Pearling

I visited Muharraq and its pearling path sites as well as quite a lot of other buildings there(for example all buildings of the sheikh ebrahim foundation,entrance fee for all sites 3 Dinar) on january the 24th.

I took the bus from Manama's central bus station to Muharraq bus terminal( almost every 5 min a bus leaves for Muharraq or the airport). Across the street on the other side of the bus terminal there is the entrance to the pearling path center.

Well,the center is a disappointment and no great help at all. I had a very interesting chat with a guard from kenya there though.I left the center through the second entrance/exit which leads to the al quasariyyah soukh(siyadi shops) . In the morning I had marked all interesting sites in the old Muharraq area on an offline-map of maps.me-whether they were unesco sites or not.I had had the intention to visit all of them.I actually did visit most of them and had a truly great time in doing so.

Lots of renovating and reconstraction is going on in the old Muharraq area. Without any doubt the pearling path unesco sites and the entire old Muharraq area turned out to be the most iinteresting and fascinating visit of all three unesco sites in Bahrain.

I stayed in the old Muharraq area from around 10.00 in the morning till around 19.00 in the late afternoon. I had a coffee in three different old cafes.In two of them …

Just to confirm the previous guesses, the heritage trail is still not really happening, so for anyone wishing to visit some or most of the locations, just mark them in your maps in advance. Having said that, the Sheikh Isa Bin Ali House is easy to find. Bahrain overall is best enjoyed with a rental car and there's a parking lot directly behind the property. The present opening hours are rather wonky: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday through Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and closed on Friday so plan your visit accordingly.

The house is a delightful site to visit: it is extensive and even though there isn't any furniture or decoration that remains, I particularly enjoyed the plaster embellishments of walls and gorgeous carved doors - though the best example can be found in the Bahrain National Museum. It has become a popular site with tourists nowadays so prepare not to have it to yourself.  

Much to my surprise, I really had a good time in Bahrain, explored its interesting Dilmun archaeological sites, futuristic modern architecture and one of my favorites the beautiful heritage pearl merchant houses with lively souk on Muharraq Island. Similar to Els, I really impressed with the beautiful Sheikh Isa Bin Ali House. This heritage house was once the palace of Bahraini rulers and is indeed one of the best sights I saw in countries along the Persian Gulf, I even called it the little Alhambra of Bahrain. Unfortunately, that this impressive complex is not a part of the World Heritage Site, the Pearling trail.

Since my guide already told me that the Bahraini Government’s project on Pealing trail has been scrapped due to lack of interest and budget! He was quite surprised when I told him that I wanted to see the trail as he rarely heard tourists mentioned this, seem to me that the World Heritage Site inscription on Pearling trail did not increase any attention on this heritage. After discussion with my guide, he eagerly recommended me to see only one site that is part of the nomination, the Siyadi Complex, but at the end I unexpectedly managed to see Amarat Ali Rashed & Yousif Abdurrahman Fakhro (group of three storehouses) and Siyadi Shops while I was visiting Muharraq Souk. The Siyadi Complex of three buildings, the house, the guesthouse and the mosque, are really beautiful at least for its exterior as the whole complex are …

Unlike Els I did not particularly like this site. I stupidly tried to see as many of the enlisted properties as possible. Don’t. I suggest you drive straight to the Isa Bin Ali House (my Sygic app knew the place) and visit that one. From there you can reach the still closed Siyadi house in about 2 minutes by foot and shoot some pictures from the outside and end your visit. I spent around 1.5 hours chasing the other places. I found 2 larger places that are under heavy renovation and not even worth a picture, 1 tiny sign that said Pearling Pathway ant pointed to nowhere and the only other open “house”, a ruin in the south with a few expositions inside. This WHS might become interesting in a few years, when all reconstruction is finished.

I loved it! The Shaikh Isa Bin Ali House is the single most impressive sight that I have encountered in Bahrain. As I was a bit underwhelmed by the other "attractions" of the island (the forts, the tumuli), this is the kind of site that I really like. It is centered on a few streets in South Muharraq. Here you'll find glimpses of another era when the Bahraini lived from the pearl trade, and before all that came with the oil. The narrow streets have a slight resemblance to Zanzibar.

I started with a visit to the Shaikh Isa Bin Ali House - this was used as the seat of government in the late 19th century (Muharraq was Bahrain's capital at that time) and the residence of the ruler. It is a complex consisting of 4 separate quarters, almost a labyrinth to walk in. The decoration of the doors and windows is wonderfully done. The house also has the best example of a Wind Tower, a local implementation of early airconditioning.

Closeby are the Siyadi House and adjacent mosque. The house unfortunately is closed to visitors - I wonder if it will open again after the area has become a WHS. It does look stunning enough from the outside though.

I read in the National Museum that they plan to connect 16 or 17 historic buildings in Muharraq with the dhow harbour via a 3km long heritage trail. When I visited I did not find any clear …

We visited most of Bahrain's T List sites in 2005 and, with Bahrain hosting the 2011 WHC, are interested to guess which (if any) might be inscribed as that country's "reward"! Could it be the "Pearling and its Cultural Landscapes in Bahrain" site? This site was only added to Bahrain's T List in May 2008. We didn't go out to see the Oyster Beds which consitute 3 of the 4 proposed areas but the remaining part of the site consists of "The coastal cultural landscape of "Bu Maher" (which) comprises dhow cleaning, maintenance and landing facilities." And "groups of historic buildings and locations, located parallel to the historic coastline, which represent the core places of the social, cultural and economic system of pearling". The island of Muharraq, where all these are situated, is the hub of Bahrain's sightseeing area and, in common with most other visitors, we visited the Dhow harbour etc (photo) and the traditional buildings behind it. It is certainly an interesting, pleasant and relaxing area - but of WHS "quality"? I personally would have doubted it, BUT Bahrain appears to be embarked on a successful long term strategy both to preserve its historic remains and also to develop its regional tourism credentials. Building the wonderful National Museum was a key plank in the strategy. Restoration of the Qal'at Al Bahrain commenced in the early 1980s and eventually yielded the country's first inscription in 2005. Now Bahrain is going to host the 2011 WHC and has got itself …