Wasel Safwan’s Four Nights in Bahrain
www.waselart.com
24-28, June, 2010
Since I was born, I only used to knock the doors of Bahrain, today I am thirty years old and have decided to enter the door and discover Bahrain for first time. This time I flaw by Fly Dubai, the launching was at 7:15am and arrived 7:15am, means if you keep going from Dubai to Bahrain everyday, your age will not move! Actually it was 8:18am Bahrain time when I was in the airplane in Bahrain, I have checked out smoothly and decided to not take a taxi, just walk, my mother called checking on me, I kept walking, I have no map, I have no idea where I am walking, it is early morning, welcome to Kingdom ofBahrain.
While walking, I was looking around, trying to absorb the first images I can see, turned left toward the neighborhood, where am I! I saw a grocery and bakery, I got in the grocery to buy a drink, and had chance to talk to the grocery man, I felt something which I am not used to in Abu Dhabi “Are you Bahraini?” I said, “Yes, I am” he replied. Then a police man came in, and he spoke to him in Urdu and left, “And is he Bahraini?” I asked, “No, he is not” he replied. So the grocery man is local and the police man is not! I left them and bought fresh bread and kept walking to somewhere I do not know, a small car passed by at this early morning to a girl walking alone, he was flirting with her, shall I go and protect her, wait Wasel you are still did not pass 60 minutes in Bahrain.
Sh. Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, founder of Barajeel Art Foundation in Sharjah, has given me three names of galleries to visit; Riwaq, Al Bareh, & La Fountaine, actually it was him who adviced me to go to Bahrain too. Anyways, I finally took a taxi, and it was nice to talk to the driver, he was nice gentleman of Bahrain, when he knew I am from UAE he mentioned a name of a man who I also always heard about his nice manner and personality, he is artist Abdulrahim Salem, I was pleased to know that his reputation is spread to this place. But the funny thing was when he asked me where do you want to go? I was like ahh umm umm to down town.. I need hotel please. He was kind, he understood my situation, he kept telling me what is around us till he arrived me to Bahrain Gate “Bab Al Bahrain”. I only have one bag on my shoulder, wearing my Emirati traditional kandorah, and entering this old lovely bazaar, I kept walking in, just want a hotel to sleep at night because all day I am surely outdoor, oh found this three star hotel, that is risk! But I checked the room and it was good, not bad. I put my stuff and I decided to walk and see this place. I am in the bazaar now, people around me and you hear voices such as “akhoy to Damam..?” “teba taxi..”, etc. And they are Saudis or Bahrainis and maybe some Yemenis too. You can feel more the social life here than in Al Ain or Abu Dhabi, you easily can talk to locals of the city, they are still working in stores, selling, or driving taxis. I used to see our old café shops used by Asians and used to see in video clips or black and white photos that our
grandfathers used to use them, but here the images are colored! The blue wooden long chair, the Deshdash and the lovely Sufrah style on the head, you enter the café shop and just say Salma Alikum and everyone will reply you, you set, drink, talk and go. That is the real life of a culture! How happy me to see it finally! Yes I am from the Arabian Gulf.
A gentleman took me to Riwaq gallery, the design of the gallery is fresh, so much natural lighting with dancing twisted vertical sheet steel columns near to each other on front of glass wall. There I was introduced by the gallery to first Bahraini artist, Ja’afar Al Araibi, I spoke with him and we decided to meet at 6pm, they told me the art collections of Shiekh Sultan are here, you can see them on next Sunday if you want to. I took a taxi to La Fountaine, it is a big house for Fatima Ali Rida’s Family, she own it now, it is more than 150 years old, long trees making shade of dance of the floor and on the parts of the heritage walls, an eleven thousand square meters of space generates its energy from its simplicity with hand made coloration of each square meter of walls and even the hand made fountain which weight twenty six tons,
the steel art pieces sat as patterns on the top walls, when little winds pass they make a sound of dance, they have good interior and specially exterior space for art and also dance studio with spa and lovely place for dining too, I liked the art of the wedding dresses of Al Othman & Tabiat Fashion, spiritual art pieces fits lovely ladies for romantic days. There, I silently moved to conference room, switched on the air condition and sat alone to draw my first art piece in Bahrain.
