A new voyage of discovery
The Acropolis in Athens, Greece
Posted On : 12 Jun 2010
Two years after his remarkable 24,000-kilometre Bahrain to Britain voyage, Ali Mushaima will be driving off for a Tylos to Thassos trip on June 23.
This year’s two-month, 12,000-kilometre itinerary takes in six countries on a voyage of discovery of the links between Bahrain and Greece.
The trip will promote Bahrain, also called Tylos by the Greeks. and the Pearling project, which Bahrain is aiming to register as a UNESCO site. The Bahrain International Circuit – venue for Formula 1 races on the island – will also be spotlighted.
The Greeks were in Bahrain in the first three centuries of the current era though Alexander the Great (4th century BC) despatched three exploratory vessels down the Gulf, two of them possibly arriving at Tylos, the Hellenic name for Bahrain.
The 16th century Arad Fort adapted a Greek word “Arados,” as its name though the Hellenic people never occupied the fortress site.
Mushaima, publisher of travel guides, postcards and travelogues, will lead a team of photographers and writers from Tylos, or Bahrain , through Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria and Turkey before reaching Greece.
The first stop in Greece will be Kavala, birthplace of the 19th century pasha, Mohammed Ali, of an Ottoman dynasty of illustrious rulers.
On the route of discovery in Greece, the friendship-tour crew plan to explore the north part of Greece visiting Thessaloniki, Vergina and touring the Island of Thlassos.
After two months on the road, the group will return to Bahrain. Mushaima will be driving the same Land Rover four-wheel drive that he used in 2008.
The trip represents a two-way street: re-establishing the ancient and contemporary bonds between Bahrain and Greece.
Though Alexander the Great quite likely did not stop at the Bahrain archipelago, he did sent a scouting party to the country which may have lead to the Tylos settlement centuries later.
The celebrated conqueror did establish himself on the island of Failaka, off the shores of Kuwait, where a palace was constructed, the remains of which have been excavated.
En route on this summer’s voyage, he intends to hold press conferences at key destinations on the itinerary.
“Such trips are wonderful and unique ways to create a better understanding of our intricably connected heritage, appreciating the bonds which link our history and culture over the millenniums,” underlined Mushaima.
“At the same time, there’s no denying that countless friendships are fostered between peoples.”
