Bahrain

Summary

Airport Rating *****
Reception of locals *****
Cost: £££££

• The fourth Gulf country that I have visited, and my favourite so far
• Integration between Arab locals and immigrants largely from the subcontinent
• No issues getting around as a Sikh but an expensive country with a very strong currency
• Main Sights: Qal'at al-Bahrain, Bahrain Fort Museum, Pearling Path.

A new country, An old civilisation

I've had the opportunity to visit Kuwait, Qatar, and two different Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi), but this was my first time visit one of the smallest and lesser-known Gulf countries, Bahrain. 

​Bahrain is a small island nation in the Persian Gulf that consists of one main island and around thirty smaller ones, with a total area of roughly 780 square kilometres, making it about the size of Singapore or twice the size of the Isle of Wight. It's located between the Qatari Peninsula and the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, connected to the latter by the 25-kilometre bridge. 

Historically, Bahrain has occupied an important position in the Arabian Gulf due to its location on ancient trade routes linking Mesopotamia with the Indus Valley and East Africa. Archaeological finds show that it was once the centre of the Dilmun civilisation, one of the oldest known cultures in the region, dating back over 4,000 years. Dilmun was described in ancient Sumerian texts as a land of great prosperity and purity (basically, a Garden of Eden) and its ports facilitated the exchange of copper, dates, and pearls between the Gulf and the broader ancient world. Over the centuries, the islands were ruled or influenced by a succession of empires including the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks under Alexander’s successors, and later by the Portuguese before falling under Arab and eventually British control.

Modern Bahrain began to take shape in the late 18th century when the Al Khalifa family, originally from the Arabian Peninsula, established their rule. In 1861, Bahrain entered into a treaty relationship with Britain that made it a British protectorate, securing defence and foreign policy in exchange for British oversight of major decisions. Independence came relatively late, in 1971, when Britain withdrew from its Gulf commitments. The country declared itself an independent emirate, and in 2002 it formally became the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Economically, Bahrain’s transformation began with the discovery of oil in 1932, the first in the Gulf. The early development of the oil sector brought prosperity, but unlike its neighbours, Bahrain’s oil reserves aren't that big and so the country diversified (a bit like Dubai) earlier than most of its regional peers.

By the 1970s and 1980s, it had developed a strong banking and financial services sector, and it remains a major regional hub for finance, insurance, Islamic banking, and communications. The capital, Manama, hosts the Bahrain Financial Harbour and a skyline of glass towers alongside traditional souks and mosques.

Bahrain’s currency, the Bahraini dinar (BHD), is among the strongest in the world, with an exchange rate of around 0.38 dinars to the US dollar — meaning one dinar is worth roughly £2.15. Coming from the UK, when you are generally converting into more money, it was a very strange experience getting less money for every pound. It also meant that I was thrown off every time I had to convert local prices into GBP. The strength of the dinar is tied to a fixed peg to the US dollar that has remained stable for decades, although that stability has been backed by neighbouring countries as Bahrain doesn't have the financial firepower of Saudi, UAE, Kuwait, or Qatar.

Culturally, Bahrain is more liberal than most of the Gulf states. Alcohol is permitted, women play active roles in public life, and the country hosts events such as the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, international music festivals, and art exhibitions. Its society is a mix of Arab, Persian, Indian, Panjabi, and even some European influences, reflecting centuries of migration and commerce.

As the country doesn't have huge oil, locals work in all sorts of jobs, and unlike Qatar and the UAE where there is strict segregation of works from the subcontinent and locals, in Bahrain you find locals working hand in hand with immigrants, which I thought was fantastic to see. Arabic is the official language, but English is widely spoken in business and daily life. The majority of the population is Muslim, split between Sunni and Shia communities, with small Christian, Hindu, and Jewish minorities also present.

The Pearling Path

Before Bahrain struck oil in the 1930s and before financial services began to dominate the economy in the 1970s, the primary economic activity was pearl fishing, or pearling.

Pearling has been central to Bahrain’s identity since antiquity. Archaeological evidence indicates that people were diving for natural pearls in Bahraini waters as early as 2000 BCE, during the time of the Dilmun civilisation. For centuries, natural pearls were the backbone of the economy across the Gulf, with Bahrain being recognised as the region’s most prolific and reputable source. The purity of Bahraini pearls were renowned from Asia to Europe. By the 19th century, the industry employed thousands of men each season including divers, boat captains, haulers, and merchants, and generated enormous wealth for the island’s trading families.

