The capital of Bahrain, the ancient city of Manama, attracts foreign tourists with the rich cultural and historical heritage of this amazing Arab state which is the pearl of the Islamic world. There are many monuments of sacred architecture, including the world-famous Al-Fatiha Mosque and Matam Ajam Al Kabeer, as well as the unique House of Quran Museum where the world's oldest manuscripts of the holy book of Muslims are stored. These fantastic sights and ancient artifacts can impress even a sophisticated traveler. Nevertheless, there is a lot of entertainment for large friendly families with children.
Al Areen Wildlife Park, with an area of a little bit less than 10 square kilometers, is located in the vicinity of the capital. It impresses not only the youngest children but also parents. Despite its modest size, it is considered to be the largest natural park and one of the main tourist attractions of the Kingdom. Annually it is visited by more than 200 thousand tourists.
Al Areen Wildlife Park was founded in 1975 for the sake of breeding and training hunting birds. Today it is a permanent home for a huge number of animals and birds. There are 1,500 representatives of the fauna of more than 500 different species, including the endangered antelope which are the Arabian oryx, the Nubian ibex, and the rare desert porcupine. There you can meet a wild camel and a gazelle, Persian gazelles, African springboks and impalas, a graceful fallow deer, an onager, a bright Chapman’s zebra, and a giant sea turtle. Although ostriches and flamingos predominate among the birds, there are also exotic species of birds.
Moreover, there are more than 100,000 plants and trees. Even the most demanding visitors are amazed by such a rich variety of flora in a relatively small area of this fabulous nature reserve.
The territory of the natural park is divided into 2 parts, one of which is intended for selective and research work and the second one is open to the public. There is even a small cozy cafe where you can try popular dishes of the national cuisine of Bahrain.