MIDDLE EAST
First two countries - Kuwait & Bahrain
We arrived in Kuwait City early Thursday 10/16 morning and were in our hotel room by 0200. It took most of the day to acclimate to the time zone. Friday was a free day, and we took a short walk to the north coast line of the Kuwait Bay in the Arabian Gulf just before sunset. It's warm here.
10/18 An interesting note: There are roughly 4 million people in Kuwait; 70% of those are foreign workers! The majority of those workers are from India and Egypt. So we mostly see Indians while we are out and about. We met our fellow traveler Josh from NYC today who'll be with us for the next two weeks. Our guide, 'Sid' Shaheen, is Pakistani/Indian who has lived here 30 years. Sid took us to see the mostly-Islamic collection at the private museum of Tareq Rajab and his wife Jehan. Then we went up 400' at the Kuwait Towers viewing sphere for a 360° view of the city and coastline. The view is disappointing because the sky isn't clear. Sid says it's sand in the air. Our lunch at the Freej Al Swaileh in the souk area was tasty; the light crispy bread was larger than our plate. The hummus was creamy. We enjoyed the Kuwaiti dish machboos, which was two rices, veggies and spices with a tomato sauce served with mutton. Anne's vanilla ice cream with fruit was yummy. We walked through some of the souk and a fish market.
10/19 Wearing hooded robes supplied by the mosque, we toured the very lovely Grand Mosque; it accommodates over 11,000 worshippers. Then we made a quick visit to the Bedouin Women's Craft museum. We had asked about a causeway we see from our hotel room. Sid drove us across the 15 mile causeway which ended at the desert. He says there's great family fun here in the winter; families go across to picnic. It's hard to imagine when we're used to green grass and trees. Since the Kuwait Oil Company museum was closed today, we went to a shopping mall you'd expect to see in the rich Middle East. We enjoyed lunch here. We stopped to see a huge old dhow sailing ship that's now incorporated into a Radisson Blu hotel. We finished the day seeing a home partially demolished by invading Iraqi soldiers in 1990. It's now a memorial site. We say farewell to Sid and wish him the best. I do hope we see blue skies when we arrive (by plane) in Bahrain.
10/20 After a short pleasant flight to Manama, Bahrain, we met our delightful guide Bharti (an Indian Hindu woman married to an Indian Christian man) who has lived here for 30 years. Today is Diwali; and she's here with us instead of her family. Bahrain consists of 33 islands with much mass being reclaimed from the sea. The name Bahrain means The Two Seas (the Arabian Gulf and a sea springing from artesian wells). The flag is white and red, meeting in 5 points which indicate the 5 tenets/pillars of Islam. We learn that of the 1.5 million residents, 50% are foreign workers, primarily from India! The USA has a naval base here. Our lunch offered several dishes for us to try. Everything was very tasty. After visiting the House of Qur'an museum, we saw the Bahrain National Museum and learn about the ancient Dilmun culture. We were in need of a pick-me-up by then, so we got an unusual Chai tea. I'm not a fan of tea, but this was very good. Anne thought it tasted like chocolate. We are very happy with our hotel. We were even happier to have a drink at the bar while chilling out with a Crossword and sudoku puzzle. No alcohol for the next two weeks while in Saudi Arabia.
10/21 Blue skies today! At breakfast, there are many teams of young athletes. We learn the Asian Youth Games will begin here this week. Our first stop is at the Al Fateh Grand Mosque; the Swarovski crystal chandelier is huge. We see remains of the Babar Temple from 3000 B.C. Artisans were carving wood, weaving and throwing pots at the Al Jasra Handicraft Center. At the Al Jasrah house (the birthplace of the king's father), we saw how old homes were constructed. The Saar Archeological site from 2500 B.C. was recently discovered under a lot of sand. Bahrain was surprised to discover the A'ali East Burial Mound field. The Bahrain International Circuit is a 3.4 mile motorsport venue; there's also horse racing. We saw the Bahrain World Trade Center with its three wind mills supplying its power. Before our quick visit to the souk, we walked around the Bahrain fort (which began around 2500 B.C.), known as Qal'at al-Bahrain, which is along the coastline. This was a long site-filled day. We thank Bharti and driver Mr. Singh for sharing Bahrain with us. Tomorrow we have a long drive into Saudi Arabia. We'll cross the 15.5 mile King Fahd causeway with its 5 bridges.
