Bahrain offers diverse opportunities for visitors and residents, from dolphin watching trips, shopping, visiting the Bahrain International Circuit, dining, to visiting ancient historical sites and museums. The recently renovated Bahrain Fort, for instance, is a World Heritage Site and a ‘must’ for every visitor to the Kingdom.
Historical sites
For history buffs, there is the rich heritage of the ancient civilisations which populated the island, with many temples and burials mounds to see:
Bahrain National Museum
Bahrain's National Museum which houses many of the ancient treasures dating back as far as the Dilmun Era -then spend a day visiting 4,000-year-old sights and immerse yourself in the authentic Arabian experience.
Bahrain Fort
Qal’at al-Bahrain is the archaeological site of a port which was once the capital of the Dilmun civilization, and served more recently as a Portuguese fort. It is a typical tell -an artificial mound created by many successive layers of human occupation. On the top of the 12m high mound, there is the impressive Qal`at al-Burtughal (Portuguese fort), which gave the whole site its name, qal`a, meaning fort.
Bahrain Fort Museum
The first building comprises an exhibition hall and a child learning and training room whereas the second is made up of a conference hall, a cafe overlooking the sea, offices, a technicians suite and a dormitory for archaeologists.
Al Fatih Mosque
The Al Fatih Mosque is Bahrain’s largest mosque. The huge domed building houses the National Library, which opened in 2006. The mosque itself was built by that late Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa during the 1990’s.
The Khamis Mosque
The Khamis Mosque is believed to be the first mosque built in Bahrain. It is considered to be one of the oldest relics of Islam in the region, and the foundation of the mosque is believed to have been laid as early as 692 AD.
Arad Fort
The Arad Fort (Qal'at 'Arad) stands on Muharraq Island in Arad village, near where the old capital of Bahrain was located, and can easily be seen by travellers en route to the Bahrain International Airport. What is known is that it was built in the style of Islamic forts before the Portuguese invasion of Bahrain in 1622 CE.
Manama Souq
Manama Suoq is a bustling marketplace full of traditional as well as modern shops. It is located in the centre of the city, near Bab Al Bahrain. The market is a perfect place to buy traditional products, with everything from spices, fabrics, kaftans to dried fruit and nuts. The Gold Souq is also worth a visit, with all the gold hallmarked and pure. The only gold that can be purchased is 18 and 21K, as 10 and 14K are not usually accepted as being gold!
Sheikh Ebrahim Centre for Culture and Research
Sheikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, a well-known intellectual in the early part of the 20th century. The centre, which is home to research centre, a library and a lecture hall opened in 2002. This building today hosts a series of rotating lectures, exhibitions and recitals by prominent writers, philosophers and artists from all over the world.
Barbar Temple
This is an archaeological site located in the village of Barbar. Three temples have been discovered there, the oldest dating back to 3000BC. The temples were thought to have been constructed to worship gods, as it contains two altars and a natural water spring. During its excavation tools, weapons, pottery, and many small pieces of gold were discovered.
Dilmun Burial Mounds
When a Danish group excavated the city, they found articles dating back to around 4100 -3700 BP. Each chamber usually contained 1 burial, but some housed many and some contained none. Inside the chambers many different articles were uncovered including pottery, ivory and copper weapons.
Riffa Fort
The Riffa Fort was built in 1812 and is one of the prime attractions in Bahrrain. The interior of the fort is quite spacious and divided into chambers. This fort is one of the best places to feel the intensity of winds that blows over the desert sands during the nights.
The Kurar House
The Kurar House used to be a handicraft center for local crafts by women. It is now a renovated house for reproducing the unique local embroidery, and is open for the public to see women creating their unique embroidery on clothes and selling them on site.
Beit Ebrahim Al Arrayed (House of Ebrahim Al Arrayed)
The house of the Bahraini poet and intellectual Ebrahim Al Arrayed who lived there for 30 years was restored as a cultural centre with exhibition rooms, a library and spaces for lectures and public events. The house as it stands right now maintains its original facade and some rooms have been restored but remain faithful to their original form. The rest of the house, including the extension at the back, was rebuilt using contemporary materials but overlaid with traditional finishes. The restoration preserves original features of the house, such as the main entrance and recesses in the walls.
Tree of Life
Out in the middle of the desert about 2 km from Jebel Dukhan. - With no visible source of water to sustain it - stands the Tree of Life. This mesquite tree has been growing for more than 400 years, and is one of Bahrain’s most recognised national symbols. The Kingdom is also famous for its date palms, which are visible all over the island.
