Bygone Bahrain – in pictures

  • Houses in the new town development of Isa, November 1968. All photos: Getty
    Houses in the new town development of Isa, November 1968. All photos: Getty
  • Pearl traders barter and show off their wares on March 31, 1953.
    Pearl traders barter and show off their wares on March 31, 1953.
  • A mosque and rows of identical square houses in Isa Town, as the new town nears completion in 1968.
    A mosque and rows of identical square houses in Isa Town, as the new town nears completion in 1968.
  • Employees of the Bahrain Petroleum Company leave the mosque in the country’s capital, Manama, in 1953.
    Employees of the Bahrain Petroleum Company leave the mosque in the country’s capital, Manama, in 1953.
  • Manama souq, circa 1926.
    Manama souq, circa 1926.
  • A man works on a large wooden boat at a shipyard in Manama in about 1950.
    A man works on a large wooden boat at a shipyard in Manama in about 1950.
  • A pearling boat at the Bahrain pearling banks, Bahrain, circa 1926.
    A pearling boat at the Bahrain pearling banks, Bahrain, circa 1926.
  • New residents of the recently built town of Isa Town, with one of the two new mosques, in November 1968.
    New residents of the recently built town of Isa Town, with one of the two new mosques, in November 1968.
  • Manama’s main thoroughfare, circa 1956.
    Manama’s main thoroughfare, circa 1956.
  • Veiled women flee the ‘evil eye’ of the camera in about 1956 at a housing estate for airport employees.
    Veiled women flee the ‘evil eye’ of the camera in about 1956 at a housing estate for airport employees.
  • Bahrain from the air, as photographed by the British military officer Gerald de Gaury (1897-1984). De Gaury operated in Kuwait during the 1930s and is is thought to have taken this picture between 1928 and 1945.
    Bahrain from the air, as photographed by the British military officer Gerald de Gaury (1897-1984). De Gaury operated in Kuwait during the 1930s and is is thought to have taken this picture between 1928 and 1945.
  • A young bird seller shows off his stock at a market in Awali, central Bahrain, on March 25, 1953.
    A young bird seller shows off his stock at a market in Awali, central Bahrain, on March 25, 1953.