CITADEL OF OIL

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 117, 20 May 1938, Page 7

CITADEL OF OIL

IK BAHREIN

WESTERN CULTURE

CHANGE IN ARAB LIFE

The news that oil has been fo -:l on the mainland opposite-Bahrein .

aroused some interest in the Persian Gulf, where its discovery has well oiled the wheels of progress. If it is found in Koweit, Muscat, and on the Trucial Coast it will bring changes profitable socially and commercially, but from an aesthetic point of view to be regretted by many, states "Tha Times." ,v, "

Ten years ago the Persian Gulf was quiet and prosperous, the pearl industry was flourishing, and . trade in general was not disturbed by the erratic fluctuations in prices of Japanese goods. There was only a faint smeli of oil in the air. Then came the depression in Europe and America during 1931-32, which coincided with the increased production of Japanese cultured pearls and caused the severest slump that the pearl market has ever known and a period of acute poverty *** Persian Gulf. All activity requiring the expenditure of money ceased until three years ago, when oil was discovered in Bahrein and that country became suddenly more prosperous than it had ever been. ARABS AND THE WIRELESS; Developments during the last ten years, such as improved travel facilities, broadcasting, and the results of prosperity which money from oil has brought, have caused great changes in the outlook of the people. These changes are more noticeable in Bahrein than anywhere else. The transfer of the Empire -air route from thaPersian side to the Arab coast in 1931. and the improvement in steamer ser-' vices between Bahrein, Irak, and India have made it easier for-Arabs to travel* and-to visit other parts o| the world. Sheiks, pearl dealers, and Arab merchants are now frequent air passengers between Bahrein, India, Egypt, and Europe. It is impossible to overestimate the' importance of broadcasting; in coun- r tries where most of the population is illiterate' the loud speaker is far more powerful than , the Press. Since the introduction of wireless the Arabs have taken a keen interest in foreign politics and in news about countries which a few years'ago many of them had never heard of. - Most < well-to-do Arabs own a '.wireless set and loudspeakers are used in coffee shops. In Bahrein - the recently inaugurated Arabic broadcasting from' London has been received' with interest and enthusiasm, and the news, because it comes from London, is regarded as [being, accurate. It is not only new 3 and music which are popular. Recently an English woman calling on an Arab woman discovered her hostess surrounded by servants, sugar, and oranges, and was told by her hostess that she was making marmalade according to a recipe she had heard oil the radio.

DREAMS OF RICHES. The rapid development of the oilfield and refinery, which has mad«» Bahrein one of the leading oil-pro-ducing countries of the world, has brought wealth to the State and prosperity to the people. The interest being taken by oil companies in other States in the Gulf has caused dreams of riches ftp their., people and rulers ,<r and financial profit , where concessions have actually been negotiated; "sometimes the granting of concessions has created difficult situations for weak rulers whose subjects imagine that more money has been received than is actually paid. Today the Trucial Coast, once called the pirate coast, might well be renamed the Oil Coast. The Arabs in Oman and the south : of .the Gulf are still wild and picturesque in appearance, but their general outlook is changing. Within a year or two Bahrein has been transformed from a quiet little Arab State depending on the pearling industry into the • headquarters of a great modern commercial enterprise employing hundreds of Englishmen and .Americans. ■ The advantages of this sudden prosperity are, but the disadvantages are not, apparent to the casual observer. The oil company certainly provides regular employment for- thousands of Arabs who used to earn a precarious I living by diving for a few months during the year. Trade in the bazaars is flourishing, the standard of living has improved, and the value of land has increased. The Government can now afford to spend money on public health services, agriculture, education; and public works. Bahrein has the

opportunity of becoming within a few years a model State. But prosperity has caused an upheaval in the relative importance of classes. The pearl industry is still suffering from depression; and having lost their money tha ' pearl magnates have lost their influence. Men who a few years, ago ' were petty traders and shopkeepers have now become more.important. The money which the Arabs earn more easily than in the past they spend more quickly. The picturesque Arab dress is being supplanted by European clothes, especially on the younger men, the famous white donkeys of Bahrein are crowded off the roads, wealthy young Arabs use cars and have discarded horses, which are now rarely seen except on a few public occasions. Cinemas are springing up and the Manamah bazaar is acquiring an atmosphere sli reminiscent of the Mousky in Caiio. The gazelles which used to roam uninterruptedly have retired as far as possible from the centre of the island, where the Bahrein Petroleum Company'has built a town of modern air-cooled' bungalows, each one with gas, electric light, and hot and cold water laid, on, on what used to be virgin desbrt. His Highness Sheik Sir Hamad bin Isa Alkhalifah, the Ruler of Bahrein, . and the members of the ruling family show less outward signs of change than many of their people. They invariably wear Arab dress, which .adds colour and dignity to the scene when they appear on state occasions in their gorgeous embroidered robes, carrying swords in golden pearl-encrusted scabbards, followed by a retinue of household servants and retainers wearing long scarlet, orange, and vermilion * coats, each man with a silver dagger in his belt. Although many of the Sheiks, in addition to the ruller, have •Visited Europe, they still wear the dress of the country on their jouiv neys.