The structure of pearling society was distinctive. Divers worked for several months at sea, relying on limited food and oxygen as they descended repeatedly to the seabed. They wore nose clips, weighted stones, and used small baskets to collect oysters. Each dive lasted about a minute, often longer, and the risks were significant from drowning to sharks to physical exhaustion. The captains oversaw the crew and the voyages, while traders back on shore handled sales, financing, and export. Pearls were sent primarily to Bombay, Basra, and European markets, where they were prized as luxury goods.

The pearling economy began to decline in the early 20th century. The introduction of cultured pearls by Japan in the 1920s, combined with the Great Depression and changing fashion trends, devastated the market for natural pearls. Within a generation, Bahrain’s centuries-old industry had virtually collapsed. 

​The Pearling Path in Bahrain is a connection to this old heritage of Bahrain. The path is located in the old city of Muharraq and Pearling Path stretches for about 2 miles, linking historic buildings, merchant houses, diving-related structures, and coastal areas that together tell the story of Bahrain’s pearling industry, which sustained the islands for millennia before the discovery of oil. In 2012, UNESCO inscribed the Pearling Path as a World Heritage Site, describing it as the last remaining complete example of the cultural tradition of pearling and its associated social and economic system. It took me about two hours to do the whole thing start to finish.

The path begins at the Bu Mahir Fort, situated at the southern tip of Muharraq Island, where divers once embarked on boats for their seasonal expeditions into the Gulf. The route then winds through the narrow alleys of Muharraq, connecting a series of restored merchant houses, shops, and public buildings that illustrate the social structure surrounding the pearling trade. It ends at the former homes of wealthy traders and leading figures of the industry.

The path is both a heritage trail and an open-air museum. Many of the buildings along the route have been carefully restored to reflect their appearance during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Traditional coral-stone architecture, carved wooden doors, and shaded courtyards convey the aesthetic of historic Muharraq. During my visit I saw exhibitions inside the restored houses, which showcase diving equipment, trade ledgers, and family artefacts from the pearling era. I heard stories on how the global pearl trade shaped Bahrain’s urban development and social hierarchy through speakers in different houses and exhibitions along the route.

The path is relatively well signposted and most of it takes you through urban Bahrain today which means the historical aspect of the Pearling Path is beautifully integrated into the modern city. Not all of it is amazing, and some of the houses and stops were little more than renovated reminders of what once a commercial hub, but put it all together and it tells a nice story.

Qal'at al-Bahrain

Perhaps the most beautiful landmark in the country is Qal’at al-Bahrain, better known in English as Bahrain Fort. The site on which the fort sits represents over 4,000 years of continuous human occupation, making it one of the most important historical landmarks in the Gulf which makes it a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The fort occupies a strategic position overlooking the sea which at one time linked Bahrain to Mesopotamia, Persia, and the Indus Valley. The mound on which the fort stands is an artificial hill formed by successive layers of human settlement starting from around 2300 BCE to the 16th century CE. Archaeological excavations have revealed layers belonging to different civilisations that shaped the country including the Dilmun, Tylos, Islamic, and Portuguese. Each era built on the remains of the previous one, leaving behind a dense archaeological record of urban life, commerce, and defence spanning millennia.

The earliest known settlement at Qal’at al-Bahrain was the Dilmun civilisation, which dominated regional trade between Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and the Indus Valley (modern day Pakistan, Panjab, and even parts of India) around 4000 years ago. Dilmun is often referred to in ancient Mesopotamian texts as a land of abundance and purity, a kind of paradise. Archaeological finds from the site, including seals, pottery, and artefacts, show that it was a key trading port where goods such as copper, pearls, and dates were exchanged. Later, during the Tylos period (around 300 BCE to 300 CE), the site remained a commercial centre, with Greek and Hellenistic influences visible in architecture and artefacts.

The current visible fortifications date largely from the Islamic period and the later Portuguese occupation. In the 16th century, the Portuguese built a substantial stone fortress on top of the tell to protect their maritime interests in the Gulf. Its thick defensive walls, corner bastions, and watchtowers still dominate the site today. The Portuguese held Bahrain for only about eighty years before being expelled by local Arab forces, but their fortifications were robust and have survived centuries of exposure to the coastal climate.

The fort is free to visit and it's best to go at night as there isn't too much cover from the sun. I went after sunset and had a fantastic experience. It wasn't too busy during my visit with a few joggers running around the mound, and a small number of people visiting the fort itself. I must have spent at least an hour, maybe more, checking out the various routes in and around the fort. The grounds surrounding the fort are beautiful, with the harbour right in front. For me, this was my favourite place in the country.