Now I am going to the National Museum of Bahrain, there you can learn a lot about Bahrain, they been developed before UAE to say the truth, modern education started in 1919. The museum is big and considers modern art as well, I always used to think a Museum is a place for heritage stuff, but look to our neighbor, Bahrain, they have this Museum with exhibitions halls, I had a chance to visit the art pieces of artist Rashid Al Khalifa. Ja’afar called and he arrived at 6pm, he took me by his car and introduced me to Albareh gallery, then he took me to Bahrain Contemporary Art Association, there I met many artist and it is the most place I kept visiting too, from there I started to make friends and discover more about art scene in Bahrain and from there Ja’afar disappeared and left me with them. Abdul kareem Al Orrayed, born 1932, he published this centre and it was
great chance to talk to him, he told me so many things about history of art in Bahrain, or even how he used to go to Dubai by boat in 3 days, and how he met Sh Hasher Al Maktoum and Taryem bin Omran sons, and he also designed a flag to UAE when it was a competition. Bahrain’s art started long time ago maybe more than 400 years ago and it was started on graveyards, Bahrain was known as a place for graveyards, so the locals used to draw or sculpture on the stones which used there, also they had art from sea side when they used to go sealing, to draw the boats. Modern art started early 1950s, the generation of Al Orrayed was the beginning of modern art in Bahrain, for me it is always a mysterious question, what is modern art? Does it mean there is no more modern life afterwards or is it always a modern time? Being at the association with the artists is a good thing, Bahraini people are lovely people, I always used to hear that but today I touch it, you easily can communicate with them no matter what subjects they talk about, their hearts are always soft. Artist Sayed Hassan Al Saari, he was kind to take me around the city all the times, without him I would not go to so many places, Bahrain contains of fourty island.
On 25th it was Friday, I woke up late and took shower running to Juma pray, when I was down, I saw people going to pray so I followed them, umm but they all carry carpet to set on it so I had the impression the Mosques are full, when I went behind the hotel building, all the tight lanes are full of prayers, setting and listening to the Juma speech, cause of crowd people set inside the stores too, even locals you see them setting there, I kept searching for place to set, and I saw something new to me! “magha sha’abi” old café shop, it is open and Bahraini setting there, drinking tea, talking and listening to the Juma prayer speech, it was nice atmosphere and I decided to set with them, I felt the whole bazaar is inside the Mosque now, it is my first Friday pray in café shop, when prayers started, we moved the tables on chairs and moved the carpets from the chairs to the ground, prayed and returned everything back and everyone disappear! That was new experience!
Bahrain is multicultural in special manner, you can see locals from different paths in life such as Muslims, Christians and Jews, for me I was like how can I see a man wearing deshdash and is a Chritian or Jew? I wish to see them that is new experience too! The social life in Bahrain is different than UAE, the Bahraini citizen work anywhere, from cleaning to taxi driver to managers to art to music to trades. I was happy when I visited the Zayed city, which was built by Sh. Zayed Al Nahyan founder of UAE for Bahraini citizens, nice houses and locals live there in peace. Also I been to west coast ofBahrain, visited many places such as Dumestan, Karzkan, and Shahrkan, they have bazaar there called Waqf which is similar name to the one in Doha, I even been told they have Bazaar called Al Ain too. Also been to the North coast of Bahrain where I could see the skyline of King Fahd Bridge, 25 km, connected to Saudi Arabia via sea.
I went to Beit Al Quran “House of Al Quran”, I was surprised that it was related to Artist Mohamed Kanoo in Abu Dhabi, it is for his father, Dr. Abdul Latif Jassim Kanoo, an avid collector of Holy Quranic manuscripts, he got unique collections that you rarely can see in the world, for example I have learnt that the first Quran to be translated to Europe was to French and from there it moved to another languages in Europe, and you can see the translated Holy book there. Also you can see the neat script which is called Rayhan, very soft and neat. Beit Al Quran is the first and only public institution of its type in the region and it is not only about teaching Quran but the art of Quran too. It was funded and wholly supported by public donations, when I was there the price of the ticket was “give what you wish” and I had chance to pray at Abdul Rahman Jassim Kanoo Mosque, the splendid
design in circle shape attached to the House of Quran, the blue tiles on the niche were made in Turkey. Kanoo’s family has big history in Bahrain, and this building approve for their loyalty and love to Bahrain and their appreciation to art. I was pleased to visit this historic building, they even have art exhibition hall, and I had chance to see Abdul Kareem Al Orrayed artworks. Major areas of Beit Al Quran are: Al Forqan Library; holds twenty five thousand volumes and research room, Yousif bin Ahmad Kanoo School for Quranic Studies; comprises seven studies areas in modern educational system and to memorize Quran too, and Al Hayat Musuem; comprises of ten halls interconnected by easy split level ramps, there you can see Islamic manuscripts collections, the oldest dates back to the first Hijri century.
