Skirling bagpipes and red robes welcomed us to Bahrain on a maiden visit for a Fred Olsen ship and Black Watch. We had been escorted into the harbour by two tugs firing jets of water over their bows. Inevitably the camera was not to hand.
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an archipelago of 33 islands of which the largest is Bahrain Island, at 34 miles long by 11 miles wide. Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway, and is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. Quatar is to the southeast across the Gulf of Bahrain. The population in 2010 was 1.2 million of which 235,000 were non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.
Known for its oil and pearls, Bahrain is also home to many larger buildings, including the Bahrain World trade Centre and the Bahrain Financial Harbour. There is a proposal in place to build a 3,353 ft high Murjan Tower. ‘Bigger and best’ is the watchword of Bahrain and all the states of the United Arab Emirates and Oman that I will be visiting over the next few days although compared with Dubai the developments in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi were much less brash.
My shore tour today was to take me to an ancient Fort, the Al Fateh Grand Mosque, a camel farm, a sojourn in a massive lorry jam (!), the
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