Bahrain2

A DATE IN BAHRAIN
PART TWO

By Melissa van Maasdyk

Step back in time

Bahrain’s history goes back to way before the birth of Islam, which dates to the Christian year 622AD (when Muhammed fled from Mecca to Medina). There is evidence of settlement on the island from as far back as 5000BC, and it was recently discovered that this was the seat of the famous empire of Dilmun (circa 3000BC). This rich and influential trading empire was written about in Sumerian and Babylonian inscriptions but its exact location was lost and no one could pinpoint exactly where it was until, in the last century, archaeologists uncovered artefacts ascertaining that Bahrain was It.

Many of these artefacts, such as seals, jewellery and burial jars, are on display in the Bahrain National Museum, dramatically situated on the edge of the sea with giant windows letting in light and views. It also houses a burial mound dating to Dilmun, transported intact from the desert, complete with the chamber built to house the deceased and his or her personal belongings such as pottery household items and beads.

When friends visit, I usually start the tour here because then everything else one sees as one drives around makes sense: the thousands upon thousands of ancient burial mounds; the Barbar Temple with its sacred well, thought to be the abyss of subterranean waters of the God of Spring Waters, Enki; the monuments paying tribute to pearls, which were once the island’s most important earner; and several forts. Among these is the Bahrain Fort, which was built during the Portuguese occupation in the 1500s, and is one of the island’s most important archaeological sites since it sits atop several layers of civilisation going back to 3000BC.

I love it as much for its history as its setting on the edge of the sea in pretty Karbabad village, the perfect spot to end the day, taking in sunset from the ramparts while watching traditional dhows float out to sea.

Picture this

There are also a couple of lovely galleries, such as Albareh (www.albareh.com), specialising in Middle Eastern art, with a lovely arty café attached where I regularly meet friends for lunch or coffee, and Al Riwaq (www.alriwaqgallery.org), which isn’t scared to show some fairly controversial stuff. Last month I saw a very interesting exhibition there called “The Right to Space” that featured photography by three women focusing on the concept of space in relation to women living in Gulf society, complemented by films discussing women’s rights in physical and intellectual space.

Then there’s la fontaine centre of contemporary art (www.lafontaineartcentre.com) housed in the former home of a wealthy pearl merchant built over 100 years ago. Recently revamped by a French designer, this is now a stunning space mixing classic Islamic architecture with cool modern design, where art exhibitions are held in a gallery that wraps around a traditional courtyard, and movies and musical performances are served up under the stars.

Highlights for me have been a transporting performance by a Syrian Sufi band (Sufism is the inner or mystical dimension of Islam) and seeing in 2008 with a lovely dinner in its restaurant, entertained by a live opera singer, before dancing under the stars to cool music spun by a Turkish DJ, and, top of the list, “One World, One Tribe”, a photography exhibition and film series by the world-renowned Iranian photographer Reza Deghati, for which I did the publicity. This meant working with Reza, which was a real privilege as he’s not only highly acclaimed for his work (he has shot no less than 25 National Geographic covers) but has devoted much of his life to fighting for human rights.

His fascinating story includes being imprisoned and tortured for three years in Iran for exposing human rights abuses through his photography, first during the Shah’s rule and then under the Ayatollah Khomeni’s ultra-strict regime, which ultimately led to his exile. He continues to fight injustices today, particularly in Afghanistan, where he documented the overthrow of the Taliban and today helps to promote freedom of the press and education through his “non-governmental, non-political, non-religious, non-profit organisation” Aina (see www.ainaworld.com).

La fontaine is one of a handful of old houses that have been preserved, and demonstrate how the architecture in the region was once influenced by religion and the climate in equal measure. A prominent feature of the art centre is the wind tower, an architectural element designed to air-condition houses in the days before electricity, keeping things cool by catching the breeze at a high level and channelling it down into the interiors. Wraparound upstairs balconies and flat roofs were also a product of climactic influence, since people would sleep here in the hot months, often first soaking their clothes in water to add to the cooling effects of the night air.

The traditional central courtyard and inward-facing rooms, on the other hand, are a factor of religion, designed to allow women to move about freely in the open air, without being seen by the outside world.

Likewise, the latticework at windows meant women could communicate with traders in the street below without showing their faces. Small doors in the latticework allowed a basket containing money to be lowered to street level, where it would be exchanged for goods.

Pick and mix

Fortunately shopping through one’s window is no longer de rigueur as there are some lovely ways to part with your cash in town. For fresh produce, there’s the Central Market, the best part of which is the Fish Market, a treasure trove of spotted hammour, blue crabs, pink prawns and milky-coloured squid touted by salty fishermen fresh off their dhows.

Then there’s the multitude of sweet shops in Muharraq (a small island linked to the main island of Bahrain by a bridge), such as the legendary Hussain Mohammed Showaiter Sweets, offering saffron-flavoured halwa and sweet pistachio-nut-filled pastries. There are also some chi-chi air-conditioned malls, best of all the Al-Aali Complex with wall-to-wall designer boutiques as well as a faux souk where you can buy diamanté-encrusted abayas and colourful jelabiyas (kaftans) plus delicious designer date products from Bateel.

Finally, for a multi-sensory treat, one need look no further than Manama Souk with its myriad alleyways, where you can lose yourself for a couple of hours among stalls selling everything from singing fluffy camels and mosque alarm clocks to mounds of spices that prickle your nose and a dazzling array of fabrics blowing in the breeze.

