Mahna Mahna...Manama

The Kingdom of Bahrain is an unassuming island nation just across the water from Saudi Arabia. 

Originally supposed to be one of the then nine United Arab Emirates, Bahrain (along with Qatar) dipped out three days before the signing of the documents and decided to declare themselves independent! 

Bahrain is the third smallest country in Asia. It is roughly 4x the size of Washington DC, with the population equivalent to New Hampshire. Someone compared it to Saudi Arabia's Tijuana but that does it a grave injustice. The two states are connected by a 25km long bridge and Bahrain is visible from Saudi Arabia on a clear day. It certainly feels more rustic than where we live in UAE's capital but we mean that in a good way. Manama, its capital, has history and character.

As ever in the region, the tall minarets rising from mosques shape the built-landscape. They're punctuated by the few high rises that dot the horizon, giving a Dubai/Abu Dhabi vibe but toned down, the architecture showing a hint of tradition. Bahrainis are seafarers and there are nods to that history throughout the city: the port, sculpture, statues, and of course the endless things named “pearl” (lulua in Arabic).

Bahrain is an interesting place, this 21 Facts About Bahrain article taught us several things about the country before we arrived. Our first stop after check in was Nassef, a traditional Bahraini style restaurant in the heart of the Old Souk. Similar to the rest of the culinary delights in the region (hummus, fattoush salad), Bahraini dishes have a stronger Iranian and Iraqi influence manifested in prominent sweet and sour flavors. 

We popped over for a weekend getaway with friends that included the Bahrain Jazz festival and a rather eventful brunch with live Latin music, a clown, a fight, and Mickey Mouse. The flight from AUH is under and hour and tickets to Manama float around 100 USD. We enjoyed our time, feel like we got a good sense of the city-state, and have some other sites we want to see next-go-round.

As Arnold said so eloquently, "I'll be back".