Qal'at al-Bahrain ( Bahrain Fort/ Portuguese Fort) is one of Bahrain's iconic tourist attractions but, sadly, it was closed on the day of my visit!
When I first came to Bahrain in 2010 I attended a charity event at the British Embassy and met Tony the Dogfather who ten had a sanctuary for homeless dogs and cats ( sadly he died a few years ago). One of their sponsors was a dog food business who produced a leaflet called "3 dog friendly beaches in Bahrain" . They were the three public beaches at Al Jazair, Bussatein and Seef ( otherwise known as Karbabad beach). Al Jazair is now privatised and called Bilaj Al Jazayer, Bussatein now has a new seafront walk , and Seef remains unchanged , although it has become a Children's entertainment complex and Food Truck district by night!
One of the three quad bike / ATV circuits at Karbabad beach
I recently went to do my 5,000 steps at the Fort , but as it was closed could only walk around the outside, and si did not achieve my target. It was a very hot day ( for March) and by the time I got back from the Fort to GB Café it was 31 Degrees. As all the seats in the shade in the garden were taken by Ladies who lunch I sat in the sun and had an ice cold bottle of sparking water, a Galette Apple butter and an Almond Tart with seasonal jam served by a very pleasant waiter from Kazakhstan.
This is all you get for 15 bd or 30 GBP!
The café has changed hands many times and is now operated by a company owned by the ruling family and it was the busiest I had seen it. It has a beautiful setting and they have now added new umbrellas, chairs and tables outside and blocked off two of the former entrances from the beach and the Fort forcing you to go inside the Café and make your purchases. There is also a small gift shop where I found the perfect gifts for Kuya Coco's Birthday. However , be warned, it is the most expensive place to eat in Bahrain ( 15 bd with VAT and Mandatory service charge for 2 small cakes and a glass of water!) and the shop is even more expensive!
Coco's Birthday presents- Bumabati ng Isang Maligayang Kaarawan sa Iyo kuya
For those who have not been to the Fort before please go, it is an amazing place and became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005. There is a museum on site and you can get an audio tour which explains the history as you walk around.
The sign explaining the UNESCO world heritage status
According to our friends at Wikipedia:
"Archaeological excavations carried out since 1954 have unearthed antiquities from an artificial mound of 12 m (39 ft) height containing seven stratified layers, created by various occupants from 2300 BC up to the 18th century, including Kassites, Greeks, Portuguese& Persians. It was once the capital of the Dilmun civilization "
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qal%27at_al-Bahrain ( accessed 13.03.22)
As I walked around the site I remembered all the times I had visited the fort in the last 12 years with my guests like Jeboy, Jane Frost, my brother Richard, Carl Max, Joshua and many others.
Sadly some of the outside walls have started to crumble but , when it is open, there is much to see inside with cellars where they used to make the dates molasses and other places of historical interest. The tell ( hill on which it is built) is the largest in the Persian Gulf region and was built close to the port and by reclamation of seashore land. ( a pattern that followed as Bahrain grew in size by reclaiming land over the centuries). Excavations have been carried out at the site by the Danish, french and Bahrainis since the 1950's and many of the artefacts are in the fascinating museum. As well as the main Qal'at (Fort) on top of the hill there are many excavations on the side of the path leading from the museum to the Fort.
As you walk back to the Café having circled the fort ( the entrance is to the left as you reach the Fort form the café but is hidden- on my first visit I went all the way around to the right trying to find a way in) you get this view:
You can see modern Manama and Seef Mall in the distance behind the Fort and I always joke how smart they were back in 2300 BC to have built the Fort so close to the shopping Mall!
The bay with the museum and GB Café on the right and the beach beyond
As you walk back you can see Seef Beach stretching out behind the café but they have now blocked off the bath to the beach so you have to drive around and park on the other side. There is a beautiful bay which fills with noisy sea birds and people often come here on Horses to exercise them in the sea. There are also companies offering cycling tours and horse riding and the Fort is on the tourist itinerary whenever the Cruise Liners stop in Bahrain. There are couple of natural water springs that gush up from the sea bed at low tide and I have seen a tour guide demonstrate how fresh the water was by stooping to drink some !
The natural water springs are surrounded by stones and are on the right in the corner where the path bends to go up to the fort.
After my meryenda (snack) at the Café I drove around to the beach and parked at the far end by the fishing boats, near the Ritz Carlton Hotel and walked back to the fort to get my steps up to 5000! It is very picturesque at low tide with the boats and the huts built by the fishermen to discuss "the one that got away" and get away from their wives!
The fishing boats at Karbabad beach as the sun starts to set
As I walked I remembered how my Thai friend Rew liked to walk here and so I called him up and went to collect him from Juffair. The traffic was bad on the way back ( 5 pm rush hour) and so we just missed the sunset ( I have taken hundreds of photos of the setting sun here over the years which have featured on my calendars. I remembered coming here with John Paulo Cantos and Oliver amongst others. Oliver and I even had a picnic as the sun sets here! Rew walked barefoot on the sand and took several photos which he uploaded to his Facebook account. When I saw them the next day and the comment that it had been a long time since he had been to the beach it made me very happy. We often forget that a lot of these overseas workers do not have cars and so it is hard ( and expensive) to do something as simple as watch the sun go down on the beach.
Rew taking photos on the beach
The beach undergoes a big transformation at night as all the stall holders unpack and clean their equipment, fire up the generators and start cooking and setting out their items for sale. Horse boxes arrive and the teenage boys get the train and ATV's fueled up and ready to operate. Then the people started arriving with their kids and started eating and riding on the train , bikes, and walking around soaking up the atmosphere.
More riders on horses came down to the beach and some boys drove around in a cart pulled by two of the small donkeys ( which Rew thought looked like big dogs!) . It really is one of the few places in Bahrain where you get to see how the families enjoy themselves after dark. As I was fasting by then I avoided the popcorn, sweetcorn and other fried goodies and just kept snapping photos. I love this one of Rew looking out to sea.
Rew staring out to sea
Eventually we headed back to the car and I realised I had completed more than 8,000 steps on my long day at the beach. Rew gave me a nice relaxing massage and we drifted off to sleep, to be woken by Corleen delivering my laundry at 7 am on Friday! We will be back with more walks around the coast of Bahrain soon but until then this is TBK signing out as usual with Ingat Palagi ( take care) and Kita Kits ( see you soon) Palawan!
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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