Bahrain—a pearl waiting to be discovered in the Middle East
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My recent trip took me to Bahrain.
Bahrain? What is that? Is it a city? A country? How do you write that?
Many questions also flooded my head when I first heard the name ‘Bahrain’. I was in Dammam, the fifth largest city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca and Medina.
Why I went to Dammam will be object of another blog post.
Anyway, how did I find myself in Bahrain? Let me satisfy your curiosity.
About two weeks ago, I went to join my husband in Dammam. We decided to spend the weekend in neighbouring Bahrain, which is a popular tourist destination for Saudis and Qataris.
Bahrain is a small archipelago comprising both natural and artificial islands, wedged between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Its total surface is about 694 square kilometres (223 square miles), making it the smallest country in the Middle East. The capital city of this country is called Manama. The population is estimated to be 1.65 million of whom, at least, 53.4 percent are foreigners!
The weekend in Dammam starts on Friday and ends on Saturday, which means that people work on Sunday. This is normal because people go to the mosque on Friday. Manama is about one and a half hours from Dammam.
We left in the afternoon using Bolt driver who left us at the border because he did not have the necessary licence to take us straight to our destination.
Fortunately, he left us in the able hands of a larger-than-life character who swiftly made us cross the border, expertly dealing with the large queue and all the formalities. We could not have done this by ourselves!
Our five-star hotel’s name was Downtown Rotana and boasted of stunning views, a beautiful rooftop swimming pool and a rooftop lounge, among many other impressive amenities. It was located in Manama’s financial district and was at a walking distance from the souk, which is an Arab market and a must-see in Manama.
Most of all, we could see the famous Bahrain World Trade Centre right in front of our hotel. What a great privilege!
The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful. Hence, we instantly felt at home.
Since our time was limited, we decided to visit the market right away. I immediately noticed that the dress code in Manama was less strict than in Dammam. However, the majority of women wore black abayas so I decided to get myself one.
We found a tailor selling beautiful ones right in the heart of the souk. I tried one and it was too long. He adjusted it right in front of our eyes thanks to his sewing machine. This abaya cost us 13 dinars, the equivalent of forty-five dollars.
Our walk also took us to modern shopping mall where I ate the best samosas in my life. I can go back to Manama just for the samosas!
There were not many people walking on the road because of the heat and humidity. However, there were many cars and few traffic lights, so one had to be very careful when crossing the roads.
In the evening, we went back to the market and bought some dates, spices and a pretty couscous dish in antique shop.
The prices were prohibitive and we had to bargain a lot before buying anything. The shop owners or sellers were most of the times hospitable.
However, take your time before you enter a shop because once you are in, it is difficult to come out without buying anything since the sellers can be pushy.
The market is impressive because it shows us what Bahrain could formerly have looked like before skyscrapers made their appearance.
This makes Bahrain a unique place where traditions mingle seamlessly with modernity.
In the evening we ate at a very well-known restaurant which features a lot in travel vlogs. We were not very impressed with the food though, especially the humus and tzatziki.
The evening was spent at the rooftop swimming pool with a glass of wine. Buying alcohol in Bahrain is allowed. In Dammam, buying and consumption of alcohol is a criminal offense! I did not swim because there were no women at the pool and I felt very uncomfortable.
Sunday morning started on a high note. The breakfast buffet was incredible and the hospitality top-notch. One of the waitresses was from Ghana. She welcomed us and explained what was there to eat. Later on, she constantly checked on us and made sure that we felt at home. She even brought us some tea in a teapot, which is unusual in a buffet setting. I cannot compliment her hospitality enough!
We spent the remainder of the morning touring the financial district and admiring the views. Our last activity consisted in enjoying a croissant and a cheesecake drowned with tea at a café overlooking a canal.
The breeze made us forget the heat and we pictured ourselves spending the rest of the day there.
Of course, we were in dreamland! We had to rush back to the hotel to get our stuff. We had initially asked for a late check-out at 2 in the afternoon. We were very sad to leave, and would have loved to view more of the city.
It had been tough to find a car to take us back to Saudi Arabia. We could not use Bolt and Uber and public transportation was not practical enough and very expensive.
Luckily enough, two receptionists at the hotel managed to find a driver to take us back straight to Dammam. The return trip cost us 35 dinars. He barely spoke any English but we were able to communicate using Google Translate.
All in all, this short trip to Bahrain was eye-opening and enjoyable!
Here are a few more facts about Bahrain that are worth knowing!
- Bahrain was the first country in the Persian Gulf to have discovered oil in 1931. Extraction began in 1932.
- Formerly, this small country relied on the pearl industry.
- Nowadays, Bahrain is known for its gold, Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit, financial services and real estate market.
- The name Bahrain comes from the Arab word ‘al-Bahrayn’, meaning the two seas.
- The country was once a British protectorate and got its independence from Britain in 1971.
- Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy and is ruled by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
- The Bahraini dinar is said to be the second-highest valued currency in the world, after the Kuwaiti dinar!
- Women are allowed to vote in Bahrain. Generally-speaking, the country is more liberal than its Middle Eastern countries.
- There are Christian and Jewish communities in Bahrain.
- Half of the population in Bahrain is made up of immigrants.
- It only rains about 10 days in Bahrain, therefore only 3 percent of the land can be used for growing crops!
There were many fascinating facts about this country.
I don’t know if I will ever have the opportunity to visit it again. However, I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to have a glimpse of this part of the world.
When I was growing up in Ndirande, Malawi, I never thought that one day, I would find myself in a country called Bahrain. I never imagined myself walking in a souk and buying spices and other sundry items from people who spoke just a little English or not at all. I never pictured myself walking on a road where normal buildings are the exception and skyscrapers are the normalcy.
Yet, that is what happened and I am aware that this is a privilege.
I hope that you enjoyed this post!
Looking forward to sharing my views on Saudi Arabia in the next coming weeks.
Thank you for reading and until next time!
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Further Exploration: Bahrain—The Sweet Pearl of the Persian Gulf! The Secret Gem in the Middle East? Video in Italian (Level A2-B1-B2)
Download Blog Article:
- Bahrain—The Sweet Pearl of the Persian Gulf! The Secret Gem in the Middle East? Video in Italian! (Level A2-B1-B2, November 2025
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About the Author
Thandi Ngwira Gatignol is the founder of Learn English With Africa. She was born on June 11th, 1981 in Blantyre, Malawi. When she was 19, she left her country of birth for France. She currently lives with her two daughters and husband in Poland.
Thandi holds a Bachelor’s degree in English studies obtained at the Université Paris X Nanterre in France and a Certificate in Journalism from Malawi. She has taught English as a French Ministry of Education certified teacher both in France and in Poland. She speaks English, French, Polish, Italian, Chichewa and Chitumbuka. She is now learning Kiswahili, German and Spanish. Salt No More is her debut novel and you can find her other books here on the website or on Amazon.
Video music credit:
- African House Music by Play House, CC0 1.0
Blog Article: Bahrain—The Sweet Pearl of the Persian Gulf! The Secret Gem in the Middle East? Video in Italian! (Level A2-B1-B2) © Learn English With Africa, November 2025
