The show will be presented every night at Bahrain Fort, the country’s most emblematic monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Some 27,000 people are expected to visit the show each year.
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities has chosen ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño to create and produce the night-time audiovisual show to be projected every night at Bahrain Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making it one of the city’s most important tourist attractions, drawing an estimated 27,000 people each year.
The show, called the “Qal’at Al-Bahrain Audiovisual Experience”, debuted on 11 January, using new audiovisual technologies to recreate the monument’s 4,000 years of history during 20 minutes.
ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño will use three-dimensional projection systems to create a feeling of immersion for the spectators. It will use 30,000-lumen laser projectors and a 5.1 surround sound system with an original sound track and special effects to reinforce the sense of immersion.
The “Qal’at Al-Bahrain Audiovisual Experience” narrates the history of the Fort, which dates to 1522, as well as the archaeological site on which it was built, going back to the year 2300 BC. The show begins with historical and mythological elements from the Dilmun civilization, whose capital was once located beneath the fort, followed over the centuries by the different cultures that have crossed paths on this site.
The show, like all shows created by ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño, is “carbon neutral”, meaning that the CO2 emissions linked to the show will be calculated and offset by a clean energy project. The final emissions balance will equal zero.
Cultural engineering to explain 4,000 years of history
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities hopes to promote and reenergise tourism in the country by showcasing its heritage in this way.
Projects like this are part of what ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño calls “Cultural Engineering”, using cutting-edge visual and sensorial technology to tell the story of a city or site’s history, tradition and values, boosting its tourist appeal.
ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño is responsible for permanent “cultural engineering” works that have become leading tourism features over the years in the cities that host them. An example is the “Sound&Light” show projected on the Abu Simbel temple in Egypt since 1999 or “The Soul of Cordoba”, a night visit to the Mosque of Cordoba, filled with light and sound effects, ongoing since 2010 and an iconic element in the city.