Often news stories about Bahrain will be accompanied by photographs of gleaming towers in Manama and Juffair, or – if the reporters want to go down another route – the traditional narrow streets and wind towers of Muharraq. Harvard-trained architect Ali Karimi wants to look beyond this simplistic binary and, in partnership with the Sheikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Centre for Culture and Research, designed a set of tours to show the true variety of Bahrain's architectural heritage.
The excursions, which began in 2019, are ever-changing events, so participants can expect something different every time. A location is chosen for one weekend a month and, weather permitting, small groups head out on Fridays and Saturdays to learn more about a particular neighbourhood.
Previous tours have included a walk around old Juffair’s colonial, mid-20th century buildings – an eye-opener for those who’ve grown to see the area as a beacon of brash modernity and little America – as well as a trip around Manama’s waterfront.
Karimi prefers to visit somewhere new each time in order to show people as much of what the island has to offer as possible, but also to satisfy his own curiosity.
"It's not about seeing the buildings that form the 'bread-and-butter' Bahraini narrative," he says. "It's about exploring the architecture that contests that narrative.
We can't preserve the city in aspic, but we can examine what is gained and lost in that process
"I also see it as an invitation to be part of a discussion for a few hours; a tour where people can ask what buildings actually do and what they mean to us." The group spends two hours strolling around a chosen area, as Karimi explains how the architecture has evolved. He believes this boots-on-the-ground approach can help people understand how Bahrain's different communities lived and intertwined in the past, as well as illustrating the stories of transformation and growth in each locality. "We can use the buildings to talk about how Bahrain has changed, and what role they've had in that evolution."
Karimi’s interest in architecture stems from his childhood spent in Muharraq. He describes the ever-changing nature of the island as inspiring a “hopeless nostalgia” among Bahrainis; the island’s development means that every generation has grown up with different surroundings.
"Studying the environment I grew up in gave me a sense of agency," he says. "Architecture began to appear in my mind's eye as something that sat at the intersection of a few different conversations. It allowed me to understand what was going on in terms of public space and buildings, but also do something about it. It seems to me a very necessary, but also empowering profession."
Karimi has studied, worked and lived in places as diverse as New York, Brussels and Santiago, and his achievements include being co-curator of the Kuwait Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale and exhibiting recently at the Sharjah Architecture Triennial.
He now wants to pass on this knowledge to others, and often brings architecture students along on his tours. “I wanted to help build literacy about buildings in Bahrain as a communal project rather than just as a research exercise in an office or library.”
His tours also serve to bring attention to buildings of significance that might otherwise be lost to development. “Of course, I want to highlight buildings that don’t fall under the realm of protection. I make suggestions about those that could be included on the protected list.”
Karimi is aware that not every building can be saved, though. “Some will go – that’s just the nature of architecture,” he says. “We can’t preserve the city in aspic, but we can examine what is gained and lost in that process. It can help combat the sense of helplessness people sometimes feel when buildings are demolished. “If we photograph and document buildings properly, they’re not really gone. They become part of a cultural memory.”
Karimi often discovers something new about the island on his tours, too. "When exploring old schools in Manama, we found out that the first girls', boys' and institutional schools in the area were all originally hosted out of the same private houses," he says. "Essentially, they were all hosted in merchant houses at the start, and that's why they're so close together. If I hadn't physically been leading a tour around there, I don't think I'd have ever made the connection, since I would have focused on schools as a category and not as a part of a neighbourhood fabric."
I plan to write about the country's modern, early modern and colonial buildings, which haven't yet been fully understood
Karimi has big plans for the future of this project. In the short term, he wants to take groups to the oil company town of Awali, as well as visit Gudaibiya, and go on another tour of Manama, this time focusing on the old churches and health centres. Another ambition of his is to head farther afield, to the UAE and Kuwait, looking at early modern buildings there, too.
In the longer term, Karimi wants to use the material he gathers from these expeditions to form the basis of a book about the beginnings of modern architecture in Bahrain. "The tours started as a way to get permission to access and document modern buildings. The proposal to collaborate with the Sheikh Ebrahim Centre and the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities was that we would use the process of doing research while also building public awareness," he says.
Take a look at the buildings on Bahrain's Unesco-listed Pearling Path:
“I plan to write about the country’s modern, early modern and colonial buildings, which haven’t yet been fully understood. Even if buildings are lost, at least the architectural ideas they represent can remain accessible in a publication.
"I envisage it as a hybrid tour book-architecture history book covering the buildings between roughly 1919 and 1961. It'll really be looking at the beginnings of modern architecture in the Gulf, using Bahrain as the main case study."
For now, anyone can join Karimi on his tours, but as they're socially distanced and bespoke, places are limited. They cost 5 Bahraini dinars ($13) and bookings are a must.
More information is available at shaikhebrahimcenter.org
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
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Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
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Company Profile:
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Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
