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Nearly every major city has an instantly recognisable, often historical landmark, to proclaim its cultural heritage. Until very recently, Bahrain’s most identifiable icon was the Bab al Bahrain (Gateway to Bahrain).
It was designed in 1945 by Sir Charles Belgrave, then British Political Adviser to the late Ruler HH Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, grandfather of His Majesty King Hamad, to house government offices (in which the Ruler also had an office), the Immigration Department of the State Police, the Land Department, Departments of Rural Affairs, Shi’ite and Sunni Waqf and Minors’ Estates.
Sir Charles designed the building with a castellated roof and a dramatic, double archway connecting two wings, each with a diamond-shaped staircase.
The road beneath the arch leads into the souq where porters and coolies dodged vans and lorries to push their cargo on flat, wooden trolleys to deliver goods to traders.
In the 1950s, the Bab faced the Customs Directorate and the pier, (built in 1917) described in Sir Charles’ autobiography as “a fascinating lively noisy place where there was always something new to look at; often there were as many as 100 dhows anchored off the pier and tied up alongside”. (This pier was Mina Manama, now reclaimed by the Bahrain Financial Harbour project).
“Huge sailing ships from the Malabar coast and longboats full of men who sang as they rowed, moved between the dhows and the pierhead, as coolies shouted and sang as they shouldered heavy sacks, loading and unloading cargo of every conceivable kind.”
The sea once lapped the shoreline of Government Road stretching from the British Embassy (then the political agency) to where the Tylos Hotel stands today.
A journalist of the day noted that “waves came lashing across the road in drenching spray during the strong shamals that blew in from Saudi Arabia”.
Massive land reclamation has since completely changed the face of Manama than the one viewed in the 1950s by Sir Charles’ son James: “The most attractive view of Manama is from the sea. Approaching the port from Saudi Arabia, one sees a long line of tall, white houses with deep shadowed verandas, rising above the brilliantly coloured water.
“Around the Customs Pier are 70 or 80 local sailing craft. The skyline of the town is broken by two or three minarets and to the east, the graceful wind towers which were used to catch the breeze before the advent of electric fans and air-conditioning.”
Opposite the post office and the Bab Al Bahrain was Shaikh Salman Square, where a little garden covered in date palms surrounded a fountain, spurting forth cooling water.
A low wall decorated in traditional “Arabesques of pleasing appearance” surrounded the garden.
The Bab Al Bahrain was decorated with balconies made from cement panels studded in Arabesque patterns copied from old Bahraini houses and traditional Arab doors.
It was originally constructed in stone with an iron rod supporting the archway and although modern in its day, the basic design has spanned the decades and represents not only a bygone era of Bahrain’s history but today houses Tourism Affairs Sector and a souvenir shop on the ground floor.
The police station on the corner of the Bab and Al Khalifa Avenue functioned until recently and another survivor overlooking the roundabout is the Bab Al Bahrain Hotel.
An interesting landmark which survived until the mid-1980s, was the country’s first petrol station, reputedly the first in the lower Gulf, now the Yateem Mosque whose graceful silhouette is reflected in the mirrored walls of the Batelco tower.
Apparently when it was built in 1938, no one had any idea what a petrol station should look like, so it was fashioned as a mosque with a high arched ceiling and after it was demolished, it actually did become a mosque.
In 1986, a major renovation on the Bab Al Bahrain was carried out to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the late Amir, Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
The architect commissioned to design and oversee the project was Yousif Daoud Al Sayegh.
“The original design had a very strong presence and was an established landmark in the minds and hearts of Bahrainis,” said Al Sayegh at the time. “So we enhanced that concept by retaining the essence of the building including the original castellated roof and introduced more of a traditional Arabic style.”
The interior was modernised with air-conditioning replacing the sea breezes that used to blow through the open windows and the square, steel-barred windows were converted into arches, decorated with wooden arabesque latticework, reinforced with steel.
Similar arches were positioned beneath the main archway and the upper area was expanded, with balconies installed to allow more light which blended unobtrusively within the overall perspective.
Bab Al Bahrain has witnessed enormous social and economic changes over the past 60 years, yet it continues to be the heart of Manama and a rendezvous between East and West.
The exotic atmosphere of foreign vessels depositing sailors and cargo on the shores of Bahrain to haggle and barter with local merchants still prevails, although the haggling is now conducted by mobile phone, the cacophony of languages has been replaced by the blaring of car horns and the pungent scent of the coffee bargaining ritual is overpowered by petrol fumes.
Nevertheless, stepping through the Bab Al Bahrain is still a timeless adventure and insh’allah, this national monument will continue to be Bahrain’s cultural and historical landmark for many decades to come.
Special Report
By Maeve Skinner
