Bahrain
The small, open island kingdom in the Persian Gulf, an ancient land of pearls and the Dilmun civilisation, a tolerant and cosmopolitan Arab-Muslim crossroads of the majlis, machbous, and warm Gulf hospitality. The complete guide.
Bahrain is a small island country in the Persian Gulf, an archipelago of low, flat islands lying off the coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is joined by a long causeway, with about a million and a half people and a capital at Manama. It is one of the smallest Arab states and one of the oldest centres of civilisation in the region, the heart of the ancient Dilmun culture and, for thousands of years until the coming of oil, famous across the world for its pearls. An Arab and Muslim kingdom ruled by the Al Khalifa family, Bahrain is known as one of the most open, tolerant, and cosmopolitan societies in the Gulf, with a diverse population, a relaxed atmosphere, and communities of many faiths. Today it is a modern financial hub that blends its deep heritage with a fast-changing present. This guide walks through the land, the pearls, the faith, the food, the festivals, and the customs in turn.
Overview
Bahrain is an island country in the Persian Gulf, lying just off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by a long causeway, with the Qatar peninsula a little to the east. It is an archipelago, a cluster of low, flat, mostly arid islands, the largest of which, Bahrain Island, holds most of the land and people, along with the capital, Manama. About a million and a half people live in the country, though only a minority are Bahraini citizens, the rest being workers and residents drawn from around the world, above all from South Asia and the wider Arab world.
Bahrain is a kingdom, a constitutional monarchy ruled by the Al Khalifa family, who have led the country since the late eighteenth century. The king, currently Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, is head of state, and the head of government is the prime minister, currently the crown prince, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Islam is the state religion, and most Bahrainis are Muslim, both Sunni and Shia, though the country is notably tolerant of other faiths. The language is Arabic, with English very widely spoken in business and daily life. The currency is the Bahraini dinar.
A few deep forces shape life in Bahrain. There is the small, flat island setting in the Gulf, ancient home of the Dilmun civilisation. There is the great heritage of pearls, the island's wealth and way of life for thousands of years. There is the open, tolerant, cosmopolitan spirit that sets Bahrain apart in the Gulf. And there is the Arab and Muslim culture of faith, family, hospitality, and the majlis. The sections that follow trace these and walk through the customs.
The islands of Dilmun
Bahrain is a small archipelago of low, flat islands set in the warm, shallow waters of the Persian Gulf, a desert land of sun, sand, and sea, with little rain and a hot climate, ringed by coast and historically blessed with fresh-water springs that bubble up even beneath the sea. The main island holds the capital, Manama, a modern city of towers, banks, hotels, and a traditional market, the souk, alongside the old town of Muharraq, and a long causeway links the country to Saudi Arabia, a busy road between the two.
For all its small size, Bahrain is one of the most ancient inhabited places in the region, and more than four thousand years ago it was the centre of the Dilmun civilisation, a great trading culture that linked the lands of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley and was remembered in ancient legend as a blessed and holy land, a kind of paradise. The island is dotted with the remains of this deep past, above all in its vast fields of ancient burial mounds, among the largest such ancient cemeteries in the world, and in the old fort that looks out over the sea.
Across the centuries this small island at the crossroads of the Gulf was prized and ruled by many powers, from the ancient empires to the Portuguese, the Persians, and the British, before independence in the twentieth century, each leaving their trace. Long famous for its sweet springs, its date palms, and above all its pearls, Bahrain has always been a meeting place of peoples and trade. The small, flat, ancient islands of the Gulf are the setting of Bahraini life.
A heritage of pearls
For thousands of years, until the discovery of oil in the twentieth century, the lifeblood of Bahrain was the pearl, for the warm, shallow waters of the Gulf around the islands produced some of the finest natural pearls in the world, prized and traded across the globe, and pearling was the heart of the island's economy, work, and way of life. The pearl beds made Bahrain famous and drew merchants and divers, and the pearl shaped the island's society from top to bottom.
The life of the pearl divers was hard and dangerous. Each summer, fleets of wooden sailing boats, the dhows, set out for months on the pearl banks, where the divers, with no breathing equipment, plunged again and again to the seabed on a single breath, holding their noses with a clip and weighed down by a stone, to gather the oysters, risking drowning, sharks, and sickness for the chance of a precious pearl. It was a punishing life, bound by debt and danger, and it is remembered with a mixture of pride and sorrow.
