MSI Press Blog

  Manama Manama is he modern pulse of Bahrain. The capital city (and, really, the only city of any size), Manama is Bahrain’s cosmopolitan heart, located on the northeastern coast. It is sleek and vertical—glass towers, luxury hotels, and financial hubs dominate the skyline. The rest of Bahrain is quieter and more horizontal—villages, date farms, and archaeological sites stretch across low desert terrain. This contrast can be seen in the coexistence of traditional souqs and modern malls, offering everything from spices and pearls to designer brands. The Bahrain National Museum, perched on an artificial peninsula, offers sweeping views of the sea and showcases the island’s 6,000-year history. Nearby, the National Theatre and waterfront cafés create a serene cultural corridor. When I worked there in the early 2000s, I often drove through the Pearl Roundabout. Iconic, it served as a national symbol (featured on currency). Later, in 2011, it became a protest site during a pro-democracy...

  Bahrain Imagine standing at the edge of a burial mound field at dusk. Behind you, the towers of the capital city shimmer like glass lanterns. Before you, the desert breathes with ancient memory. And all around, the sea whispers the stories of traders, poets, and pilgrims who once called this island home. That is Bahrain. The name means “two seas” ( bahr = sea, ain = dual grammatical ending). Bahrain is a shimmering archipelago in the Persian Gulf, where ancient burial mounds rise from desert plains and the sleek skyline of Manama glints across the water. It’s a place where Bronze Age silence and 21st-century ambition coexist—sometimes in the same breath. It is also hot. By mid‑summer, Bahrain feels like it has been placed under a glass dome. Temperatures climb well above 40°C (104°F), and the humidity rolls in from the Gulf like a warm, wet curtain. On the hottest days, the air itself feels heavy—almost tactile. It’s the kind of heat that doesn’t just sit on the skin; ...