Flag of Kuwait
Maddy and I took a 10 minute walk from the Millenium Central Downtown hotel to see Kuwait Bay.
People were coming to enjoy a beach dinner and watch the sunset.
We saw the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Causeway Bridge with a sail design in the center.
Sunset on Kuwait Bay
We visited the privately owned Tareq Rajab Museum, founded by Tareq Rajab and his wife, Jehan. They travelled all over the Islamic world collecting artifacts they believed could be used in a museum. It was really an amazing collection. Following are photos of some of the varied artifacts.
Kuwait Towers & different views
Visit to the Old Dhow Harbor Fish Market
Panflit fish is supposed to be very good and expensive
Visiting the Souk Waqif in Kuwait
Visiting the Grand Mosque in Kuwait
Entering it reminded me of Las Vegas!
Special room for King of Kuwait (Sheikh Sabah) to meet with his entourage in the mosque
Visited a women’s center where they learn traditional crafts and house examples of old artifacts
Bride sat on this type of camel saddle for going to her wedding ceremony
We took a ride on the Causeway which spans Kuwait Bay from Kuwait City to Subiya and Bubiyan Islands. Sid, our guide, tells us that families go the the islands (which are deserts with no permanent residences) during their winter months for camping vacations. The Causeway has restaurants, stores and even a drive in theater.
View of Kuwait City from the Causeway
You wouldn’t believe how many HUGE malls they have in Kuwait! We visited the largest one, The Avenues and only walked on part of one floor (there are 4 floors). Various themed areas with high line stores.
We went to the Souk area and had a great lunch.
KThe old dhow sailing ship connected to a Radisson Blu hotel.
Nice resort and beach area - view from the Radissonn Blu
The home attacked by invading Iraqi soldiers in 1990, now a Martyr’s museumI
Flying into Muharraq, Bahrain from Kuwait
Bharti, our guide in Bahrain, took us to lunch in Manama, the capital
Our first stop - Al Fateh Mosque
Qal'at al-Bahrain Fort - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Archaelogical excavations since 1954 have unearthed antiquities from an artificial mound containing seven layers, created by various occupants from 2300 BC up to the 18th century, including Kassites, Greeks, Portuguese, and Persians. It was once the capital of the Dilmin civilization.
View of Bahrain from the fortress
The only Bahrainian I met while in Bahrain. He is a tour guide, most people working in Bahrain are foreigners.
Saudi Arabia - October 22 - November 4, 2025
10/22 We are in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Very pleasant temperature and low humidity; feels great. We 3 left Bahrain this morning with our driver Amir; within an hour we had crossed the scenic causeway, gone through passport control, been finger printed and were in Saudi Arabia. It was almost four more hours to Riyadh. Lots of sand, some trees, lots of truck traffic, then an area of darker, orange sand, some camels with their owners, then the city. Islam is not fond of dogs; we see cats galore. We'll be joined by one additional traveler tomorrow, along with our Subject Matter Expert Miklos Sarkozy and local guide Khaled.
10/23 We were joined by 6'6" Mike from California; he resembles my brother-in-law. Joel. Our SME Miklos is a professor in Budapest. Our guide Khaled is 24 with much info to share. He told us that Saudi realizes the oil will one day dry up; they already have some solar and wind projects. 77% of the total workforce are foreign workers. This morning we explored historic Diriyah (Old Riyadh) including the mudbrick Salwa palace and multiple museums (Arabian Horse museum, too). Lunch consisted of stews, veggies, a hot sauce and camel meat. Anne says it tastes like dry short rib meat. We enjoyed our time at the National Museum and the Al Masmak fortress, which was followed by a short walk in the souq.