This pearling heritage left a deep mark on Bahraini culture. From it comes a haunting tradition of music and song, the fjiri, the chants once sung by the divers and crews to give rhythm to their labour and courage against the perils of the sea, with their distinctive drumming carrying a strong African influence, for many of the divers and musicians were of East African origin. The dhow, the pearl, and the songs of the sea remain powerful symbols of Bahraini identity, and the memory of the pearling days is honoured as the heart of the old island life.
The tolerant island
Among the states of the Gulf, Bahrain has long stood out as the most open, tolerant, relaxed, and cosmopolitan, a reputation that flows from its history as an island and a trading crossroads, where peoples, faiths, and cultures from across the region and beyond have mingled for thousands of years. Smaller and more outward-looking than its larger neighbours, Bahrain has tended to be more moderate and easy-going in its social customs than the more conservative states around it.
This openness shows in the diversity of the island's people and faiths. Bahrainis themselves come from many backgrounds, Arab and Persian, Sunni and Shia, with roots across the Gulf, Arabia, and beyond, and the island is home to large communities of workers and residents from around the world. Bahrain is notably tolerant of other religions, with churches, Hindu temples, and one of the oldest Jewish communities in the Arab world all present on the island alongside its mosques, a rare openness in the region.
This relaxed and worldly spirit makes Bahrain feel different from much of the Gulf. Western dress is common alongside traditional robes, the social atmosphere is liberal by regional standards, and the island has long been a place where people of many cultures live and work side by side. This openness, rooted in the island's long history as a meeting place of the world, is one of Bahrain's most distinctive and valued qualities, though the country, like its neighbours, holds firmly to its Arab and Muslim identity at its core.
Islam in Bahrain
Islam is the religion of most Bahrainis and the state faith of the kingdom, and it shapes the calendar, the customs, the values, and the daily rhythms of life, from the call to prayer that sounds five times a day to the fasting of Ramadan and the great festivals of the Muslim year. Bahrain is unusual in the Gulf in that its Muslim population is divided fairly evenly between the two main branches of Islam, the Sunni and the Shia, with a long-established Shia community and a ruling family and many citizens who are Sunni.
The practice of Islam in Bahrain tends to be relatively relaxed and moderate by the standards of the region, in keeping with the island's tolerant spirit, and the faith is woven into life as much through custom, family, and community as through strict observance. Mosques, both Sunni and Shia, are found across the islands, and the milestones of life, birth, marriage, and death, are marked according to Islamic tradition. The holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and gather to break the fast each evening, is the spiritual high point of the year.
Bahrain's tradition of religious tolerance means that, alongside the Muslim majority, the many other faiths of its people, Christian, Hindu, and others, worship freely, and their festivals are part of the island's life. This easy coexistence of Sunni and Shia, and of Islam with other faiths, on one small island is a notable feature of Bahraini society, though the balance between the communities has at times been a source of tension in the country's politics. Faith, lived in a relatively open and tolerant way, remains central to Bahraini life.
The majlis and Gulf hospitality
Bahrainis share the warm and generous culture of hospitality common to the Arab world and the Gulf, in which welcoming guests is a deep duty and a point of honour, and a visitor is received with great kindness, pressed with food and drink, and treated with genuine warmth. At the heart of this tradition is the majlis, the gathering room or sitting place where men receive their guests, talk, and discuss the affairs of the day, an institution central to Gulf social and even political life.
Hospitality centres on the serving of Arabic coffee, the gahwa, a light, cardamom-scented brew poured from a long-spouted pot into small cups and offered to every guest, along with dates and sweets, in a ritual of welcome that it would be rude to refuse. Family is the centre of Bahraini life, with strong and warm ties of extended kinship, deep respect for elders, and large gatherings for the great occasions of life, above all the lavish weddings that may bring together hundreds of guests.
In dress, many Bahrainis wear the traditional Gulf clothing, the long white robe, the thobe, and the headdress for men, and the black cloak, the abaya, for women, though Western dress is also common in this open society. In manners, Bahrainis are courteous and value respect, modesty, and graciousness; greetings are warm and unhurried, asking after health and family; the right hand is used for eating and giving; and an offer of coffee or food should be accepted. The lively traditional market, the souk, is a centre of social as well as commercial life. For a visitor, the keys to Bahrain are warmth, courtesy, respect for custom and faith, and a gracious acceptance of hospitality.
