15 May 2015
Expo Milan ‘Archaeologies of Green’ 2015 is Bahrain’s Ambassador to the world
Heritage is a common communication tool for people to interact and get closer and so the pavilion of the kingdom of Bahrain at the Expo Milano 2015, ‘Archaeologies of Green’, which is a poetic interpretation of the cultural agrarian heritage of the country, has planned a number of educational and entertainment activities throughout the 6 months of the exhibition. These activities aim at showing the visitors and the whole world the urban fabric through Bahrain’s pavilion, which reflects the deeply-rooted agrarian and cultural history of Bahrain.
The Bahrain Milan Expo 2015 pavilion also features various programmes, including henna decoration, Arab coffee, designing baskets, making wooden boxes, folk music, Bahraini cuisine, and displaying agricultural artefacts dating back to the Dilmun civilization.
Bahrain Pavilion visitors will be treated to an enriching experience of the country’s hospitality and local culture. Local traditions such as basket weaving will provide a live demonstration of one of the country’s most important crafts and will introduce guests to the timeless tradition of basket making using palm tree fronds. Indeed, the manual crafts associated with the palm tree are the best examples of how the Bahraini artisans have exploited the local environment products and harnessing them to manufacture the tools they need in their daily life activities and affairs.
A fashion show of Bahraini clothes by Hind Matar will attract many lovers of traditional designs. The thoub and its distinct embroidery will shed light on the shaping of local identity throughout the ages; with design motifs often derived from nature and the surrounding environment, including plants and architecture, the thoub is an elaborate garment.
Visitors of the national pavilion ‘Archaeologies of Green’ will enjoy Bahraini style henna application and decoration which will be the focus of the henna artists’ presentation. In addition, while sipping coffee, a distinguished musical performance of the Fjiri tradition by the Qalali Group will connect audiences to Bahrain’s pearling heritage. This musical tradition, passed down through decades was, according to folklore, learned through a unique experience with supernatural forces.
In parallel with the Global Coffee Forum at EXPO Milano to be held between 28th September and 3rd October, Bahraini taste in coffee and music comes to light as the Mohammad Bin Faris Music Band will certainly attract many music lovers.
The pavilion of the kingdom of Bahrain at the Expo Milano 2015, ‘Archaeologies of Green’, is a poetic interpretation of the cultural agrarian heritage of the country, which stems from the ancient civilization of Dilmun. With ten distinctive fruit gardens, containing trees that will be fruit-bearing at different moments throughout the six-month duration of the exhibition, the pavilion also features archeological artifacts that celebrate the millennia long tradition of agriculture and perpetuate the many myths of Bahrain as the location of the Garden of Eden and the land of the million palm trees.
