B is for... But of course! Beiti Beitak!

is for

Beiti beitak!  

"My home is yours" the Arabs say to their guests. We use the exact same expression in India too, incidentally. The same way an English speaker might say 'make yourself at home.' 

Boshret Khair, a lively feel-good number by Emirati musician Hussain Jassmi -

Bahrain

Bahrain - the name means ‘two seas’ – comes from the presence of sweet water springs and the saltwater sea. It’s a tiny nation, with a population of roughly 1.4 million people, of which nearly 50% are foreigners. Made up of islands (think great seafood! and super-gorgeous aquamarine seas!) hot desert summers, and mild winters. 


Bahrain is where I live now, back after almost a break of ten years in the UAE and Egypt. Bahrain was my first encounter with Arablands, and well, you know what they say about first impressions! It's a remarkable country which debunks the vague (and wrong!) stereotypes  about Arabs. 

There is no legal requirement for veils for women, they are allowed to drive around freely, most Bahraini women do so in fact, and roughly 40% work outside the home. Alcohol is available for non-Muslims, you don’t need a permit to drink it, though it’d be wise not to swig it huge quantities in public places. Pork is sold through special sections in supermarkets.

Religious freedom is a word, rather a phrase! There are churches, of various denominations, I’m a bit foggy on the details, but certainly RC and Anglican. Places of worship for the Hindu and Sikh communities exist, no Bar on idol worship, which the Hindus do once a year publicly with great gusto for their annual festivals. 

However, no form of proselytising is permitted. I’m cool with that, because I’m not all that keen on proselytising anyways, you know?   Live and let live is my thing, and Bahrain and me are on the same wavelength on this completely.  

There are restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world, good hospitals, good schools, the Formula One, marine sports, golf courses, great telephony, and pretty passable shopping. 

And it’s heavy on history – Bahrain has a history going back 5000 years, it’s been ruled/influenced by Babylonians and Assyrians, ancient Persia and Greece, and has traded with Mesopotamia, Indus Valley and ancient Egypt. What’s not to like?!

View of modern Bahrain from the Karbabad Fort. 

Seef District skyline. 

Hawar Island, a short boat ride away from Manama, the capital.

Bahrain used to be a major pearling centre till the 1920’s.  Downstream petro-products, aluminium processing, light metal and chemical industries, and services are what constitute the economy today.

Causeway connecting Manama and Muharraq islands. 

And it's easy to indulge your wanderlust here - three continents pretty accessible…hop over to Cyprus or East Africa or Europe...

Muharraq. And the Manama skyline.  

Bab-al-Bahrain. The Gateway to Bahrain. This was the 
point where trading vessels docked in the past.  

So, that's Bahrain. Is island living your idea of paradise, or would you get Bored, suffer serious attacks of cabin fever?


And B is for Baghdad of course, much more famous than Bahrain, but less said about it right now the Better. Just awful how the heritage of the very first human civilisations has been laid to waste there. The loss of lives Beyond words.

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2017