Bahrain Fort Museum

Nearby is the Bahrain Fort Museum, literally a couple minutes' walk away. It opened in 2008 and provides context for the ruins through a modern and well-curated collection of artefacts. The museum houses over 500 items excavated from Qal’at al-Bahrain and other sites across the island, displayed chronologically to show Bahrain’s evolution from the Dilmun period to the Islamic era. 

I paid around 2–3 Bahraini dinars (BHD) which is roughly £4–£6 GBP and had a nice walk around the museum. It went through different periods of Bahrain's history and told a nice narrative. The galleries are arranged around themes like urban life, trade, religion, and fortifications. For me, the big things that stood out were the cuneiform tablets written in the language of some of the earliest recorded civilizations (the Sumerian and Akkadian). I love my history, so this was a big thing for me.

The area around the museum, with its walkways and waterfront views, adds to the fort’s appeal. In the evening, the fort is beautifully illuminated and it highlights the geometric lines of the Portuguese bastions and the outlines of older structures beneath, giving a sense of the layered history of the site. The museum’s seafront cafe and outdoor terrace provide panoramic views over the fort and the surrounding palm groves. I sat down and had some juice, and it really did feel like a moment of paradise.

​Bahrain has a surprising amount of history. One of the things that I had noticed along the highways and suburban roads of Bahrain, particularly near the towns of A’ali, Saar, and Hamad Town, were clusters of low, stony mounds stretching across the landscape. Initially they just looked like piles of rocks or natural formations, but they are in fact prehistoric burial mounds, and they're some of the largest and most remarkable in the world. These ancient graves, collectively known as the Dilmun Burial Mounds, date back to Bahrain’s early civilisations, long before the arrival of Islam. Archaeologists estimate that there were once over 170,000 mounds, though many have been lost to modern development. Today, about 11,000 remain, scattered across the central and northern parts of the island.

Gurdwaras in Bahrain

While in neighbouring countries you can be lucky to find more than a single Gurdwara, in Bahrain there are at least 5 or 6 which reflects wonderfully on the country. I had the opportunity to visit two of them.

In the middle of the island, away from any large settlements, are a series of oils wells, connected with pipes, The area is dry, with no commercial or residential property, with only sand and oil wells as far as the eye can see. For me, it was a unique experience. These oil wells don't work themselves and so there are workers and maintenance teams that service this equipment. It's quite dystopian, like a film about a bleak future where the Earth is a barren shell, and certain people have to navigate the challenges of a burning planet to keep equipment running, that's how I'd describe the area. In the middle of all of this is a fenced off area where workers have some buildings, I would assume a mix of housing and offices. The buildings are small, clustered together, and appear in the barren desert as a concrete oasis. Within this compound is the Bramco Gurdwara.

You have to sign in to enter, and visitors are only permitted during morning and evening prayers. A Pakistani guard was very kind to permit me to enter outside of these hours. The moment I left the car, the searing heat of the midday sun began burning the bottom of my feet with every step that I took, so I quickly jogged into the Gurdwara. The Gurdwara, next to a mandir, is well proportioned, but uniquely shaped. Inside, there is one large room that is split into two floors (to accommodate Sachkhand for Maharaj). Thick grey pillars support the roof structure but also break the room up. There are two signs on each side of the room, the left side says gents, the right side also says gents. I have no idea if this is an inside joke (as all workers in this bleak and tough environment are men), or something else. Either way, I loved the fact that in this difficult environment, the Sikh community had built a beautifully practical Gurdwara.

On the north of the island, I visited Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Budaiya. It proudly notes that it is the only registered Gurdwara in the country and notes that its previous incarnations in the country date back to the 1930s. It's in a much livelier area surrounded by both commercial and residential buildings. The Gurdwara is a nice size with a large langar hall, and large darbar hall. Speakers carry paath and kirtan throughout the complex. Inside, I arrived as sevadaars were replacing some electronic equipment. The Granthi Singh explained some of the history behind the Gurdwara and told me that during weekends the sangat can be in the hundreds. It was an incredible experience, and I really enjoyed my time seeing the local community come together. You can visit the excellent website of the Gurdwara Sikh Temple Shri Guru Singh Sabha - Gurudwara in Bahrain | Prayer, Langar, Community Services 

Would I recommend visiting Bahrain?

I much prefer Bahrain to some of the other Gulf countries. There is significantly greater integration, and the history here is both well preserved and well presented. It might not have some of glamour or marketing associated with its neighbours, but to me, the culture felt deeper and more authentic. It's expensive, but so are the other Gulf countries. As a Sikh I had no issues, and it's a country that I would revisit again if the opportunity presents itself.