10/24 There's light traffic today because it's the start of the weekend; we drive two hours northwest into a hilly area with red sand, a part of the western escarpment. There is scrub brush in most places and trees where there is a water source. There are approximately 32 million date palm trees throughout Saudi. Khaled told us 35% of women work outside the home; women can drive -- his sister is a driving instructor. We stop at Ushaiger, a point on the Hajj pilgrim route, and see the Najdi mudbrick architecture. Lunch is various stews, rice, chicken. We toured an old house museum and tasted/bought a few goodies. Some children greet us in English. We drive another two hours to our hotel.
10/25 Our driver, Nstaj from Sri Lanka, is doing a great job. Today in Buraidah is the Camel Market, one of the world's largest. All colors and sizes of camels are being lifted up with a crane and loaded into the purchaser's vehicle. One of the feisty guys had his huge jaws wide open to take a bite of the owner's rear-end from behind; he got a swift smack and then just looked around with a real attitude. There were great bales of hay and alfalfa for sale. Our next stop was an enjoyable visit with the owner of the the Aloqilat museum house; he was so expressive in his story telling. Of course, we were first welcomed with spiced coffee and dates. There are so many different varieties. Anne likes them now; they're not like the ones we get back home. We met an associate of the owner who was educated in and spent 20 years in the USA. He was glad for an opportunity to speak English. This was a terrific experience for us all. I've forgotten to mention the huge water desalination process here. Saudi is the world's largest producer of the water. It makes a huge difference to all parts of the country. I've also forgotten to mention that we are often 'incensed' when we arrive and leave places. The incense burner is held in front of you, and you wave smoke into your face for about five seconds. We drive further to Tabah in the Salma mountains where we see two impressive craters. This area has many craters, but we're out of time --- the sun has set.
10/26 Neither of us ever realized Saudi has craggy mountains and rocky areas besides sandy desert. Our first stop is the Ha'ill's Qishlah fortress, then the A'arif castle. In Jubbah we see rock art of various animals and even a chariot possibly 11,000 years old. Wonderful. Lunch is at the Al Eydah farm where we are greeted with incense, coffee, and the biggest dish of the biggest variety of dates we've ever seen. The farm owner picked out special ones for each of us to try. One was like eating a caramel. The owner and our guide Khaled welcomed us with a sword dance. Another tasty lunch. We saw a demonstration of the clever method where camels draw water from a well for irrigation, which is now done by pumps. Khaled explained to us that land owners in the past never had proper measurements of their land. They would describe their acreage by saying 'I have 20 date palms', and one 'date palm' measured about 7'. Today, surveyors make accurate readings for land transactions. At a stop, the guys buy a coke made with date sugar. No difference in taste, they say.
10/27 Today we're in Sakaka, the kingdom's most fertile region. We see many olive tree farms. We're in for a treat with a stop at the recently 'discovered' Camel Site. About 2,000 years ago, three outcrops of rock were carved in relief with 20 or more camels. Those animals were held in such high esteem to be honored with these carvings. We saw a dovecote/pigeon tower along the way. We saw an ancient huge well that was recently rediscovered. We climb up to the Qasr Al Za'abal castle. All enjoy lunch at an Indian restaurant where we have yummy samosas, butter chicken, fatush salad, a variety of naan, chicken and shrimp, hummous. Anne and Josh enjoy Syrian ice cream at a nearby shop in a variety of different flavors. The vanilla had a flavor none of us could pinpoint; it was odd. We are surprised to learn that Khaled's fiance is a Japanese gal, a recent concert to Islam. They met at a mosque in Japan (Khaled works there about 6 months a year on tourism promotion). She'll come to Saudi next year, they'll live in Medina. His mother is sad she won't be able to talk to her daughter-in-law. But Khaled told us she is studying Arabic. We'll have a long drive tomorrow.
