Bahrain,is an island country situated near the western shores of the Persian Gulf in the Middle East. It is a small archipelago centered on Bahrain Island,its largest land mass. It is 780 km² in size,makimg it the third smallest nation in Asia after the Singapore and Maldives. As a tourist destination,Bahrain recieved over eight million visitors in 2008 though the exact numbers varies yearly. Most of this are from surrounding Arab states although an increasing number hail from outside the region due to growing awareness of the Kingdom's Heritage and it's higher profile.
List of places in Bahrain;
1) Qal'at al-Bahrain,is an archaeological site located in Bahrain,on the Arabian Peninsula,also known as the Bahrain Fort or Fort of Bahrain and previously as the Portugal Fort. Archaeological excavations carried out since 1954 have unearthed antiquities from an artificial mound of 12 metres (39 ft) height containing stratified layers,created by various occupants by 2300 B.C. up to the 18th century,including Kassites,Portugese,and Persians. It was once the capital of the Dilmun civilization and was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
The area is though to have been occupied for about 5,000 years and contains a valuable insight into the Copper and Bronze Ages in Bahrain. The first Bahrain Fort was build around three thousand years ago,on the north-eastern peak of Bahrain island. The present fort dates from the six century A.D. Qal'at al-Bahrain is a typical tell -an artificial mound created by many successive layers of human occupation. About 25% of the has been excavated revealing structures of different types: residential,public,commercial,religious and military. The site contains many areas and walls,including Saar necropolis,Al-Hajjar necropolis,Kassite palace,Madimat Hermand necropolis,Madimat Isa necropolis,Al-Maqsha necropolis,Palace of Uperi,Shakhura necropolis,and the Northern city wall. The ruins of the Copper Age consists of two sections of the fortification wall surrounding streets and houses,and a colossal building on the edge of the moat Portuguese fort in the center. Barbar pottery has been unearthed around the walls of the central building,dating back to the same age as the Barbar Temples,although some of the other pottery and range of unearthed artifacts indicated that they predated the temples,dating back to 3,000 B.C. or later. Many vessels have been unearthed on the site,and Danish excavations in the Palace of Uperi area revealed "snake bowls",sarcophagi,seals and a mirror,amomg other things.
The fortifications in the excavations tel were found around the area township and were erected in cardinal directions. The fort walls are seen now only in the northern,western and southern slopes of the tel,and the eastern side is yet to be excavated. The place prospered 'til 1800 B.C. when it was deserted. Eventually the town became covered with drift sand from the sea. Metal artifacts found in the tel where limited to copper pieces,fishing tools and a socketed spearhead. And other important findings in the sites.
2) Bahrain National Museum,is the largest and one of the public museum in Bahrain. It is constructed near the King Faisal Highway in Manama and opened in December 1988. The museum complex is cover 27,800 sq metres and consists of two buildings. The museum possessed a rich collections of Bahrain's ancient archaeological artifacts acquired since 1988,and covers nearly 5,000 years of Bahrain's history. The complex includes three halls devoted to archaeology and the ancient civilisation of the Dilmun,while two other halls depict the culture and lifestyle of Bahrain's recent pre-industrial past. In 1993 a further hall has opened, the Natural History Hall,focuing on the natural environment of Bahrain. This hall features specimens of Bahrain's fauna and flora. Among the exhibits in the ancient history section is an actual burial mounds and another features is a tableau which depicts a scene from the Epic of Gilgamesh. Old Quranic Manuscripts,notes on astronomy and historical documents and letters are exhibited in the Documents and Manuscripts Hall.
3) Khamis Mosque is believed to be the first mosque in Bahrain,build during the era of the Umayyad caliph Umar II. It is considered to be one of the oldest mosque in the region,as its foundation is believed to have been laid as early as 692 A.D. An inscription found on the site,however,suggests a foundation date of something during the 11th century. It has since been rebuild twice in both the 14th and 15th centuries,when the minarets were constructed. The Khamis Mosque has been partially restored recently. The present main buildings has two phases
6) Dilmun Burial Mounds are a number of necropolis areas on the main island of Bahrain dating back to the Dilmun,the Umm an-Nar culture and later eras. Known since ancient times as an island with a very large number of burials,the (originally) quite a number of square kilometres of mounds were said to be one of the largest cemeteries in the ancient world. Recent studies have shown that the estimated/approximately 350,000 ancient grave mounds could have been solely produced by the local population over a number of thousands of years.
Attempt to protect the burial mounds have run into opposition by religious fundamentalist who considered them unIslamic and have called for them to be concreted over for housing.
7) Tree of Life,Bahrain is an approximately 400-year-old,9. 75 metres (32 ft) high Prosopis cineraria tree located 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) from Jebel Dukhan. The tree stands on top of a 7.6 metres (25 feet) high sandy tel that form around a 500-years-old fortress. The tree is a local tourist attraction,as it is the only major tree growing in the area. The tree is visited by approximately 50,000 tourists every year. Since October 2010,archaeologists have unearthed pottery and othe artifacts in the vicinity of the tree. Some of which may date back to the Dilmun civilisation.
8) Al Areen Wildlife Park is a nature reserve and zoo,located in Sakhir,Bahrain. It is one of the five other protected areas in the country and it is the only designated protected area on land,in the country. The park covers a total area of 7 km sq and was first establish in 1976. Species native to Bahrain,both plants and animals,as well as species from Africa,South Asia are present in the zoological park. In 2013,the park attracted 199,235 visitors to the park. The park features 100,000 planted flora and trees,and more than 45 species of animals,82 species of birds and 25 species of flora.
