The natural welcoming nature of Bahrain and its people has stayed the same for centuries, helping it to become an entrepôt for trade and travellers in the Gulf. Whoever said 'East is East; West is West and never the twain shall meet' hasn't set foot on Bahrain, a country where civilisations converge, races rejoice and humanity expresses its shared values in abundance.

The land is silver and the sea is pearl; these islands are surrounded by shoal water on every side, which greatly adds to the beauty of the place.

"The water itself is so clear that you can see far down into the coral depths, while spring of fresh water bubble up through the brine," E L Durand, a British official and an archeaologist, wrote in a note after reaching Bahrain in 1879.

Sweet water springs from the salty seas in Bahrain (which means 'two seas' in Arabic), an archipelago of 33 islands. Fondly called the "Eden Garden of the Gulf" or the "Pearl of the Gulf", the country has drawn adventurers, explorers, conquerors and traders for hundreds of years to its shores and always punched above its weight on the global scene.

The natural welcoming nature of the island nation and its people has stayed the same for centuries, helping it to become an entrepôt for trade and travellers in the Gulf. Whoever said 'East is East; West is West and never the twain shall meet' hasn't set foot on Bahrain, a country where civilisations converge, races rejoice and humanity expresses its shared values in abundance.

A contemporary account of Manama in 1862 by WG Palgrave (Narrative of a Year's Journey Through Central and Eastern Arabia) says: "Mixed with the indigenous population (of Manamah) are numerous strangers and settlers, some of whom have been established here for many generations back, attracted from other lands by the profits of either commerce or the pearl fishery, and still retaining more or less the physiognomy and garb of their native countries. Thus the gray-coloured dress of the southern Persia, the saffron-stained vest of Oman, the white robe of Nejed, and the striped gown of Bagdad, are often to be seen mingling with the light garments of Bahreyn, its blue and red turban, its white silk-fringed cloth worn Banian fashion round the waist, and its frock-like overall; while a small but unmistakable colony of Indians, merchants by profession, and mainly from Guzerat, Cutch, and their vicinity, keep up here all their peculiarities of costume and manner, and live among the motley crowd, 'among them, but not of them'."

Bahrain was known for its verdant groves of date palms; since ancient times it has been a centre for trade and a source of natural resources for the surrounding areas.

The country was also from time immemorial known for its high-quality pearls and drew global merchants. Jewellers felt Bahraini pearls had a unique shading and appearance that made them particularly significant and valuable; and they were sought after by kings and queens and the well-heeled the world over. Bahrain developed into a position of regional importance due to its pearls and the riches they brought to its shores.

For centuries, Muharraq was the Gulf's pearling capital. Bahrain boasted the largest fleet of pearling vessels – it is said the country had more than one-third of the boats in the whole of the Gulf. Almost everyone was involved directly or indirectly in pearling activities or its supply industries, so much so that Bahrain had almost become a single product economy by the early 19th century with demand for pearls at its highest.

However, when the pearl market lost its shine in late 1920s, it was the 'black gold' that gushed out of a well in Jebel Al Dukhan in 1932 that turned the tide for Bahrain again. While the world was experiencing the Great Depression and demand for pearls plummeted, oil was discovered which greatly increased the revenue of the government.

One historian remarked: "No community or government has been more suddenly and timely rescued from economic disaster than those of Bahrain in 1932." Since the oil find, Bahrain's landscape has changed completely.

Bahrain's location also made it the centre of seaborne trade for millennia and with the arrival of aviation, it became a convenient haven for world travellers, raising the country's ambition to become a hub between the East and the West.

Bahrain's economy is today diversified and the country's younger generation that is tech-savvy is ready to face the global challenges of the future.

* This article was first published in 'Jubilee - Bahrain's Golden Era, 50 Years of Nationhood' by GDN 

Sree Bhat