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The island is on its way to re-establishing itself as a green oasis in the Gulf with thousands of palm trees being planted in a concerted effort to turn back the clock to a time when Bahrain was heralded as the land of the million palm trees.
The highways and byways of the kingdom are also undergoing a facelift with turf being laid on verges and ornate railings replacing drab grey barriers.
Work carried on even as roads were scorched by tyres set ablaze by unruly youths close by prior to the recent elections.
The improvements come under the umbrella of a national development strategy which is part of the ongoing Bahrain's Vision 2030 initiative.
Engineer Jamil Ali Eksil, director of the government's Common Municipality Services has been leading a team of experts for the past eight years on various projects aimed at 'beautifying' Bahrain, under the patronage of her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty King Hamad and Supreme Council for Women chairman, to help bring back the lost lustre of its rich history.
Engg Eksil said: "Her Highness Princess Shaikha Sabeeka had the dream to see a greener Bahrain and her instructions are always appreciated.
"We are now trying to increase the number of trees in Bahrain and return to the island its history - the land of the million palm trees. We have planted more than 20,000 trees and we want to increase it to 200,000."
There are two main drives, firstly, the expansion of green spaces and, secondly, increasing water front facilities such as public beaches. For the green spaces two types of landscaping have been implemented - hard landscaping which includes monuments and sculptures as well as soft landscaping which includes planting trees and grasses.
Mr Eksil explained: "We first focused on getting the gardens and parks restored. From 2002 to 2010 nearly 70 new parks have been created as well as sea shore developments such as the Arad Fort beach, Sheikh Khalifa Corniche and Abu Saab Walkway.
"Currently, our focus is on landscaping the main highways and people have become more aware of the project as they can witness the work in progress."
Former barren stretches of roads have now got a streak of green from the many palm trees that are being planted at all major road networks.
Extensive work is being carried out along Budaiya Highway presently and to meet the demand for trees imports are coming in from neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
Engg Eksil said: "After we implement the project, it is passed on back to the municipalities who then manage the projects on their own."
