Bahrain

We spent the week end in Manama, capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Manama is very similar to Bur Dubai (the "old"part of Dubai) but is somewhat sleepy and much more relaxed. Also the majority of people are arabs, while in Dubai they are less than a fourth of the population.

The Bahrain Fort stands on a mound created by successive layers of civilations since 2300 BC. The existing bulding was built by the Portuguese during their occupation of the island in the 16th century.

The first oil well in the middle east, opened in the early thirties, is next to the oil museum and looks like a big tap. Despite this, its still pumping oil apparently.

The Tree of Life is an impressive Acacia tree that stood alone in the barren desert without any visible source of water for at least 400 years.