In brief: In the newly wealthy Gulf States, history can seem just 50 to 100 years old. In Bahrain, we traced 5000 years from the Bronze Age to the flourishing pearl trade.
Wandering through the Gulf States, awash in modernity fueled by 20th century oil and gas money, a visitor can feel that history began here only 50 to 100 years ago. There’s not much old here.
Museums tell a very different story – of pre-Roman empires, the rich heritage of Islam as it swept across the region from the 7th century on, and conflicts among these states up through 19th century British colonial influence, and then 1930s oil.
On Musharraq, the largest of the many islands that comprise Manama, we dove into the history of pearl diving in Bahrain then went even further back in time.
(For our take on the “newer” parts we saw in Bahrain, click here to go forward in time.)
Older Bahrain: Two Millennia of Pearls
Before there was oil in the Gulf States, there were pearls.
Finding pearls and selling them constituted the cash crop for the kingdoms on the Gulf, especially Bahrain. The waters around its islands were reportedly the richest banks for those productive oysters. It was treacherous work for the divers. From their labor, though, wealth accumulated with the ship’s captains that could locate good beds and the traders/sellers of the bounty.
Bahrain honors that 2000-year old pearling past in a UNESCO recognized 3.5 km (2 mile) path through the old city on Muharraq Island, the second largest in the Bahrain archipelago. On the trail, you can feel the ancient streets – narrow, irregular, wayward. And see reconstituted homes built by those who prospered in the 19th and early 20th century from those perilous and precious pearls.
A typical lane of Musharraq Island, with one- to two-level stuccoed buildings painted in white or beige. Bahrain distinguished itself by its retention of the past like this throughout the island, while so much else in the city has disappeared in the rush into modernity. That red awning exemplified the ways the path livened up even the plain passageways for visitors. That pillar on the right with the ‘pearl’ globe marked the often tricky zig-zagging of the trail.
In December, the celebration of the pearling past becomes a month-long festival with special art displays, murals, art installations, etc. along the walk, and huge crowds at night. Particularly in the many small plazas hidden within the honey-comb of houses, we found sculptures, galleries, and celebratory pop-up art works to enjoy. This whole building, adjacent to a cluster of houses belonging to the pearling wealthy, impressed us with its huge tribute to Arabic calligraphy.
A pearl diver heads toward the oyster beds in the old days. They free-dove with just a nose clip, leather finger-tip protectors for handling the oyster shells, a simple basket, and a large stone to help them sink – plus their ability to hold their breath. The oyster shells were shucked on board the boat. The pearls were precious because divers might need to retrieve a ton of oyster shells to discover a handful of good quality pearls, or maybe one in a hundred.
There are some two dozen rehabilitated buildings along the Pearling Path. Though many still give a feel for the 19th century Ottoman era of luxury, with some re-created detailing and a sense of space, little else inside replicates the historical lifestyle. This is the best of them, Siyadi Majlis, at the northern end of the path, a wealthy pearl merchant’s home.
The complex of buildings owned by the Siyadi pearl trader included that attractive multi-story beige building and a private mosque. The mosque is marked by the dome-topped watchtower, a distinctive style for Bahrain and Qatar. Three men are arriving to pray at the mosque, which is now open to the public.
One example of pearls displayed at Siyadi Majlis, the best restored of the merchant houses. This 1918 “Flower Basket” brooch consists of diamonds and pearls on a platinum base. It was made by Cartier, just one of the western jewelers that frequented Bahrain to find the best of the catch for their home markets.
This exemplifies a renovated merchant’s house along the path, with re-creations of typical window treatments and porticos, along with other historic detailing. But the sterile interior largely consisted of bare spaces.
A good example of a rehabbed, but less renovated house along the path. This rough dwelling might have served as a home for pearl divers but was actually that of a noted singer and performer on the oud guitar.
An unrestored, but very picturesque doorway along the path, with typical grillwork patterns and two solar emblems in the upper corners.
Oldest Bahrain
Another day, we explored two fascinating remnants of the very old past in Bahrain’s capital of Manama – one from the Greco-Roman period and the other from the Bronze Age.
The forts of Qal’at-al-Bahrain
Together, on a slight man-made hill, this prime seaside location sits below two fortresses rich in history, qualifying them for UNESCO World Heritage status (Qal’at-al-Bahrain). Fresh springs still bubble up into the salt water of the bay.
In the foreground are the remains of Tylos, the older structure dating from the Greek and Roman eras, with the very new, very white museum in the background. Behind both, the very new city of Manama peeks out. The old Tylos fort was revived by Iranian leaders as a trading center in the 12th and 13th century. It supervised global trade: exporting dates and honey to China, horses and pearls to India, in exchange for spices, pottery, and more.
Burial stones from a necropolis in Tylos (the Greek town in Bahrain), from about 200 AD. These are in the style of Parthia, a contemporary empire based in Iran. The right hand is raised as a sign of worship or respect.
This new moat-enclosed fort at Qal’at-al-Bahrain dated from the 14th to 16th century under the Prince of Hormuz, including a period of control by the Portuguese in the 1500s. The fort occupies about 15 hectares of space, with each side about 55 meters long (180 feet).
Arched entry passage at the “new” fort of Qal’at-al-Bahrain.
Bronze Age burial mounds
The Dilmun Empire began in the Bronze Age and lasted nearly 2000 years until 500 BC, before it turned into the major Greek outpost called Tylos for 800 years. Only fragmentary remains of the Dilmun period survive to today except for burial mounds like this. This is in the Chieftain field, so called because the mounds appear to have held dead princes or rich traders. A typical mound consisted of a central domed structure with two chambers inside, surrounded by secondary chambers for family or clan members.
Circular burial mound from the Dilmun empire of 3 millennia ago. You can see the stone-walls of the structure, half of the dome that covered the central space, and some secondary tomb areas.
A look down two layers into the chambers of a burial mound. Nearly 12,000 burial mounds have been discovered so far in Bahrain, spread over six enormous fields, including 17 Royal sites.
(To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Bahrain, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)