Machbous and the Gulf table
Bahraini food is the rich and fragrant cuisine of the Gulf, built on rice, fish and seafood from the surrounding waters, meat, dates, and a warm blend of spices, with influences from Arabia, Persia, India, and the wider region reflecting the island's history as a crossroads of trade. The most famous national dish is machbous, a fragrant dish of spiced rice cooked with fish or meat, flavoured with a blend of spices, dried limes, and onions, served at family meals and gatherings across the island.
The sea has always been central to the Bahraini table, and fish and seafood, especially the prized local fish such as hammour and safi, are eaten grilled, fried, or cooked with rice and spices. Other beloved dishes include grilled and stewed meats, flatbreads, and a wealth of rice dishes, alongside the fresh salads, dips, and small dishes common across the Arab world. The date, grown on the island's palms for thousands of years, is a staple and a treat, eaten on its own and used in many sweets.
Bahrainis have a love of sweets, above all the famous Bahraini halwa, a rich, sticky, fragrant sweet of starch, sugar, saffron, and nuts, a speciality of the island offered to guests and given as a gift. Meals are accompanied and rounded off by the cardamom-scented Arabic coffee and sweet tea, central to every gathering. Rich, fragrant, and made for sharing, Bahraini food reflects the island's history, its bond with the sea, and its warm spirit of hospitality.
Eid, Ramadan, and Garqee'an
The Bahraini year follows the Islamic calendar, and its great festivals are the two Eids and the holy month of Ramadan, kept by the Muslim majority with devotion and joy. Ramadan, the month of fasting from dawn to dusk, is the spiritual heart of the year, a time of prayer, reflection, and charity, when the daily breaking of the fast at sunset, the iftar, becomes a nightly gathering of family and friends, and the nights come alive with food, visiting, and festivity.
The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid al-Fitr, a joyful festival of feasting, new clothes, gifts for children, and visits to family, while later in the year Eid al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice, is kept during the season of the pilgrimage to Mecca. Both Eids are times of prayer, family gathering, generosity, and celebration, the high points of the festive year.
Bahrain and its Gulf neighbours also keep a charming and ancient tradition of their own, Garqee'an, held in the middle of the holy months, when children dress in bright traditional clothes and go from house to house in their neighbourhood, singing old songs and receiving nuts, sweets, and treats from their neighbours, a beloved custom passed down for generations and a joy for the island's children. Alongside these, the communities of other faiths keep their own festivals. Through the year, these celebrations, full of food, family, and faith, are warm threads of Bahraini life, with the close family always at the centre.
The nation today
Bahrain today is a modern, prosperous kingdom, a small island state that has turned from pearls and oil to become one of the leading financial and business centres of the Gulf, with a diversified economy built on banking, services, industry, and trade. The first place in the Gulf to strike oil, and likely to be among the first to see it run low, Bahrain has worked hard to build a broader economy and an open, cosmopolitan society, and it enjoys a high standard of living, free education and healthcare, and a modern, outward-looking outlook. It is governed from Manama by the king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the prime minister, the crown prince, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and it is famous, too, for hosting a Formula One motor racing grand prix that brings the world to the island each year.
The kingdom faces real challenges. Bahrain's society has at times been strained by tensions between its communities and by calls for political reform, and the balance between tradition and change, and between the island's different groups, remains a live question. The country's position in a turbulent region weighs heavily, and it has felt the dangers of recent conflict in the Gulf directly, while its long reliance on oil and its small size keep the search for a sustainable future at the front of national life.
Through it all, Bahrain holds firmly to the identity built over its long history. The small, ancient islands, home of Dilmun, still shape its life; the heritage of the pearl, the dhow, and the songs of the sea remains a proud memory; the open, tolerant, cosmopolitan spirit still sets the island apart in the Gulf; and the Arab and Muslim culture of faith, family, hospitality, and the majlis still orders daily life. Small, open, and proud of its deep past, Bahrain carries its traditions into a fast-changing future at the heart of the Gulf.