Now that winter is here ( 31 degrees on 24 October 2020) we can finally venture outside again. One place I will definitely be heading for one last time before I leave Bahrain , will be the award winning Pearling Trail. I first wrote about it in 2016 when I took former colleague Aussie Nathan and his lovely Pinoy wife Mea, and one of their visitors on the walk. I have done it so many times now ( my brother Richard, Phil and Di, Ron, Jane Frost, Jeyboy and Jay, Nathan and Mea etc) that I can almost do the whole thing without getting lost. Almost! So lets head back in time to February 2016 when I wrote this:
February Bahrain Blog
Revisiting old friends- the Pearling walk in Muhurraq
In the dark hours of January 2016 when I thought my time in Bahrain was up I was asked by many people “So what will you do next?” My answer was always the same, “I don’t know because I had always planned on staying here until 2020 and then retiring”.
Well a recent telephone call gave me an idea for my retirement... it went like this…”Hi Neil, we have some friends staying in Bahrain and we wonder if you could guide us on the Pearling walk in Muhurraq you were telling us about on Saturday, in return for a nice lunch”
My acceptance was so fast I did not even check my diary and when I later wrote the date and time in I realised I was already committed to my regular two hour walk by the sea at the Nabi Saleh Corniche (as I call it!) or the old Sitra Causeway with Jay ( RIP) - so now I would be doing 6 hrs. walking in one day! It also turned out to only be 11 degrees when we set out so warm clothes were called for.
As regular blog readers of my old blog, "Neil in Bahrain" ( now closed) will know, I have done the walk many times. I have taken my many visiting friends, and showed people around who have never been to Muhurraq. This started in 2010 with my brother Richard, then Jane Frost in 2012, In 2013 I took Jay and Jeyboy, and in 2016 Ron and Phil and Diane Gregory. There have been many others who I have guided around Bahrain so it was like revisiting old friends.
Many of the buildings on the walk also featured in the Photo walk I did with Adam and Gaye a couple of years back when I got a parking ticket for parking illegally outside the post office at the start of the walk (except, in my defense, the no parking sign was hidden behind a tree and several other cars were parked there but the motorcycle traffic cop only ticketed me!).
However, as usual, this time I saw new things, and visited new places that have opened since Richard and I did the walk in September, and it was an altogether more enjoyable experience. The highlight of the tour was that I did not get lost once and I found my way back to the car!
So we set off at 9.30 am and were at Sheikh Isa House by 10 am and managed to find a parking space right outside , avoiding the car park and checking behind the tree for signs to ensure we were legally parked. My tour party were amazed by the House which is very grand.
Built in 1800 Sheikh Isa was the father of the current King and much loved in Bahrain. The “house “ is divided into 4 parts ( Sheikh’s quarters, Family Quarters, Guest Quarters and Servants quarters) . There are some very photogenic spots (the windows in the room on the roof feature on the February Bapco Calendar for example) and there is something for everyone. As I guided the group from section to section we noticed an American lady watching us and when the others went off to take photos she approached me to ask me about the rest of the walk.
She is soon to leave Bahrain, she told me, and wanted to complete the walk, but like me kept missing parts out that are not as well signposted as the rest. She also told me that there is a weaving demonstration in one of the houses but only on three weekday morning’s from 9- 12. The Culture and Antiquities ministry really needs to do more to publicise these facts and issue up to date routes (all the leaflets I picked up on the route covered 2014- 2015 events!). The lady was in luck as, being a well prepared tour guide, I had two maps and details of the walk and she gratefully set off to complete her dream of seeing everything on the route before she returned to America.
I managed to navigate my way back out of the house (another first) and met Nathan and co outside and we headed across the square for a very informative 30 minutes at Bu Khalaf Coffee shop. We were entertained by the very interesting young man there who showed us (and another tour group who joined us) how they grind cardamom by hand. We asked about a Traditional Bahraini board game that was on display and he showed us how to play and I took on the combined might of Nathan and Mea and, of course, lost!
We warmed up with some freshly prepared hot black tea before moving on to take in the breathtaking façade of Seyadi house. It seems as if they are finally restoring the inside and I look forward on my future tours to showing my friends how this once great house looked inside. ( 2021 Update- still being restored, a part they restored collapsed and they had to start all over again according to one of the workers on site, who then showed us 3 other new buildings they are working on!)
That’s the joy of this walk, it constantly evolves thanks to the excellent work of the wise Leadership to restore the Bahraini Heritage and make it available to the public. Little wonder that a Kuwaiti delegation visited in December to see how it’s done. Hopefully one day they will invite those responsible for the restoration of the old fishing villages along the coast from Salalah in the south of Oman.
Next we went down the beautiful narrow lanes to the Sheikh Ebrahim Centre for Culture and Research in Lane 917. Sadly the giant electronic book in the foyer was out of order but they loved the modern auditorium- just a pity it is so underused. It really was like visiting old friends as I regaled stories of my previous visits when Jay and Jeyboy fell asleep in this auditorium during my fascinating lecture on the antiquities of Bahrain.
Moreover, as well as acquainting ourselves with very good old friends like Sheikh Isa House we also met new friends like Bu Khalaf Coffee shop ( which I had never been inside before) , the lovely American lady, and some wizened old Arabic Guys who happily posed for photos in the Souq later on the walk.