Our first tour in Riyadh is to the city of Diriyah where the story of Iran began and first capital of Riyadh.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Salwa Palace including its madrasa, Diriyah Museum, Arabian Horse Museum, Military Museum and Daily Living Museum
Najdi plain
Beautiful horse saddle
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Replica of Turfa, bronze painted horse.
Turfa (the real horse) was a coronation gift to King George VI of the United Kingdom in appreciation of the hospitality King Abdulah received on his visit to England in 1937
Horse passports
We ate at this traditional chain Arabic restaurant, Nadj Village
Nice private dining rooms - fortunately we were given a room with chairs to sit.
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Traditional welcome for dinner guests - burning incense
Kalhed, our guide, wafting incense toward himself and then at each of us.
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Our delicious lunch: center bowl is camel meat over two types of rice, a variety of appetizers from cheese filled pickles, sesame seed sauce, hummus, samosas, vegetable stew and more!
The National Museum of Riyadh covers the history of the Arabian Peninsula from prehistoric times to present day
Copy of the Rosetta Stone
Beautiful rock art formed by erosion
Rock from the crater we will visit
Arabic coffee is very light colored with various spices added. Offering a small cup of coffee to visitors along with a variety of dates is the norm. We were treated at various homes and museums.
We visited an auction flea market - interesting items from valuables like old swords, money, tools etc., to lots of junk. One of the Arabic men gave all of us a gift. I received a traditional coffee pot like the one in the above picture, Maddy received green prayer beads. My pot was made in Pakistan and Maddy’s prayer beads in China, lol!
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Flag of Saudi Islamic creed, “There is no deity but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God” |
The door with a hole to the right of the door frame that just missed King Aziz as he fled.
Our comfortable ride thru Saudi Arabia
Leaving Riyhad - some of the different buildings
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Bedouin camp site in the desert with the herd of camels
Another Bedouin camp
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Ushaiqer is a small village north-west of Riyadh. It is one of the oldest towns in the Saudi region of Najd and was a major stopping point for pilgrims coming from Kuwait, Iraq and Iran to perform Hajj or Umrah. Originally known as A'ekel, the name was changed to Ushaiqer because the town is bordered by a small red mountain. The mountain is red in color, but locals said it was blonde simply because red and blonde were used interchangeably in the old days. Ushaiqer means the "Small Blonde".
The historical importance of the village are old mud buildings untouched. The people of Ushaiqer have restored the historical village to preserve its heritage and built a museum which displays various relics and pieces from the village.
Our fellow traveler, Josh from New York who is always joshing around.
Date palm tree wrapped so the dates don’t fall to the ground
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Lots of different colors of desert sand on our travels |
We stopped at a traditional market and bought sesame cookies and a variety of date cookies
Our resort hotel in Al Qassimis (central Saudi Arabia) is set among the palms of a working date plantation
Part of the huge date plantation. There are over 300 different types of dates!
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Camel market in Buraidah on a Saturday - the busiest day for the market |
Anne getting a nuzzle from a camel
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This owner was asking $6,000 for his camel
Saudis have a variety of contests for camels - beauty, eyes, races, etc. Camels become great friends with their owners, live about 50 years and have great memories.
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Baby camel nursing
We visited a date market
These are fresh dates, my favorite because they are not very sweet
Packaged dates look really nice
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We visited this museum and really enjoyed it. This is a scene of 2 people stopping in the desert for the night. Both are leaning against their camels. The camel can sense when someone is nearby. When the owner feels the camel move, he asks the person to join them for coffee thus offering friendship and thwarting a possible robbery.
Crater
The castle/fort from the ground, around 70 steps to get to the top
View of a road that takes you to the top of the mountain - view from the castle
At the top of the castle
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Holes in the wall are used for shooting weapons
