Places to See in Bahrain

Bahrain Island

Bahrain is the largest and most heavily populated of the nation's islands. The capital city, Manama, is located on this island. The city is fairly spread out over the northeastern corner of the island. At the heart of the city is the Bab al Bahrain or Gateway to Bahrain, a complex of government buildings erected in 1945, distinguished by a large arch and is now the entrance to the main Suq, or bazaar.

The suq has all kinds of items for sale, from parrots, brassware and carpets to drums, spices and herbs, and is full of small, winding streets. There's also a craft market, where local people sell their work, across from the Adhari Hotel on Wednesdays. The Al Fadhel Mosque bears the testimony of beautiful design and decoration, with many early illuminated Koranic texts on display.

Just beyond the Mina Manama, a dhow port, there is the New Museum or Modern Art Gallery and the Heritage Center, which has exhibits on daily life, pearl diving and falconry.

Just a few kilometers west from Manama is the Qalaat al Bahrain, a complex of four archaeological excavations that date back to 2800 BC, when the island was settled by the Tumulis people. An ancient bit of city wall, a 400-year-old Portuguese fort, an 11th-century Arab fort and Assyrian ruins are the main attractions of the site. A little farther on is Barbar Temple, dedicated to Enki, the God of springs, which is more than 3,000 years old. From Qalaat al Bahrain, you can reach the road around to A'ali, through the village of Sar, which has pottery workshops.

Throughout Bahrain's northern region you'll see Tumuli grave mounds dating back to 2800-1800 BC. The ones near A'ali are the Tumuli Royal Mounds, of which some are thought to be the graves of the rulers' concubines. The objects excavated from these mounds are on display at the National Museum in Muharraq.

Heading south from A'ali into the central and southern desert regions, you can see Ar Riffa, the Emir of Bahrain's Palace, Jabal ad Dukhan or Jebel Dukhan, the highest point in the country, the palaces of Sakhia, which is a 19th-century Arabian architecture, and the Al Areen Wildlife Park, a home to 500 endangered Gulf species.

Southeast of Jabal ad Dukhan is the Tree of Life, fed by a spring and source of a legend that Bahrain is the original Garden of Eden. The peninsula of Sitrah, gives a nice view of the capital from the causeway. To the south of Manama is the Suq al Khamis mosque, the oldest mosque on the island, built in AD 1058.

A full-day dhow trip to one or several of the smaller islands in the area is worth taking. Jirada to the east has a beautiful beach of golden-white sand and Al Baina between Al Khobar and Bahrain is a beautiful island.

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