Bahrain in Original Photographs 1880-1961

Wheatcroft, Andrew Wheatcroft

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9781136880735
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Anthropology
• Index: Social Sciences

First Published in 1988. This book holds a collection of photographs to illustrates the Arab country of history of Bahrain from 1880 to 1961. All the images in this book are drawn from material in the National Photographic Archive of the State of Bahrain, or in the author's own collection

THE PLACE WHERE THE SUN RISES

The ancients were entranced by Bahrain: here was the site of the great civilization of Dilmun. The island was the ‘place where the sun rises’. If the later towns lacked the massive grandeur of the ancient buildings, they made up for it in variety, and in the expansive, vital social life which went on within them.

In most Islamic states the palace of the ruler and the main mosque stood close together. This is clearly seen in the main house used by Shaikh Hamad bin Isa, with the main Friday mosque on the right of the picture. The ruler of Bahrain traditionally spent seven or eight months of the year in his palace on Muharraq island, which at the beginning of this century had a population of some 20,000 people.

The aerial view of Manama (early 1950’s) is dominated by the thin causeway linking Manama to Muharraq, which was completed in 1942. The rather grander style of buildings contrasts with the view of the Muharraq suq. The commercial heart of Manama lay to the south west, near the government offices at Bab al Bahrain. This photograph shows the shallows between the two islands. At low tide it was possible to wade across.

These small boats carried passengers to Muharraq, to the coastal towns and villages of the main island, and the neighbouring islands like Jidda, and Umm Nasan. The open building in the background is the cargo quay of Manama port.

This is the first photograph (1940’s) of Muharraq taken from the air; at this date it was still the capital of Bahrain. At the top left of the picture, the bus station is clearly seen, with the Customs office and the municipal building next to it along the waterfront. In the town the houses are dominated by the tall windtowers, with the open sided building containing the fruit and meat markets. Beside the sea, at the top right of the picture, the great white mounds of salt can be seen.

Small boats were used until well into the twentieth century for journeys across the harbour of Muharraq to the opposite shore at Arad, close to the old fort. This was a popular resort for families on holiday, and only accessible from the sea. About 1919.

This is a characteristic Bahraini house made from palm fronds – barasti. Barasti houses were used by rich as well as poor during the heat of summer. Here, the upper storey – tayarah – contained the sleeping quarters, while a courtyard outside was used for livestock. The cooking was done in a far corner of the courtyard, away from the living quarters, but despite this precaution, barasti house fires provided much work for the nascent fire service in the 1940’s.

Large ships, which drew more than nineteen feet, had to stay some four miles off the shore, which supported a great fleet of small boats which plied between the steamships and the ports. Deeper channels were later dredged, but for many years sailing boats continued to trade in and out of Bahrain, carrying goods throughout the Gulf. Here a large trading ship is being launched; this would be used for pearling during the season, and general trade through the winter. 1910.

The Suq al-Kharow in Muharraq, about 1880. This was the old market of Muharraq, much used by the country dwellers. They have come in to the city on camels and donkeys; grain sacks, date baskets, and livestock may be seen.

The ‘guest palace’ at Gudaibiya was first used for the state visit of King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia in 1939. This photograph shows the palace before completion. The ceremonial staircase, which was used for great occasions, had yet to be erected.

The Al Fadhil mosque was one of the larger mosques, which was able to accommodate the large number of worshippers for Friday prayers. In front of it is piled two different types of seastone or ‘faroosh’. This stone was continuously formed by the interaction of salt water and fresh water under the sea; it was a form of coral much used, in its slab form, for building. Some of the piles contain a different form of the stone, more like rubble, used for building jetties or making foundations. This photograph was taken from the beach, and shows how close the main buildings were to the sea at this date, the late 1920’s.

The fort of Manama – Qalat al Diwan – was the principal place of government under Shaikh Isa bin Ali and his predecessors during the months that the Shaikh spent in Manama each year. It was heavily shelled in the disturbances of 1869, but quickly rebuilt, and continued thereafter to fulfil its main purpose as a place of refuge and security; since the 1920’s it has been used as the headquarters of the police force.

In this photograph, the first stage of the development of Manama is clearly seen. The corniche road along the waterfront has yet to be built, and the building which became the court house is in the centre of the photograph. Goods are piled in the open on the jetty, and the minaret of the Al Fadhil mosque stands out on the skyline. Late 1920’s.

The first motor car was imported into Bahrain by Shaikh Hamad bin I...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• PREFACE
• NOTE TO THE READER
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• THE RULE OF SHAIKH ISA BIN ALI AL KHALIFA
• THE RULE OF SHAIKH HAMAD BIN ISA
• THE RULE OF SHAIKH SALMAN BIN HAMAD
• THE PEARL OF THE GULF
• THE PLACE WHERE THE SUN RISES
• FOR THE PEOPLE
• THE FIRST OIL IN ARABIA
• THE WATERS OF ABUNDANCE
• TRADITIONAL BAHRAIN
• THE CHASE
• ENVOI: A NEW AGE