Last year, I treated myself to a tailor-made dress to wear at my 40th birthday party, which involved wandering the souk with an Algerian designer to pick out the fabric that was then transformed into a dress by one of the many Indian tailors around the island - a luxury I could never have afforded in London, and only barely in South Africa on my journalist’s salary.

The party was an Iranian dinner in our garden (another luxury after the closet we call home in London), with music provided by an Omani oud player and drummer, attended by 60 people of 23 different nationalities, from Senegalese and Afghani diplomats to bankers, businesspeople and creatives of African, European, American, Canadian, Asian and Australian origin. And this is another of the very special things about living in Bahrain. As the financial centre of the Middle East, it attracts people from all over the world, and because it’s so small, the result is a concentrated stock of different nationalities, so dinner parties often feel like U.N. gatherings.

A pretty surreal experience was a cocktail party hosted by the German ambassador to celebrate Unification Day last year. It was held in the residence’s sprawling gardens, with a full brass band cascading down the front steps, and a dazzlingly colourful bunch of guests tripping across the manicured lawns. Diplomats in traditional dress, from Indian saris to Omani turbans and Japanese kimonos, mingled with glamorously be-frocked Westerners and men in thobes, plus a sprinkling of US navy boys in starched white.

Bahrain is an important US navy base for the region, so there’s plenty to keep young, single girls occupied here too. On a more sombre note, their presence is a reminder of the death and destruction that’s happening constantly not very far away in Iraq, and of which these very young, fresh-faced guys are a part. A number of people thought we were putting our lives at risk coming to this volatile region, but I haven’t felt unsafe in Bahrain, and it’s sometimes hard to imagine that there’s a war happening so close by.

I also thought there might be some animosity to Westerners, but we’ve been welcomed into the homes of friendly Bahrainis, most of whom seem as bewildered and horrified as we are by the suicide bombings and terrorist attacks, claiming that they’re based on a total misinterpretation of the Quran. Incidentally, the standard Arabic Hello is “Is-salamu-alaykum” which means “Peace be with you”.

Hot dates

Finally, as to concerns about the heat, after several years in London, I relish it. Admittedly, during July and August when temperatures are in the 40s, the most time one wants to spend outdoors is the amount it takes to dash from air-conditioned house to air-conditioned car to air-conditioned mall to air-conditioned restaurant, but for the rest of the time, the climate is very much more user-friendly for this grey-weather-weary South African.

And the laidback lifestyle means that one has more time to enjoy it, especially now that I’ve swapped a full-time job in magazines for a freelance career. Cue morning laps in the lagoon at the Ritz Carlton Beach Club (www.ritzcarlton.com), followed by an hour or two stretched out on a sun bed with respite in the form of chilled watermelon or lemon and mint juice ferried to my side by golf cart; there are brunches and parties in private gardens, midnight dips in the pool, and drives into the desert to soak up the Tree of Life’s mystique or lunch on the breezy terrace of the Banyan Tree Spa (www.banyantreespa.com/bahrain) overlooking groves of date palms, becoming heavy with ripening fruit as temperatures rise.

The date palm is yet another reason to embrace the heat for it will only produce its delicious fruit naturally where there is a long, hot growing season with a daily average of around 32ºC and virtually no rain. Last summer, our twice-weekly Indian gardener arrived with two huge bunches of dates, which he and I plucked off the branches then washed and laid out on the garden table to dry, with a generous sprinkling of fennel seeds to keep insects at bay.

A few weeks later the harvest was ready to use in banana and date smoothies, date cake, date pudding, Moroccan tajine, or simply on their own. I’m hoping that this year our very own fledgling palms - one pollen-providing male and one fruit-bearing female - will reach the age of consenting adults (whatever that is in tree years) and begin to reproduce.

In fact, if I have any complaint about the weather, it’s about the cold. In January this year, the region was hit by the coldest winter since 1964. It snowed in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh for the first time in decades - maybe centuries, since the Ice Age, perhaps - and snow-chilled winds swept down into Bahrain making life a misery for a while. “It can’t be that cold,” friends from afar scoffed. “You’re just used to the heat now and can’t take a slight nip in the air.” I turned to trusty Frances on Sky News Weather, who spared me many a picnic in the rain during my London days. He helped me out once more, revealing that temperatures were lower in Bahrain than they were in London – as low as 7ºC some days.

And here’s the thing: there’s no heating. So you could chill champagne in the bathroom and not even three ski tops could keep me warm in the living room. In Iran, people set up tents inside their homes for insulation and made fires on their living-room floors. Tempting as the idea was, we didn’t go quite that far, but one dinner party saw guests huddled around the stove jostling for proximity to the warming steam rising from the risotto.

Happily, it’s April now and things have warmed up. Last night I enjoyed a performance by the brilliant European jazz ensemble Nuevo Tango under a full moon at la fontaine art centre, then had dinner in the courtyard with a group of girlfriends, not because we couldn’t have males at our side, but sometimes strictly female company is just nicer. There was wine to wash things down, and conversation revolved around everything from sex and shoes to art and literature.

A charmed night, it was just another of the many tasty offerings on Bahrain’s rich and varied menu, from which one can pick and choose according to personal tastes and religious leanings. So I’m happy to linger in this warm desert land for a while, maturing alongside those dates on the palms under an eternally blue sky.

Portrait: Loredana Mantello; Photos: Glenn Wepener and supplied.
Photography by Melissa van Maasdyk

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