| Getting around in Bahrain |
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By Rebecca Torr » Just days after first arriving in Bahrain my husband presented me with a map, a set of keys and a hired car and with a grin told me to go and explore!
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By Roy Kietzman » Where in the world can you stroll down a lane and have the choice of continental, Far Eastern, Indian, Irish, Japanese or Thai cooking? Amble farther into the area, and all sorts of restaurants and cafés are founds in the back streets. |
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| Weaving magic at the Craft Centre |
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By Roy Kietzman » The Craft Centre, run entirely by Bahraini women, is becoming an increasingly popular stop for visitors to Bahrain, and it's no surprise why. |
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| Birth of Islam in Bahrain |
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| Bahrain's history had opened it to a multitude of cultural influences, and when the first Moslems arrived in the seventh century, there were already a number of other faiths, including Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians. |
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| Ten most used gestures in the Gulf |
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By Kate Mitchell » It's often hard to communicate when two people don't speak the same language, which is why it helps to understand what an Arab is trying to say when he communicates with his hands. Here are 10 of the most commonly used gestures in the Middle East: |
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| Bahrain to flag off 2006 F1 season |
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Bahrain, which made history in 2004 by becoming the first Middle Eastern country to host a Formula One Grand Prix, will have the honour of kicking off the 2006 F1 season on March 12.
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By Ghada Alansari » If you are one of those people who enjoys a good cup of coffee, then you have come to the right place. Cafés both traditional Arabic and Western are scattered all over the island and the choices are fabulous. |
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| Rent-a-car best way to explore |
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The best option by far if you would like to go to places quickly and easily is to rent a car. Rental charges are very reasonable.
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| Koheji brilliance brings past to life |
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By Roy Kietzman » When it's time to say farewell to Bahrain, visitors and long-time residents can pretty much count on - if they're lucky - getting a Koheji painting from well wishers as a remembrance of their favourite island. The swashes of pastel spotted hues often make up scenes of bygone Bahrain that have made their way into hundreds of homes and offices, both here and overseas. |
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| The Al Khalifas: Bahrain's First Family |
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| The history of Bahrain's ruling Al Khalifa family goes back more than two centuries. Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, who conquered Bahrain in 1783, was the first member of the Al Khalifa dynasty, which which has ruled ever since. |
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| Bahrain revs up its winning Formula |
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By Roy Kietzman » When a small Middle Eastern island of 650,000 people was awarded a Formula-1 race in 2004, motor racing fans might have been forgiven for their scepticism. This was, after all, not just any sporting event. This was the worlds greatest motor race, with a decades-long history and television viewership of over 300 million fans in 172 countries. |
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| Understanding Arabs: A westerner's guide |
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By Kate Mitchell » Most people, especially in the West, have a pre-conceived idea of what constitutes an Arab. These ideas usually fall into the 1970s western image of the urban Arab as excessively wealthy, or the more romantic desert Arab portrayed by Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia. These images may be mixed with those of religious fanaticism, often rendering the visitor nervous or anxious about what he is to behold. |
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| Here are some rules to follow when driving in Bahrain. Some are common-sense, others are regulations you need to be aware of. |
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By Lynn Collins » When I arrived in Bahrain from Scotland with my parents and my younger brother in August 1951 I immediately felt very much at home - a feeling that is still with me more than 50 years later. I am sure it is more to do with the warmth of the Bahraini people than the fact that the sun shines more in Bahrain than in Scotland. |
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| Coffee etiquette: What you should know |
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By Ghada Alansari » Serving or partaking of Arabic coffee in this region has its own customs and knowing them can be helpful.
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By Heather Anderson » There is perhaps no more beautiful gem than the natural pearl, and for centuries Bahrain was the place to go if you wanted the worlds finest pearls. Even today, despite cheaper cultured (artificially created) pearls being widely available, Bahrains exquisite natural gems are highly prized for their beauty, near perfection and brilliant lustre.
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By Roy Kietzman » Riffa Elementary School art teacher Karim Al Bosta knew talent when he saw it. And he did see it in one of his pupils, Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. Al Bosta encouraged the youngster, attempting to bring out the creativeness he demonstrated in his class work. And so it was that Shaikh Rashid, at the age of 14, produced his first oil: a landscape.
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| Bahrain: The last 100 years |
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By Kate Mitchell » The golden-dusted roads which cross it are broad and shaded on either side by long forests of date palms, deepening into an impenetrable greenness, cool with the sound of wind among the great leaves and the tinkling water. Written by Aubrey Herbert, of Bahrain in 1905, this description illustrates immediately why Bahrain was an important island within the Gulf. |
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| Life in the times before air-conditioning |
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By Mika Michael » Considering the very difficult climate it is hard to believe how anyone could have survived in Bahrain before the advent of electricity and air-conditioning. But still there have been people living in the country for over 5,000 years. How did they do it? |
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| Here is approximately what it will cost you to take a taxi from city centre Manama to these destinations: |
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Features