9) Beit Al Quran is a multi-purpose complex dedicated to the Islamic arts and is located in Hoora. Established in 1990,the complex is most famous for its Islamic museum,which has been acknowledged as being one of the most renowned Islamic museums in the world. Construction of the building began in 1984 and the museum opened in March 1990. It was build to "accommodate a comprehensive and valuable collections of the Qur'an and other rare Manuscripts",a concepts which,according to a regional magazine,is unique in the Persian Gulf region.
10) Al Father Grand Mosque is one of the largest mosque in the world,encompassing 6,500 square metres and having the capacity to accommodate over 7,000 worshiper at a time. The mosque was build in 1987 and was named after Ahmed Al Fateh,the founder of Bahrain. The huge dome build on top of Al Fateh Mosque is constructed entirely of fiberglass,the dome is currently the world's largest fiberglass dome. The library of Al Fateh Islamic center has around 7,000 books,some as old as 100 years or more.
Photos and text courtesy of Wikipedia and Wiki Commons.
3) Khamis Mosque is believed to be the first mosque in Bahrain,build during the era of the Umayyad caliph Umar II. It is considered to be one of the oldest mosque in the region,as its foundation is believed to have been laid as early as 692 A.D. An inscription found on the site,however,suggests a foundation date of something during the 11th century. It has since been rebuild twice in both the 14th and 15th centuries,when the minarets were constructed. The Khamis Mosque has been partially restored recently. The present main buildings has two phases
- An early prayer hall with a flat roof supported by wooden columns dated to the 14th century.
- A later section of the flat roof was added,supported on arches resting on thick masonry piers (which have been dated to 1339). Islam was propagated to Bahrain in the 7th century A.D. when Muhammad sent an envoy al-Ala'a al-Hadrami,preaching Islam to the Governor of Qatar and Bahrain at that time,Munzin ibn Sawa al Tamimi. Mishrab slab was a limestone slab,in the form of a mishrab. The slab was discovered during the restoration works on the mosque and is believed to have originated from the 12th century A.D. Inscriptions of two verses from the Qur'an are present on the slab.
- 4) Arad Fort is a 15th century fort in Arad,Bahrain. Formerly guarding a separate island of its own,the fort and it's surroundings have since been joined to Muharraq Island. Arad Fort was build in the typical style of Islamic fort during the 15th century before the Portuguese invasion of Bahrain in 1622 A.D. The fort is one of the compact defensive forts in Bahrain. The fort is square and on every corner there is a cylindrical tower. It is surrounded by a small trench which is used to be filled with water from wells that were drilled especially for this purpose. In every corner of the upper wall of the fort there are nose shaped.openings for marksmen. Arad Fort was most recently restored between 1984 and 1987,in order to maintain the historical authenticity and value of Arad Fort,exclusively traditional materials were used,such as coral,stone,lime and tree trunks.
6) Dilmun Burial Mounds are a number of necropolis areas on the main island of Bahrain dating back to the Dilmun,the Umm an-Nar culture and later eras. Known since ancient times as an island with a very large number of burials,the (originally) quite a number of square kilometres of mounds were said to be one of the largest cemeteries in the ancient world. Recent studies have shown that the estimated/approximately 350,000 ancient grave mounds could have been solely produced by the local population over a number of thousands of years.
Attempt to protect the burial mounds have run into opposition by religious fundamentalist who considered them unIslamic and have called for them to be concreted over for housing.
7) Tree of Life,Bahrain is an approximately 400-year-old,9. 75 metres (32 ft) high Prosopis cineraria tree located 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) from Jebel Dukhan. The tree stands on top of a 7.6 metres (25 feet) high sandy tel that form around a 500-years-old fortress. The tree is a local tourist attraction,as it is the only major tree growing in the area. The tree is visited by approximately 50,000 tourists every year. Since October 2010,archaeologists have unearthed pottery and othe artifacts in the vicinity of the tree. Some of which may date back to the Dilmun civilisation.
8) Al Areen Wildlife Park is a nature reserve and zoo,located in Sakhir,Bahrain. It is one of the five other protected areas in the country and it is the only designated protected area on land,in the country. The park covers a total area of 7 km sq and was first establish in 1976. Species native to Bahrain,both plants and animals,as well as species from Africa,South Asia are present in the zoological park. In 2013,the park attracted 199,235 visitors to the park. The park features 100,000 planted flora and trees,and more than 45 species of animals,82 species of birds and 25 species of flora.
9) Beit Al Quran is a multi-purpose complex dedicated to the Islamic arts and is located in Hoora. Established in 1990,the complex is most famous for its Islamic museum,which has been acknowledged as being one of the most renowned Islamic museums in the world. Construction of the building began in 1984 and the museum opened in March 1990. It was build to "accommodate a comprehensive and valuable collections of the Qur'an and other rare Manuscripts",a concepts which,according to a regional magazine,is unique in the Persian Gulf region.
10) Al Father Grand Mosque is one of the largest mosque in the world,encompassing 6,500 square metres and having the capacity to accommodate over 7,000 worshiper at a time. The mosque was build in 1987 and was named after Ahmed Al Fateh,the founder of Bahrain. The huge dome build on top of Al Fateh Mosque is constructed entirely of fiberglass,the dome is currently the world's largest fiberglass dome. The library of Al Fateh Islamic center has around 7,000 books,some as old as 100 years or more.
Photos and text courtesy of Wikipedia and Wiki Commons.