Manama, November 30 (BNA): The Muharraq Nights Festival will kick off on Thursday evening, corresponding to December 1, 2022, in the old historical district of Muharraq. The main cultural event is organized by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities in partnership with the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research as part of the Pearling Path project. The festival will feature a variety of events at many venues across the city on weekends for the first two weeks of the month (1-3 December and 8-10 December) between 05:00 PM and 09:00 PM.
On this occasion, Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, said: “The Muharraq Nights Festival highlights the importance of the city as a local, regional and global cultural center, and it was the first of its kind. The capital of Bahrain, the largest pearl trade center in the Gulf region And the cradle of literary, scientific and cultural movements in Bahrain.
Sheikh Khalifa noted that the festival is in line with the city’s designation as a “Creative City of Design” by UNESCO, an investment in cultural infrastructure improvements that have been made over the past few years. He added that the Muharraq Nights Festival includes a variety of artistic and design events in prominent locations across the city, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the homes branching from the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research.
He urged the people of Bahrain to attend the festival, noting that it includes activities for people of all ages and backgrounds, which is great for families, and will give visitors a new perspective on the city of Muharraq.
The Muharraq Nights Festival is one of the most important and largest cultural events that take place in December. It will take place all over the city, from the northernmost Sovereign Council to the southernmost Bu Maher Castle, and will include a variety of activities, such as musical performances, exhibitions, workshops, markets, and much more. Activities at the festival will be divided into eight categories to appeal to a wide range of age groups and interests: arts, design, crafts, food, music, cinema, activities and tours.
You can visit www.peaerlingpath.bh or follow @PearlingPath on Pearling Path’s social media platforms to find out more about the festival schedule, dates, venues, parking and events required for registration.
The public will be able to see a number of exhibitions and works of art, including “What You See” by Mahiri Boyle at the Pearling Path Visitor Center, “Beyond Imagination: Manama” at Al-Riwaq Art Hall in Al-Dawy Building, “On the Rhythm of Pearls” by Isaac Madan in Fakhro Building the first and the second. The festival also includes the exhibition “My sadness, how long those years pass away” by the last oil well in the parade ground, “On the Edge” in the memory of the place – Bait Bin Matar, “All Purposes” in Bait Al-Imarah. Heritage, “Autolithi” by Hassan Hujairi and Christine Ribet in Fossos Square, and “Belonging” by Marwa Rashed Al Khalifa in Athar Green. Festival visitors can also stop by a variety of art studios and galleries, including the Busaad Art Gallery, Ann Holtrop’s Studio, Ta’a House, and others scattered throughout Old Muharraq.
The public is invited to market nights at Fakhro Building 1 and 2, where designers and entrepreneurs showcase their original creations and wares catering to a variety of tastes and interests. In addition, they can visit Al-Qaysariyya Market, which has many shops and state-of-the-art design studios.
Shops selling traditional swords, gold, jewellery, world-famous Bahraini sweets, woodwork, antiques and Korar embroidery will open their doors to visitors during the Muharraq Nights festival so they can meet the craftsmen and learn more about their work.
In order to enrich the cultural offerings of the city, the Muharraq Nights Festival presents a variety of perspectives on eating Bahraini and contemporary cuisine in places such as Al Qaisariya Market, Green Athar, Siyadi Store, Coffee House, Logmatina House, and other restaurants. The city’s rich cultural past. In Dana Square, which is part of the Pearling Path site, you will find ‘Souk Al Dana’, where hardworking families and local merchants set up shops selling food and drink to the public to the sounds of both traditional and modern music.
The Muharraq Nights Festival will witness musical evenings for lovers of authentic Bahraini melodies and music in various locations throughout the city, starting with Bu Maher Castle, which will host folklore performances by famous groups such as the Qalali Folk Band and the Dar Bin Harban Band. The Ismail Dawas Troupe, and the Hadd Youth Troupe.
Dar Al Muharraq will organize folklore performances on Saturdays of the festival only, while Mohammed bin Faris Music Hall will hold evening performances on Thursdays only. Ahmed Al-Qasim, Mohamed Asiri, Mahmoud Al-Hashemi, Ziad Sabt, and Ahmed Al-Basry will perform contemporary music at Amret Fakhro the First, while Mohamed Jabari and Nabil Mohamed will perform at Fosus Square, within the Pearling Path site. Sami Al Maloud Band, Irtijal Band and others will perform a mixture of folklore and contemporary music at Dana Square.
In the Pearling Path Visitor Center, the Muharraq Nights Festival will display films by Bahraini directors in cooperation with the Bahrain Cinema Club, and Souq Al-Qaysariyya will show the documentary series “Oral History” produced by the Culture Authority and featuring various aspects. Bahrain’s tangible and intangible heritage.
In addition, with the support of the French Embassy in Bahrain, the Alliance Française, and the Instiut Francais, the Vossos square within the Pearling Path site will host two animated performances by Christine Ribet “Otolithe”, an ode to the world’s oldest gem, the Pearl, inspired by the Fijiri, the traditional songs of divers Pearls in the Gulf Region, on December 9th and 10th, artist and musician Hassan Hujairi gave stunning acoustic performances for each show, followed by a panel discussion on this artistic collaboration.
Family movie nights will be held at Bu Maher Fort, showing films suitable for children and adults. In addition to canoeing trips between 9am and 5pm, oyster rides at Bu Maher Fort, cycling, a Khalifiya and Sofia library program, and a children’s activity corner with storytelling events, workshops, and other activities, the festival offers a variety of other activities. The Muharraq Nights Festival organizes tours around the Pearling Path, Fakhro House, Siyadi Council and Murad House, multi-storey car parks, a photography tour, and a food tour to introduce visitors to the city’s historical and cultural sites.
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities would like to thank the contributors to the Muharraq Nights Festival, including the National Bank of Bahrain, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health (National Genome Centre), the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Information Affairs and the Muharraq Municipality. Bahrain Radio 96.5, French Embassy in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Alliance Française, Institut Français, Edamah. The authority also thanks its employees, artists, designers and creators, as well as everyone who contributed to the success of the most important cultural event in Muharraq.
The Muharraq Nights Festival highlights the Pearling Path, the second site of the Kingdom of Bahrain to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, along with its accompanying cultural and social practices and intangible heritage, which embodies the legacy of the Pearling Age. in Bahrain. The site includes 3.5 kilometers of pristine coastline, three pearl fisheries, sixteen historic buildings, and public squares, all within the historic city of Muharraq.
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