Muharraq was the capital of Bahrain before Manama took over, and it is the part of the country where the old pearl trade still shows in the buildings. For centuries, before cultured pearls and oil, Bahrain lived on pearls. Hundreds of boats left each summer for the oyster beds, men dived without equipment, holding their breath and wearing a nose clip, and merchants in Muharraq bought the catch and sold it on to dealers in Bombay and Paris. The wealth shaped the town, and UNESCO listed the Pearling Path, a group of merchants' houses, shops and fortifications, in 2012.
The house of Ali Rashed Fakhro is one of the merchant dwellings, or amarat, in the old town. These buildings are low and enclosed, with thick coral-stone walls and carved wooden doors, and inside are courtyards, wind towers and rooms for receiving guests and storing pearls. Coral stone was bound with gypsum plaster, and the surface is often decorated with geometric patterns. Rooms were arranged to catch the sea breeze in a hot, humid climate, and the layering of old and new structures tells the story of a family business over generations.
The town is a maze of narrow lanes that were never meant for cars, and the best way to see them is on foot. Muharraq is joined to Manama by causeways, only a few kilometres apart, so you can cross in minutes. The roads of Bahrain are well surfaced and clean, and the traffic is dense but orderly. The summer heat is intense and humid, and the best months are November to March. Fuel is cheap and available all across the island, and cafes in Muharraq serve strong coffee, cardamom tea and Bahraini halwa, a sweet jelly made with sugar, cornflour and spice.
If you ride out along the coast, you can follow the Pearling Path towards the fort of Bu Mahir, which stood at the tip of the island and watched the sea. The sea itself has changed, because land reclamation has pushed the shoreline back, but the sense of a trading culture remains strong. A short ride across the King Fahd Causeway leads to Saudi Arabia, though you should check border rules carefully before going.