Once we felt more like ourselves, with some sleep and food in us, we decided to go and explore. The Crowne Plaza Hotel was in the capitol of Manama on the main island, so we started there. There are some amazing buildings there and the architecture of their skyscrapers and mosques is very impressive.
Architecture and Buildings
The Al-Fetah Mosque was huge! Apparently it’s one of the largest domed mosques in the world. It was impressive to see a building that size where people from all over would come to worship. Inside, you could hear the voices echo from the prayers and the sound was enchanting. It’s hard to describe, but it was peaceful. I liked it.
We also visited the Museum of Pearl Diving. It was full of artifacts and information about Bahrain’s history. The building used to be part of their court system, but now houses their heritage. We learned about how their wealth started as a fishing / pearling people. Because of that, they became a center for trade in the area, which brought in more money and people from all over the area. After that, oil was discovered and now they are a center for banking. So money, money, money. . . . .
We also took time to relax on promenades on the waterfront and admire the skyscrapers and buildings across the water. It was peaceful, eating some local cuisine with the salty wind in your face. It was good to relax and take in the view.
Tree of Life
We also took a trip to see their “Tree of Life”, which I mentioned to you in an earlier post. Their is a lot of history there since the tree is believed to be about 400 years old. They don’t let you get too close on the tour because the tree has been abused, carved, and marked by people, and they are trying to preserve it. There is a small gate around it in an attempt to protect it. It’s kind of crazy, because it’s the only life that you can see around. It’s just a long horizon of desert with this one tree sticking up in the middle of it.
Anyway, that was our first real day in Bahrain. We came back to the hotel tired, but excited. What we saw and experienced there was so different from what I’ve known in the U.S. It was educational and interesting. It was a good day.