Bahrain - An Ancient and Modern Kingdom

Once again Visa Magazine has taken the hassle out of researching a potential holiday destination and checked out the visa requirements for Indians travelling to Bahrain. Indian nationals can apply online for a visa to Bahrain, which takes 7 days to process, and also need a passport and a bank statement showing that they have enough money to fund the vacation. The Kingdom of Bahrain is an Arabic speaking island country in the Persian Gulf and is made up of an archipelago of islands with Bahrain Island being the biggest, and where the capital city Manama is situated. Bahrain is connected to Saudi Arabia by a causeway, so tourists could combine a holiday to both countries if required. The Dilmun civilisation first populated the small country and developed their pearl fisheries, once seen as the best globally and has been colonised by many different countries and cultures including the ancient Greeks, and once had a diverse religious culture with Christians, Jews and Persians, and was rumoured to be the home of the Garden of Eden, until the ruler was converted to Islam in AD 628 and thus the population.

Nowadays the country has a well-developed banking industry, a Formula 1 Grand Prix and a buzzing food and art scene, in part due to its large expat community. One of the most popular attractions is the National Museum, which has archaeological examples of the Dilmun culture as well as a Hall of Graves, Customs and Traditions, and an exhibition devoted to storytelling. The weather is very hot, year round and the land and coastline are home to over 330 species of birds as well as gazelles, desert rabbits and dugongs and dolphins. The dugong population in Bahrain is the second-largest in the world after Australia and the species are protected. Bahrain is an interesting mix of ancient and modern and with the ease of getting an online visa from India, is well worth adding to your holiday destinations.