We then walked past the Japanese water garden to the House of coffee which has a new display hanging from the ceiling! Sadly the place no longer serves food or drinks (they have moved this to a new coffee house nearby) and the floor to ceiling waterfall in the courtyard has gone.
Next stop was Kurar house where we managed to sneak a look at the Toilet (described in the guide book as the prettiest on the walk) before the guard told us it was closed! Downstairs we saw my favourite old Singer Sewing Machine and the beautiful ladies clothes, Then we watched a DVD of how the ladies worked as a team to weave the garments and for the first time I read the sign on the wall which gave the full story of Bahrain’s weaving customs. It was fascinating and, according to the American lady we met earlier, on three mornings a week the ladies still come to weave at this house. A pity they do not publicise this or do it on a Saturday when most people have a day off and do such walks.( Editors 2020 note : I should also point out that all the buildings on this walk are closed on a Friday!)
Latest update from Keith Gardener in Turkey - 19.11.21:
" in Turkish the suffix ci/çi/cı/çı - the form depending on the last letter and last vowel in the preceding word - means "someone who does something". So for ınstance:
Just down the lane is Abdulla Al Zayed House for Bahraini press heritage which I love as it has a couple of beautiful courtyards and they have cleverly joined two houses together so you enter through one door and leave through the other. The interior is beautiful with 3 beautiful drawings of the King, Crown Prince and Prime Minister on display. There is also an old Four poster bed and an old typewriter. By contrast there is a very modern walkway and glass roof to keep the place bright and airy. If you want to see what it looks like without leaving your seat click on the link below for a virtual tour:
After seeing all these lovely houses it was nice to be outside in the sun again and we walked to the Vertical Garden (which has now seen better days due to the summer heat in Bahrain) and past the sculptures by regional artists inspired by pearls to the fabulous Bin Matar House. Bin Matar was a Pearl Merchant, with many wives and a big family but he used his wealth for charitable means, like many Bahrainis, setting up a school, and building Mosques in Bahrain and overseas.
Bin Matar was such a fascinating character I used to love reading about him whenever I visited the house and close my eyes and imagine the sea lapping the pavement outside ( as it did when the house was built) and the life of a rich Pearl Merchant back in the day.
By way of Tribute to this great man, and in honor of my colleague Aysha’s father's dad, who was a pearl fisherman I have added this additional detail taken from the fantastic Shaikh Ebrahim Centre website:
“Salman bin Hussain bin Salman bin Matar proved to be a man of remarkable abilities and broad interests. He joined his father’s pearl business and during the late 19th and early 20th centuries became one of the major pearl merchants in the entire Gulf region. Virtually all foreigners, especially French and Indian, relied on his expert advice in matters relating to the purchase of pearls. With the advent of the wide-spread cultured-pearl market that resulted in the dwindling natural-pearl trade, he was part of the group that formed the Natural Pearl Protection Society in 1936. In addition to his renown as a pearl tycoon, he expanded his business interests to include the trade of woods and dates, and ownership of many diving vessels, as well as houses, buildings, shops, rooms, coffee houses and springs. One of his assets were his palm groves.
In addition to his business acumen, Salman bin Matar was also a man of great generosity and character. His wisdom and knowledge gained him the respect of many who sought his advice in solving a number of issues related to inheritance, valuation of lands and properties, and in the resolution of disputes between individuals. He willingly offered his support, financially or in kind, to the needy, regardless of class, race or religion, and the doors of his home and majlis were always open. Like his father, he built mosques at home in Bahrain, and abroad, granting many properties for their support.
Source: Hala AlKhalifa art gallery inaugurated in Bin Matar House
HISTORY OF THE HOUSE
The Bin Matar House was built on reclaimed land in 1905 and at the time was surrounded
by the sea on three sides. Supervised by the Bahraini master builder Mussa bin
Hamad, the building was constructed in a traditionally Bahraini manner, using
palm tree trunks, sea-stone and gypsum. The building was initially used as the
permanent majlis of Salman Hussein Bin Matar, one of Bahrain’s the most
prominent pearling merchants. Even as the building was eventually used as a
clinic for the famous Dr. Banderkar and home of the Al Eslah Club, the top
floor was retained as a residence by the Bin Matar family until 2002. Prior to
its present day restoration, the building lay empty and in disuse, ready to be
demolished to make way for new construction.”
Taken from:
https://shaikhebrahimcenter.org/en/page-houses/
On this website you will also find virtual tours of all the properties- well worth a visit before you go and do the walk for real!
Finally we headed back to the car through the Souq (where I got some winter socks and gloves for the cold weather), tasting the Halwa at Mohamed Showaiter and looking in on the newest addition to the trail- Lukmatina Restaurant.
That's all for now, I hope, like me, you take the opportunity to complete the Pearling Trail one Saturday before you leave Bahrain! You need to allow about 3 hours to complete it and as they shut around 1 pm its best to start early at 9 am so you complete the walk before it gets too hot. Make sure you take a map so you don't get lost as its not very well signposted.
Until my next blog I will sign off in Tagalog as I am trying to practice before my eventual move to the Philippines next year Inshallah!
Ingat Palagi
Mahal Kita
Kita Kits
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Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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