It was a blazing afternoon in Muhark, the former capital of Bahrain. Cardamom and cloves smelling of air, fresh flatbred from the oven around each corner mixed with the smell of fresh flatbred wafing. To pray, a music call echoed the coral-stone walls and got mixed up with the reshuffle of men going to the mosque. Guiding my way through the Sypentine streets, was a large milky glass shells in the form of basketball, which were on positions made of seep-shell-flakened terrazo. These pillars mark Pierceling pathA 2.2-mile running mark that threads more than a century of Bahrain’s pearling history.
Chris takux
Prior to oil, pearls were the main objects of the Persian Gulf, and during the successor of the industry at the end of the 19th century, Muharkarak emerged as the Pearling Center of the region. This route offers a rare glimpse in the country’s past and the well -protected architecture of the city. It is an ambitious bid to revive the citycape and heritage of Muhark, which was largely neglected by Bahrain in 1971 since transferred to his capital Manama.
Chris takux
The self-directed path, which was opened in last February, begins at Buharr Sehore at the southern tip of the Muharrak, where Pearl Fishers will begin on their months trip. But Al Ghind House– The residence of a divers changed and one of the first stop along the route – I learned about the difficulties they faced: crowded boats, poor diet and backbreaking work. They found solitude Fan al-Bahui, Or divers songs. The rendering of the sadness hymns that often explained homesicness and heartbreak, are played with a speaker in the courtyard.
I continued the mansion of previous traders, many of which have been converted into exhibition sites by remarkable designers, including Dutch architect Anne Holtrop. But Ciadi HouseThe oldest mosque house of Muharkrak, that part of the building is once used to achieve guests (known Majlis) Now Ciadi Pearl MuseumInside, I found precious jewelry by Jacques Cartier, who visited the city on a gem-secure journey in 1912.
Chris takux
The Visitors Center, a cruelist construction by the Swiss architect Velio Olygiati, doubles as a community gathering place. near, Suk al QaysariyyahThe oldest market of Muhark is a mixture of traditional pearl sellers and new cafes and bookshops. Along with the route, I hung locals in the shade of local trees in a recently installed public plaza.
“Pearl diving is still in our blood,” said a fourth generation diver Mohammad Al Slis, which offers directed excursions. “The Pearling Path helps us understand how our ancestors lived and how they created such a tight-witted society. This is the foundation of today’s Bahrain. ,
where to stay
New on Raflles al Aren Palace Bahrain78 villas have private courtyard and pools. Each comes with a butler, which can arrange tourism for the art collection of pearl dives and resort.
A version of this story first appeared in the March 2025 issue. Travel + holiday Headline “Pearl of the Gulf,
