In Arabic the word “Bahrain” means two seas—yet in the case of the Arab world’s smallest country, the name refers to pockets of freshwater scattered throughout the saline-laden Arabian Sea hugging its shores. Unlike its neighbor, Dubai, Bahrain’s urban development plans have taken on a more calculated demeanor. It’s proven a wise choice, particularly because one feels the cultural legacy of the country the instant you disembark in its capital, Manama.
I went to Bahrain to visit an annual event held under the patronage of the King, the Riffa Views Bahrain International Garden Show. Here, thousands of Bahrainis—which are citizens of one of the region’s most pluralistic societies—swept through a show, filled with a slew of local and international environmental innovators. The halls surrounding the entrance were lined with artisanal farmers demonstrating what in fact can and continues to grow amidst one of the world’s harshest climates. Here visitors scurried past instruments set up to extricate sweet molasses from hundreds of dates to make a dark brown palm syrup (used handsomely throughout Bahraini cuisine), alongside nylon columns lodged in wood frames that interwove brightly colored cotton threads into traditional Bahraini carpets, palm frond furniture and basket makers, and even locally produced cardamom infused coffee.
Deep inside a swarm of environmental bodies, like the United Nations Environmental Program, stood to explicate how the island nation is aiming to combat depleting water resources alongside a flurry of Bahrainis demonstrating local organic initiatives. Of note was Reem al Khalifa (left), a member of the country’s ruling family, who has launched her own herbal line—Green Bar. The 27-year old, educated by a California-based perfumist, began producing her extensive selection of herbal oils in 2006. Khalifa has overseen every area of production of the line—including the design. She packages her bottles, which at the moment are sold only in Bahrain, on her family’s compound. Perhaps what makes Green Bar particularly exciting is Khalifa’s use of regional ingredients, such as Taifi Rose—which is only available in certain valleys in Saudi Arabia. Plans for Green Bar's expansion are in the works.
The country’s former capital, Muharraq, has undergone a massive renovation and rehabilitation. This pedestrian-only district is a reminder of old Bahrain. Here, gypsum-colored compounds, which were once homes to the country’s rulers, have been transformed into Bahrain’s preeminent cultural district. Most buildings here have retained their traditional facades, while the interiors have become ultra-modern exhibition and research centers, water gardens and even a coffee house.
For now it seems most will have heard of the country because of the annual F1 race, which it began hosting in 2004, yet for those who have never been to the Gulf before, Bahrain is an excellent place to start.
[caption id="attachment_2037" align="alignnone" width="560" caption="Green Bar products."][/caption]
