A weekend in Bahrain

Bahrain is a small island kingdom, with just over 1 million people.  It's a short and inexpensive flight from Kuwait, so we decided to spend our recent 3 day weekend there.  We rented a car and explored the main island thoroughly.

Bahrain's economy is entirely based on oil production, which is evident as soon as you enter the desert outside of the city.

We also visited the Tree of Life, a 400 year old Mesquite tree famed for its ability to survive in a desert with no obvious source of water. (Bahrain receives less than 2 inches of rain a year.)  Some people believe it is the site of the Garden of Eden and that is why the tree has survived.  The tree receives up to 50,000 tourists a year.

                                                                                                                                                                  

We spent much of our time wandering around Manama, the capital city.  The picture on the left is of dried whole lemons, a popular seasoning in Arabic food. 










We also visited Qalat al Bahrain, a fort that is an Unesco World Heritage site.  Some of the artifacts found here date back more than 9,000 years.  Bahrain was once ruled by the Babylonians,  the Persians, the Greeks, and the Portuguese, so there is an odd and interesting mix of artifacts and structures in the fort and attached museum.