Bahraini creative Yaqoob Alabdulla has created a map of Bahrain with signs found around the kingdom, blending cultural nostalgia and national identity.
His latest work, a map made entirely out of road signs, has drawn widespread attention for its detail, creativity and emotional resonance.
A visual design student at Bahrain Polytechnic, 20-year-old Mr Alabdulla said he is always trying to unleash creativity ‘that’s deeply tied to our heritage, but through a futuristic lens’.
The road sign map began as an abstract design experiment but quickly evolved into something much larger.
“Seeing the signs every day on the streets of Bahrain, I started to feel the sense of art in the typography and colours,” he told the GDN.
“There’s a sense of identity in loving your region and capturing it. Bahrain is full of distinct areas, so I thought, why not bring them all together in one collage?”
Mr Alabdulla, who is currently on a scholarship from the AlMabarrah Al Khalifia Foundation, lives in Sanad and has carved a niche for himself focused on bringing Bahraini culture into the future.
The GDN’s sister newspaper GulfWeekly has previously featured his sketches of monsters inspired by Bahraini dishes like samboosas, harees, halwa and alqaymat rolls.
For his latest project, he began with a simple cube made from road sign designs.
But as he added more elements, he realised he could shape the entire composition to mirror the island’s actual geography.
“I started expanding it from the bottom, then added Muharraq Island,” he explained.
“That’s when I thought that this could become a full map.”
He even considered how to represent sub-regions such as Bukuwara and Buhair, which fall under larger cities like Riffa.
After reworking the layout to include them more meaningfully, the collage started to take on a recognisable form.
Designing a country using only rectangular road signs was not easy.
“The shape of the island isn’t rectangular, so building it using only rectangles and still getting an accurate layout of regions was challenging,” he added.
Mr Alabdulla’s process involved a combination of local insight and digital research.
“As a Bahraini, it’s easy to navigate mentally, but I still needed accuracy,” he explained.
“I relied on physical maps and Google Earth to get 360-degree views of roads and highways, as if I were there.”
He created the final piece using Adobe Illustrator, choosing it for its precise gridding tools.
“People often say my work is known for its strong use of geometry and colour,” he said. “These signs, scattered all over Bahrain, fit that style perfectly.”
The project has been widely praised online although a few viewers pointed out missing areas like Sanabis, Khamis and Bab Al Bahrain.
“There were plans to add those regions, but this is a work of art, not a navigation tool,” he added.
“It’s about showing how the regions connect and how close we all are.”
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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