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A unique form of karate has a growing following in the kingdom ... thanks to the devotion of a doctor who heals with one hand and delivers knock-out blows with the other.
A doctor, a philosopher and a fighter, Dr Hussain Al Durazi has brought the art of Kyokushin Kai Kan karate to life in Bahrain.
Following a successful tournament which attracted fighters from all over the Gulf the plan now is to expand and attract more young men and women into the sport.
The 42-year-old from Tubli, said: "Now sponsors are approaching us and the word of Kyokushin is spreading. We hope to stage many more tournaments in the future."
Al Durazi is a medical department head at ASRY (Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Co) and a martial arts enthusiast specialising in Kyokushin Kai Kan karate.
Karate is an ancient art of self-defence and means empty hand - defending yourself without the use of weapons. Kyokushin Kai Kan is a style of stand-up, full contact karate founded in 1964 by Masutatsu Oyama. The name is Japanese for 'the society of the ultimate truth', rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training.
Its style has had international appeal and has influenced many of the full-contact schools of karate, emphasising realistic combat, physical toughness and practicality in its training curriculum.
Al Durazi said: "I have been fascinated with martial arts since my childhood and as I got older my fascination continued to grow. It was during my term at the University of Karachi in 1985 that I found myself searching for an escape route, a way to ease all my stress and I found that in Kyokushin.
"My teacher was Naim Allah Khan, the founder of Kyokushin in Pakistan. He was always tough on me, putting me up against black belts when I was a mere beginner. I was put through so many tests. It was torture but I think he wanted to see how much I could take. He taught me to be confident, tolerant of pain and to work harder. I truly respected him."
In 1991, Al Durazi returned to Bahrain with a Bachelors Degree in Medicine and Surgery and a brown belt in Kyokushin Kai Kan.
He said: "After five years of intensive training and fights, my teacher deemed me a brown belt. He told me I was not ready yet for the black belt and to continue my training. The only problem was there was nobody in Bahrain to teach Kyokushin or at least anyone who had a grade higher than mine.
"I wanted to start my career in medicine but I also wanted to start a school for Kyokushin. That was difficult because of my grade and we did not have many facilities or even a martial arts committee in Bahrain at the time.
"So I gathered my friends and trained them myself. I even started training my brother Haitham when he was five, now he is the director of our dojo in Bahrain and a star athlete."
In 1996, Al Durazi began to lose faith in his beloved sport so, selling personal belongings to raise cash, he travelled back to Pakistan to seek solitude in Karachi and train with his mentor.
He took his brother Haitham with him and they stayed in the Kyokushin dojo practicing twice a day and hiking up the mountains to build up endurance and stamina.
While there Al Durazi fought strong and well and finally achieved black belt status.
He said: "I became the only Kyokushin Kai Kan black belt in Bahrain. That is when I realised that advancing the sport was my responsibility. I wanted to share with my family and friends what I had learned and make my fellow Bahrainis aware of it too.
"I also wanted to be the one to raise the Bahraini flag high when we take part in tournaments around the world."
Al Durazi returned to Bahrain, more determined than ever to promote Kyokushin. Naim Allah Khan had provided a contact in Japan for the Kyokushin committee whose agreement he needed to begin to establish the sport in the kingdom.
He also travelled to Kuwait to meet Hussain Sulaiman, chairman of Kyokushin in the Middle East, to register for future tournaments. In 1998, he was awarded his second dan in Kuwait and was granted the authority to teach from the committee in Japan.
Al Durazi said: "As a physician in the emergency ward, I had grown so accustomed to seeing disturbing things that I needed Kyokushin more than ever. This sport gave me the ability to take in all the pain and look for the good rather than the bad.
"The more you understand karate, the more peaceful you become."
In 1999, Al Durazi wrote a book about Kyokushin and karate which was distributed in Bahrain and the wider region.
And in 2001 the Martial Arts Association of Bahrain was formed which issues dojo licences. In the same year Al Durazi received his third dan in Lebanon. In 2002, the Martial Arts Association issued him with a licence to start his dojo - a Japanese term which literally means 'place of the Way' - where he can train and educate fighters.
He travelled to Japan to have his third dan recognised and also participated in the 2003 Kyokushin World Tournament which is held every four years in Japan and is known as the Karate Olympics.
With a dojo, students and the necessary equipment, Hussain managed to get a couple of fighters ready for the third Kuwait Liberation Tournament in 2004.
He said: "It was a start for us. We had taken part in the tournament in Lebanon. You have to have fighters who are aware of Kyokushin Kai Kan techniques because in this style of fighting it depends on knock-down points.
"If the fighter is not ready or the opponent is not aware of this style, they can be injured. But our fighters are trained to take pain and stand the blows."
Tournament competition is an important part of Kyokushin. They are held throughout the year on every continent in the world but the largest are held in Japan where they are televised and draw crowds of thousands.
Kyokushin culture teaches that accepting a 'challenge' represents a Kyokushin practitioner's commitment and students use tournaments as a challenge to show their courage and desire to defeat their opponents.
Most Kyokushin tournaments follow 'knock-down' rules in which points are awarded for knocking one's opponent to the floor with kicks, punches or sweeps.
Arm or hand strikes to the head, face, neck or spine are usually not permitted, but kicks to the head are allowed.
Al Durazi added: "If you reach the level where you only need one hit to bring down your opponent, then you are a master fighter. You have the Spirit of Poshedo, meaning the noble fighter."
The first Gulf Tournament took place in 2005 and his brother Haitham came out top in the under 18 division.
The most recent Bahrain Kyokushin Kai Kan Karate Tournament was held last month and proved another success attracting sponsors as well as competitors and growing interest in the sport.
Al Durazi said: "Many are starting to register with us and other martial arts clubs in Bahrain. We have about 100 active members. All our hard work is finally paying off.
"I am ready to pass on what I have learned and hope that with the tournaments and growing awareness of Kyokushin that we will finally gain the licence to hold international A-level competitions in the future. I want to put Bahrain on the Kyokushin map."
For those interested in learning Kyokushin Kai Kan, the dojo is in Salmaniya near the Ministry of Health. For more information on the academy and its activities, contact 17260777 after 5pm.
