research Bahrain. I was thrilled though to find out that it is an archipelago made up of the mainland and many smaller islands. Our move was so impulsive there was little time to think about the implications, we just packed up and moved ... It was an adventure of a lifetime ...

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Many Westerners are bewildered by the unfamiliar sight of Arab Muslim women garbed in black. Frown lines form and heads shake in disbelief at the sight of a woman in a hijab or niqab (full-face covering). It seems strange. Why on earth would a woman dress like that?

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Occasionally, while living in unfamiliar environments, it is possible to imagine you are immersed in a documentary, or else you are one of the supporting cast of members in an epic movie being filmed about heroic and dangerous experiences that might challenge your existence, and that is how and what I thought and felt while caught between these two perceptions, as I watched what was happening around me and at the same time gripped with protruding and whitened knuckles the wooden bow of what looked like a medieval timber galleon, and which was now being stealthily approached by two feudal looking pirate ships that were gradually sailing towards us from across the choppy waters of the deeply blue Arabic Gulf. I pondered, ‘Is this real, or is it make believe?

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Having spent over twenty years in Bahrain, I think I can claim with some degree of certainty that we all develop a dichotomous relationship with the kingdom. We love it, we hate it, and we’ll defend living here tooth and nail to outsiders, especially every time we return to our ‘home countries’ ... And, given Bahrain’s history, I have developed the quirky opinion that this love/hate relationship with Bahrain has always existed, even from the time the legendary Gilgamesh first came to Dilmun. Now, I’m guessing that all Bahrain-o-philes have some idea of the Epic of Gilgamesh and his supposed connection with Dilmun - considered by some to have been a name for Bahrain ...

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I arrived in Bahrain in 1976 to take up the position of PA/Secretary to the Chairman of one of the Gulf’s oldest merchant families - and I’m still here! Bahrain has been good to me and I realise how lucky I am to live here. I met my husband on my first day, his eldest son grew up with us in Bahrain and our two younger sons were born here and we’ve made wonderful friends from all over the world. ‘Bahrain is the world’s best kept secret.’

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I moved to the island to start a business in September 2009. Since then I have had many memorable experiences of life in a small but incredibly diverse society. I have made many Bahraini friends, and seen Bahrain move through interesting times. I wrote these snapshots to capture the aspects of Bahrain that I hope will endure ...

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Is it possible to have a love/hate relationship with a hunk of stone? Well, over the course of several years visiting the baby country of Bahrain, I seem to have accomplished just that ...

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Bahrain was a mystery to me when I arrived. It was a very different place than Australia where I had been living. Solving the mystery gave me a sense of achievement but required effort. For me the effort was physical, emotional and mental, as I journeyed through Bahrain’s unknown culture, religion, history and social practices. Getting to know Bahrain was complex but now Bahrain will always have a special place in my heart. I would like to tell you why...

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Cultural immersion distinguishes a tourist from a traveller. And what better way to experience the Arab culture than exploring the historic Manama Suq in Manama, Bahrain.

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The Bahraini cuisine today is influenced by all the cultures that have settled in this country over the centuries such as Indian, Persian, Sri Lankan, and Palestinian. In the course of my culinary adventures, it dawned pretty soon that it was only in Bahrain that the aroma of Indian food merges seamlessly with the waft of Mediterranean cooking methods, interspersed with Arabic ingredients making it a heady concoction and a true 'foodie’s' delight.

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I first met the baker at MegaMart, a grocery store close to our home in Juffair. Every Sunday, when we went shopping, there he was. Big white moustache and wearing a little white cap, mixing chocolate chips, macadamia nuts and minuscule marshmallows to make the best cookies in the world - or at least in Bahrain.

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According to archaeologists and researchers, Bahrain has a vast cultural history spanning over seven thousand years. In more recent history, over the past forty years, Bahrain has sought ways to safeguard this history while uncovering and preserving its cultural relics.

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The turquoise seas of the Arabian Gulf glistened in the morning brilliance of yet another summers heat wave. The breeze enjoyed in most corners of the world where sea met land, non existent in these parts. A stifling atmosphere, dense in humidity, thick with sweat. The pearling dhows of Bahrain’s waters motored from their off shore anchors toward shore ...

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It was autumn in Bahrain, that refreshing breather between the expected heat and humidity of summer and the unexpected chill of winter. There could not be a more ideal time to enjoy the architectural heritage of this little island-country ...

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Pearls first entered my life when I was four years old: a little necklace of seed pearls. They were pretty, harmless, and of no significant financial value, merely evidence of being a flower girl at a wedding; part of a happy childhood ...

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The Land of Dilmun has fascinated many archaeologists and historians, not least Dr. Robert Killick and his wife Dr Jane Moon who arrived in Bahrain in 1989 to discover the secrets of an ancient settlement lying in the shadow of the burial mounds. Under the patronage of the late Amir HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the two archaeologists formed the London-Bahrain Archaeological Expedition, and began to dig ...

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I was born right here on the island of pearls, the Kingdom of Bahrain, or simply Bahrain. I have almost a quarter century of calling Bahrain home, and I doubt if that will ever change ...

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My husband and I have recently moved to this country and the vibe, energy and exuberance of this island is infectious! Am taking baby steps and every day here seems like a new adventure! ...

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It’s not everyday you discover that a tree outside your front gate is a roost for one of the world’s rarest species of bird. ‘Our’ tree was a large acacia growing on wild palm scrub and acacia land in a rural area of Saar ...

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I lived in, worked, played, and loved the island for over a decade, having arrived in 1999 to work as a DJ in the new JJ Murphy’s Restaurant and Bar, after touring much of the world since winning the title of UK DJ of the year. Originally I thought my stay in Bahrain would probably be around twelve months, and that I’d then continue on somewhere else; globe-trotting and working my way around the world. But how wrong was I? ...

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