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...

Bahrain, a Mystery in Time

Mystery in the Past

When I first came to Bahrain I was astounded to know how many old artefacts and historical remains were on the island. They seemed terribly precious to me because they were so ancient; our oldest house in Australia is just over two hundred years old. In Australia, we have indigenous Rock Art and stone tools but not the structures and details of past civilisations. There have been many 'visitors' to Bahrain, warring for a stake of the island, including the Assyrians, Persians, Arabs, Portuguese and British. The tension between nations around the island still continues, evidenced by the presence of the American Fifth Fleet.

'Bahrain' - the word - means 'two seas'. This refers to the presence of fresh water springs under the sea in certain places which flow into the surrounding salt water. The mystery deepens about these springs because legend says that Bahrain sits in a part of the original area of the Garden of Eden. Eden and two of its rivers are said to be covered now by the Arabian Gulf.

The enigmatic Tree of Life in the middle of the island which I have visited, is reported to be over four hundred years old and survives in a desert area, where there is no water supply. Its name is linked to the legend of the original Garden of Eden story and its survival connects the island to the original human habitation. Some say there are unknown springs of fresh water beneath the ground that feed the tree. The magic of Bahrain lived for me the day I went out to the Tree and saw an archaeologist and his team uncovering a whole village, one thousand years old. There were pots on the stoves, he said, and I saw whole pottery artefacts intact being lifted out of the kitchen area of one of the remains. The dry hot sand had preserved the things over time, beautifully.

Many scholars identify the island of Bahrain with the land of Dilmun which the Sumerians believed was the original centre of culture and where agriculture and irrigation began. It was reported to be a lush place but, more importantly, held the very secret of immortality. In their sacred texts, the ancient hero, Gilgamesh, set out to find the flower of life in the land of Dilmun. It was described as the place where waters flowed together. He failed to bring the flower home but did reach Dilmun, the land of peace and purity. Dilmun was also the place where the survivor of The Flood had been directed to live and so all of these stories point to ancient Bahrain being a kind of starting point in human history. By being in Bahrain and learning about its past, I felt close to the early humans on earth.

All these legends around the dawn of human history were further enhanced when I later travelled the short distance to Salaleh in Oman and saw Ayoub’s (Job’s) tomb. The fact that he was fourteen foot tall and had left his actual foot imprints was just amazing. I had always admired him from my reading of his ordeals and faith but he became more real to me after visiting his land and his place of rest. After returning to Bahrain from Oman, I discovered Sinbad the Sailor lived in Oman and he was supposed to have built a ship in Bahrain. All these matters have made Bahrain a rich experience for me.

Mystery in the Present

Bahrain is deeply shaped by its location. Above all as recorded in history, Bahrain was a port of call for traders. It connected Sumer with ships carrying copper from Oman. It traded with those going west to Arabia on the Silk Road, or even beyond to Egypt, and those coming from the Indus Valley to the east with cotton goods. Bahrain mixed many cultures through its trade and developed tolerance and respect for all people, after all that is good business.

The confluence of cultures has meant the identification of the face of Bahrain is a mystery because Bahrain has so many faces: Arab, Indian, Persian and European even Asian. Bahrain has a mixed lineage in its people. To come to Bahrain is to see many different types of Bahrainis.

Since coming to Bahrain I have discovered it is not far from anywhere. It has been easy for me to travel to other parts of the Gulf, to Asia, to North Africa while many of my friends have been to Europe and the Mediterranean. Similarly, many people who work in Bahrain travel, or have travelled, a great deal simply because they easily can, from here.

So Bahrain is exotic at many levels: its past and its present, its native people and its new workers. The island of Bahrain forces people to respect their differences because they are all in one small place, flowing together like the two seas.

Mystery in the Future

People have different ideas about what they want for the future of Bahrain; these ideas sometimes conflict. History teaches that there are waves of change but none last. Bahrain gives the beauty of its timeless history to those who take time to discover its rich past.

Bahrain, the Mystery in its Geography

The Geography of its First Inhabitants

The earliest historical substance we have in Bahrain is the huge number of ancient burial mounds (over 170,000) which are between four and five thousand years old. These are evidence that the Sumerians thought the island a kind of holy place suitable to deposit their loved ones. These graves give credence to the legend of Bahrain being an original site of human culture. The mystery remains of what exactly these ancient people were identifying with, in the land of 'Dilmun', as they called it. It seems it was the closest place to heaven they could find on earth to put their loved ones. Nowadays Muslims are buried facing Mecca and the Kabbah, the holiest place on earth for Islam, so their loved ones are pointed towards their hope of resurrection. There is no doubt that the Sumerians had specific beliefs, as the bodies are buried in a uniform way; infants are to the south of the burial chamber and orientation of the mounds laid out according to astronomical charts. 

The Geography of its Population

There is no doubt that the whole human family is represented in Bahrain today, there is someone from every country: the Middle East, Asia, the subcontinent of India, and the United States. You can meet Europe without leaving Manama. This has been a privilege for me to meet so many different cultures of people; in a sense, I didn’t need to travel.

Trade is still the foundation of Bahrain. This is the reason why Bahrain is unique, its geographical position. Trade brings wealth but means getting markets, getting markets means being open to all prospective custom. Hence trade is the driver for much of the openness in Bahrain. Enhancing trade by a tax free zone has accentuated the attraction to the island.