The more I go out with Sayed Hassan Al Saari, the more I see Bahrain, he keeps driving me around the city during day and night, I keep feeding my brain about this lovely kingdom, since I was child I used to hear about their softness and today I am inside their hearts. I had a walk at the Al Mihreq Bazar, there you find Bahrainis gathering to sell or for shopping, I saw Emirati guys at one perfume store waited them till they left and I got in, I discovered a place where they go there to buy perfumes from the man who made them by his hand, I bought some collections to get them back home, the more I walk the more I see, and the name Showeetr is in all sweet stores! I asked who is this famous family name? They told me it is not a family, it means “Shatr” which means “Smart”, so you see Smart Abdullah Sweet Store, Smart Ali Sweet Store, etc.
I started to remember my friends in UAE who been living here before such as Calligrapher Mohammed Mandi and Ms Sara Al Shakr. Abdull Kareem Al Orrayed was happy that I know them because he know them too, he told me that Mandi was a member of the Bahrain Contemporary Art Association before he left to UAE, and of course he knew Mohamed Kanoo because he knows his uncle and father too, and Al Shakr family too. I already like them a lot but being in Bahrainmade me to like them more and more, Sara was surprised that I am here too.
While we were driving, Sayed told me that this district called Nabieh Al Saleh, and he drove by to show me the place, the story behind this Island is a good man was called Nabih Al Saleh, his wife wanted to know where he goes at night sometimes, he kept repeating this habit which made her curious to know where is he going at night, she called his teacher and asked him for help, then his teacher followed him at night, when Nabih reached the beach side he walked above the sea toward another island to meet another people and teach them good things then get back home! On next day, it was pray time at mosque, and the teacher should be the Imam but he said that this time Nabih should be the Imam, and everyone was shocked because the teacher should be and not a student but he had to say the truth that he saw him last night and he realized that Nabih is more wise than him and blessed too so he is the right person to be Imam and not the teacher. Nabih used always to pray that if someone knew his secret he would prefer to die soon after that, and while he was praying and doing Sojood “Prostration” he passed away. I visited his mosque where his tomb is settled there too, then kept driving back to Manama where I stay, when I asked what does Manama mean, they had two stories one of them says that long time ago the kind used to rest there and in Arabic we say to the place to sleep or rest a Manama, and the second story says it is a place where trades used to do business, and it was blessed place “Ne’ama” and the word slightly changed to Manama, which is still till now a place of Trade.
I met another Bahraini gentleman at the old market, his name Abu Jawaher Mahdi, he is specialized on old coins collections, he showed me coins from Ottoman time of 13th century B.C. and Roman coins from Roman Empire time, and stones which picture natural perspective inside as camera do. Almost each day I go once or twice to the BahrainContemporary Art Association, just to look at the artists and talk to them. I had the chance to have two art collections from Bahraini artists, one from Abdul Kareem Al Orrayed and another from Sayed Hassan Al Saari, also had the chance to visit Sayed Hassan house and another artist called Ayman Hajji, they have studios in their houses which I could see more of real artists life in Bahrain.
Early morning of 28th, the taxi driver Fatima had kindly asked me if she can drop me to airport, and I was pleased to go out with her to the airport, even when I told her it is early for you, she said “I work 24 hour, even 2 morning I am available.. if someone want to work, should work hard too”, I really respected her answer and I had nice conversation with her till I arrived to airport. When I checked in, the Fly Dubai airline was canceled! And I had to buy another ticket at Gulf Air because I have promised to take my sister to Equestrian Club, also low cost airlines always give you headache, there were no one from Fly Dubai to talk to, the passengers were happy no matter what has happened and Bahrainis security were kind to support us to buy other tickets to Dubai, I sat and drew more artworks added to the artworks I drew inBahrain, when I was in airplane, I was happy to go back home but inside my heart I know, inshallah, that I will come back toBahrain often, a passenger was setting to my right and was wearing westernized style, I wanted to talk to him, “Do you live in Dubai?” I asked in English language, “I only speak English” he replied, I looked toward the sky, smiled, and said welcome to the World!
written by: Wasel Safwan Al Muaiji
