48 travelandleisureindia.in
e have a long history with the Gujaratis,”
said my dishdasha-clad, Keffi yah-sporting hotel
receptionist as I enquired about directions to the
Bahrain National Museum. I wondered if Modi
had managed to win this Bahraini’s vote too.
Filled with priceless artefacts, dioramas, and
plaques that let visitors in on the details,
I felt like I had walked right into the country’s past. Bahrain’s
story begins with Telmun or the Dilmun civilisation, which
was an ancient Semitic-speaking empire in the Bronze Age.
Historians believe that it covered the present-day Bahrain,
Kuwait, Qatar, and some parts of Saudi Arabia. Due to
Dilmun’s access to Gulf of Persia, it was a prominent port;
the link between the Indus civilisation and Mesopotamia.Made in
Bahrain
BEYOND
Follow The Arts
Scratch the scruffy surface of the
Kingdom of Bahrain and you’ll fi nd a surprising
history of traditional arts and crafts.
BY KIRAN MEHTA“W
FROM ABOVE: CELIA PETERSON/GETTYIMAGES; FOCUSCULTURE/ALAMY46 travelandleisureindia.in