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A nostalgic collection of images and written work surrounding the development and progress made by the kingdom has been collected by a popular teacher in Bahrain.
In a celebration of all things Bahraini, students and members of staff at St Christopher’s School treated their guests recently to activities, presentations, crafts and local cuisine before unveiling their star attraction, an exhibition of rare photographs.
The collection celebrating the kingdom’s heritage by Fuad Al Anzarouti, head of Arabic and Islamic Studies, went as far back as the 18th Century and depicted a country which would be unrecognisable today – there was even a copy of a letter written by the Prophet Mohammed to Almunthir bin Sawi, Amir of Bahrain at the time.
“I have been collecting photos and books about the history of the area for almost 30 years,” explained Mr Al Anzarouti, who was born and educated in the Syrian capital of Damascus and now lives in Saar. “The traditions and cultures of the Gulf Arabs had always captivated my imagination.
“Life in the Arabian Gulf has also always fascinated me and fired my imagination because this is an area where you can meet people of many different nationalities.”
After completing his teacher training he moved to the UAE and joined the Ministry of Education in Abu Dhabi before moving on to Dubai to become Dubai College’s head of Arabic.
He taught students from all over the globe and has written two books on teaching Arabic for non-Arabs. In Dubai, he also joined the British Council and taught Arabic as a second language for many years.
He has lived here with his family for 16 years, and added: “Bahrainis are great people. I started collecting photos of Bahrain’s rich history and, most importantly, the educational side, as the kingdom was leading the Gulf in education and many areas.
“My life in the kingdom has centred round St Christopher’s School as I feel the school has flourished under the leadership of the present principal Edward Goodwin who led the school successfully to be one of the top schools in the world. When I suggested the idea of an Arabic Heritage Day a few years ago he welcomed the idea straight away.”
The Senior School in Isa Town was recently transformed to reflect the country’s rich diversity. This year he teamed up with a group of sixth formers to work on the project, namely volunteers Sahar Boujakli, Shaikha Al Musawi, Dima Hashim and Zainab Al Aali.
“We had many meetings with great ideas and I’m really pleased with their efforts as the photo exhibition was a real success,” he said.
Over the years he has managed to add to his vast collection of pictures of Bahrain through internet sources and from students and parents.
He said: “It is absolutely unbelievable the way the kingdom has grown and the photo exhibition has highlighted the tremendous changes, as they show a capacity of expression and life in Bahrain since the 18th Century through to modern times.
“The students rose to the challenge of organising and displaying the photos to create a stunning exhibition. I included almost all aspects of life in the kingdom ranging from its history, culture, folk games, food and traditional clothing.”
Mr Al Anzarouti’s collection continues to grow and he has plans to put on more displays of the images in the future. He has kindly shared some examples for the pleasure of GulfWeekly readers.