Nowadays there has been such a large influx of people from outside countries because of the availability of jobs in the service and construction industries that tension has developed about the limit of Bahrain resources to accommodate so many people. Some feel that huge numbers like this are endangering Bahrain and there should be restrictions on numbers coming in.

The Face of Bahrain

As well as a huge 'guest' population, Bahrain has a number of people who have chosen to stay permanently after coming here for work. Native Bahrainis have roots in many countries but mainly Arabia, Iran, parts of Pakistan, India and Kuwait. Many of them maintain links with these original families and forebears. 

With so many races represented, it is not surprising, food from every country can be obtained. Food is a main industry in Bahrain, from high end culinary design to exotic roadside sandwiches. There are also traditional Bahraini dishes but they are not staple diet of most Bahrainis instead Bahrainis enjoy a wide choice of food cultures.

Bahrain shares its hospitality with food and a wide smile, but helpfulness is also a big part of Bahrain. Respectful behaviour is mandatory in social life: 'everyone' must be greeted formally, and honour is especially given to elders, women and those in need of charity. It is a dignified society and to the credit of the nation, the younger generation in Bahrain have traditional values of respect. A high price is paid for crimes which break the social standards of honesty, safety and consideration of others at all times. 

The beauty of Bahrain is it does not 'belong' to any 'one' place or people. Some people would say it 'belongs' to the Arab world or it 'belongs' to the Arabian Gulf. The historical facts above show that such claims are too narrow to define the breadth of Bahrain. Bahrain is a truly international place. This is not to say it is neutral, no, there is a strong Arabic flavour, but it is blended with many, many nuances.

The Mystery of Bahrain’s Religion

A Forgotten Holy Land

Sacred sites are sprinkled all over the world. Some are still relevant to existing inhabitants; some are forgotten. Bahrain’s link to the sacred land of Dilmun is misted by time. Without written documents it is difficult to know the significance of what was identified in the Bronze Age in Bahrain. As I trekked to the desert to see the Tree of Life, the blank desert scene around with its nearby sea could easily be filled (in my imagination) with ships of people bringing their loved ones and hoping to achieve immortality for them by burying them in the land of Dilmun. The National Museum is filled with ancient treasures like ivory seals and ancient jewellery, thousands of years old, a preserved but silent testament to a lost world that Bahrain reminds us about.

A Stronghold of Islam

The Christian church in Bahrain was on the edge of the Roman Empire and at a distance enjoyed a measure of independence. Islam arrived in the seventh century, fourteen hundred odd years ago, recent by Bahrain’s ancient history standards. Islam overtook Christian Bahrain and was a launch pad for the spread of Islam in the region. Now there are Christian, and other places of worship on the island to cater for the diverse working population. Muslims in Bahrain are tolerant of other faiths and have remained fairly impervious to extreme ideas of Islamic religion. Calls for prayer echo over the island as Bahraini people remember their vows to Allah. Because of the working week, Friday is the Sabbath for Christians and the only day off for many. Bahrain’s society is a testament to the reality of completely different faiths living together peace, something that some other countries are not yet able to achieve. Bahrain gives dignity to all Godly faiths.

The Mystery of Bahraini Culture

A Land of Unique People

One day I met a stranger in a sleek modern designer café in Bahrain and we fell into conversation. She had lived in Bahrain many years before when her family was young and had come back to visit her old friends. After talking about various places she had lived and travelled, I asked her what she thought was special about Bahrain. She did not say the history or the geography as I expected. Instead she said:

“The thing that is special about Bahrain is the people themselves. 

They are special.” A woman from Seychelles

The people in traditional Bahrain grew up in houses without roads between them. The children all played in the narrow pedestrian walkways between houses. These were their backyards for games. Generations of families lived together. Men worked together singing, whether fishing, pearling, weaving or praying. There were drums and music and lots of songs. There were stories and legends. Traditional meals were had together in houses. Families ate together and celebrated together. Daughters worked with the older women of the house. People were hospitable to their neighbours, strangers and travellers. It was a communal way of life. Somehow modern Bahrainis have preserved the strong sense of human bonding and community that many other modern societies have lost. That is what makes Bahrainis unique and beautiful. The mystery is they are living according to their religious instructions.

 Dilmun means 'dignity' and that is what Bahrainis give to modern life. This ancient land has kept its link with the centuries old ways, the 'old days' when travellers depended on hospitality, when sailors worked together as a team for their survival, when there was time for family and for God. The family was the social welfare system. This is the true heritage of Bahrain: it link with traditional human culture.

A vestige of this social principle can be seen in Kumar House where tourists can discover the traditional craft of gold thread being embroidered on the decorative border of traditional clothes. Women spin the gold threads and then as a team plait and sew the delicate threads onto the fine cloth. The work must be done together; it takes many hands and synchronisation as well as a great deal of love.

The Final Word 

A powerful symbol of Bahrain is the pearl, a thing of great beauty. Bahrain pearls were famous for their unique colour which derived from the fresh sweet water springs which streamed into the shallow saline oyster beds. Even Bahrain’s pearls are unique. It is a land specially favoured and I am glad that I discovered it: its history, its human geographical diversity and the kindness of its people.