WADI Al Buhair’s beauty has been captured on canvas, paper and film by nature lovers of all ages during a special art gathering at the 45-million-year old natural landmark.
More than 25 people trekked down into the valley last Saturday for the ‘Wadi x Art’ event, seeking the most picturesque spots to paint, photograph and draw.
The event comes as part of a series of initiatives started by community members who are concerned about the valley’s ongoing reclamation in favour of commercial buildings.
Indeed, the online petition started by geologist Nadine Al Araifi calling for a halt to the destruction of the historic Buhair Valley has reached more than 3,700 signatures.
“Our geological heritage and a whole ecosystem of plants, bird species and invertebrates are at risk,” claimed Ms Al Araifi on change.org’s ‘Save Wadi Al Buhair’ petition page.
Art lovers, including Ms Al Araifi, flocked to the iconic Mushroom Rock, a formation of limestone which eroded into its unique shape over the course of millions of years.
The rock was set to be bulldozed as part of a project to level the valley but the demolition has been delayed pending a decision from the authorities concerning its fate.
Inspired by Mushroom Rock’s unusual shape, architecture lecturer Zainab Abdulmohsen created a piece of concept art envisioning sustainable homes made from natural, locally-available clay.
“Building structures from earth or soil from the site can make the space livable, usable and encourage wildlife,” said Ms Abdulmohsen.
A more abstract impression of the landscape and waterways was made by professional painter Nesreen Sammour using bright acrylic paint. “Beside the painting I quickly made in Wadi Al Buhair, I’m currently working on a series of art pieces depicting the valley from my perspective and imagining a brighter future for it,” Ms Sammour told the GDN.
Children also joined the ‘Wadi x Art’ initiative. Jennifer Hill’s four daughters Sara, 18, Layla, 12, Danya, 9, and Ayah, 6, painted the scenery.
The event was organised by Ahmed Almutawa, who had put together last month’s ‘Wading through Wadi Al Buhair Walk’ event, as previously highlighted in the GDN.
The founder of MapBH.org, a project aiming to track changes in Bahrain’s terrain and shoreline, had also launched the ‘SaveWadiAlBuhair’ hashtag to bring attention to the issue.
While Buhair locals were heartened by community efforts to preserve the valley, they claim to be feeling the ‘real effects of the construction work in real time’.
“What remains of the valley is shrinking at a very rapid pace,” claimed one East Riffa resident who frequently visits the valley and asked not to be named. “A set of metal stairs we used to descend into the valley for years was removed last week,” he added.
The Environment Friends Society (EFS) has also criticised recent development work and urged authorities to take immediate action to stop it proceeding. There has been no official response on the development plans despite thousands signing petitions, while the concerned authorities examine the issue.
The GDN has also approached the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry and has been awaiting a reply since last week. No response had come by the time the newspaper went to Press.
Buhair Valley has many examples of geological phenomena completely unique to Bahrain, it contains 45-million-year-old fossils that cannot be found anywhere else, geologists have found.
Known in Arabic as Wadi Al Buhair – ‘wadi’ meaning valley and ‘buhair’ meaning ‘little sea’ – it contains rock formations belonging to the middle Eocene epoch, between 40 to 48m years ago.
The fossils are shells left behind by single-celled organisms known as foraminifera, which would bore holes into the limestone and leave behind empty spaces after they decompose.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))