Dive into Bahrain’s rich history with visits to ancient sites like Bahrain Fort and Shaikh Isa bin Ali House. Enjoy traditional Bahraini dishes such as Masli and Mumawwash. Plan your trip with tips on reaching Bahrain via Bahrain International Airport or by road from Saudi Arabia.

Discover the mystery of the Tree of Life and explore cultural landmarks like Al-Fateh Grand Mosque and Bahrain National Museum. From archaeological wonders to modern attractions, Bahrain offers a blend of heritage and adventure for travelers.

Discovering Bahrain: Explore History, Cuisine, and Culture

Bahrain is located in a bay on the southwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. Bahrain means “two seas” as Bahrain is an archipelago of 33 islands in the Gulf. In the middle of the city you will find the Formula 1 racetrack.

This city also houses ancient UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is also a site of Dilmun civilization. Desert covers about 92% of Bahrain, experiencing periodic droughts and dust storms.

It also has a 400 year old tree of life that withstand such extreme situations. In this article you will know about the things you can do, traditional food, and ways to reach. 

Things to do in Bahrain:

1. Bahrain National Museum:

This museum is located adjacent to the National Theatre of Bahrain. It is the region’s first modern museum. Inside the museum, you can explore Bahrain’s ancient archaeological artifacts stored since 1988.

The museum complex divides into three halls, with one dedicated to archaeology and the ancient civilization of the Dilmun. The rest two halls depict the culture and lifestyle of Bahrain.

The major attractions include Dilmunite stamp seals, Barbar temple, Saar temple, Durand stone, and Khamis Mosque. The entrance fee is 1 Bd. The opening timings are from 9 am to 8 pm. 

2. Al-Fateh Grand Mosque:

The mosque is also known as Al-Fateh Islamic Center. It is one of the largest mosques in the world. This is also the largest place of worship in Bahrain. The huge dome built on the top of this mosque of built entirely of fiberglass.

The dome weighs over 60 tonnes and is the world’s largest fibreglass dome. You will see Kufic calligraphy throughout inside the mosque. This mosque also has a library which consists of 7,000 books. These books also include copies of the books of the teaching of Prophet Muhammad.

This mosque opens from 9 am to 4 pm. You can also opt for a guided tour in various languages such as English, French, Filipino, Russian, and many other. 

3. Bahrain Fort:

The fort is also known as Qal’at al-Bahrain. UNESCO inscribed this site as a World Heritage Site in 2005.This site is a tell, an artificial mound created by successive layers of human occupation.

The areas and walls of this fort include Saar necropolis, Al-Hajjar necropolis, Kassite Palace, Madimat Hermand necropolis, Madimat Isa necropolis, Al-Maqsha necropolis, Palce of Uperi, Shakpura necropolis, and Northern city wall.

The fortification spread oven in 37 acres of land. They built the walls with varying thickness using stone masonry. This fort is open for tourists from 8 am to 6 pm. There is no admission fee to this fort. 

4. Tree of life:

Tree of life is a Prosopis cineraria tree which is 32 feet high. This tree is over 400 years old. This tree is located on the highest point in Bahrain in a barren area of Arabian Desert. Due to the fact that this tree is still green and is the only major tree growing in that area, it is a local tourist attraction.

Bahrain has little or no rain throughout the year and there are extreme temperatures, and lack of nutrients so it is not certain how the tree survives.They use the yellow resin from the tree to make candles, aromatics, and gum. They process the beans grown from the tree into meal, jam, and wine.

5. Shaikh Isa bin Ali House:

Shaikh Isa Bin Ali House was once the home to Shaikh Isa Bin Ali Al Khalifa, who was sovereign from 1869 to 1932.It stands as one of the best-preserved examples of traditional local architecture from the pre-oil era.

Inside the house you will find the ornate decoration with its multiple staircase, intricate archways, and pleasent courtyards.The building divides into four sections. One section is for shaikh and separate areas  for family, guests, and servants. 

Food to try in Bahrain:

1. Masli:

This is one of the most famous and loved dish by the people of Bahrain. This dish is made up of rice, meat, fish, onions, potato, dal, tomato, garlic, chili, sultanas, nuts, spices, and rice all cooked in a pot.  

2. Mumawwash:

This classic dish is prepared with rice and bean legumes. Beans are mixed with onions and various traditional dried spices like cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, saffron, and dried lemon. All this is then mixed with rice. This dish is accompanied by sauteed shrimps that are arranged on the top of the dish. 

How to reach Bahrain:

1. By airport:

Bahrain has its own international airport by name Bahrain International Airport. This airport serves to its national carrier Gulf Air.

The major airlines operating to this airport are Flydubai, Gulf air, Sri Lankan Airlines, Emirates, Oman air, Qatar airways, and Jet airways. 

2. By road:

SAPTCO are the main bus service provider in Bahrain. You will get eight buses daily from  Riyadh to Manama.  You can also enter to Bahrain from Saudi Arabia. The toll will cost you 150 SAR. 

Click here to read more interesting blogs! https://leeandlucy.com/blog/