Bahrain Fort

The Bahrain fort is one of the most important monuments in Bahrain. It is composed of an artificial mound created by many successive layers of human occupation from 2300 BC up to the 1700's. In 2005 it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The remains show continuous human presence for many centuries. About 25% of the site has been excavated revealing different types of structures: public, commercial, residential, military, and religious.

The reason this fort is particularly interesting to me is the painted villages nearby. A few years ago many local artists came together to work on this project. They painted the whole village around the fort, which consists of houses, a mosque, and a wall that surrounds the area. Through the paintings the artists expressed their impressions of the culture and history of Bahrain from old civilizations to modern times. Since Bahrain is not so big on tourism, it’s great that these artists came together to improve an important site in the country. It’s a great example of how art contributes to a society. After the completion of this project the site became much more popular.

You would think though that it would be nice to live here, but you could say that the impression of the village does not at all reflect the lifestyle of it. The people here live in very poor conditions. Large families are crammed in spaces that hardly fit them, their incomes are low, and their lifestyle is tough.