Bu Mahir is where Muharraq meets the sea, and for a pearling island that is the point. The fort stands near the southern tip of the island, on a spit of land that once looked straight out over the shallow water where the oyster beds lie, and the rest of the pearling story, the merchant houses and the shops, lies behind it in the lanes of the old town. Today reclaimed land and a modern shoreline have pushed the water back, so the view is not what it was, but the feeling of being on an edge survives.
The pearling season was brutal and short. When it began in early summer, the whole fleet put to sea from this stretch of coast, with the boats loaded with water, rice, dates and crew, and families waving from the shore. Divers stayed at sea for months. In the old accounts the departure was a great public event, with songs, drums and the captain's call. When the boats came back at the end of the season, the town celebrated and the debts were settled, for better or worse. Seen from the spit, the shallow, greenish water and the flat horizon explain a good deal of Bahrain's character.
The fort itself is a modest piece of military architecture, small and plain, built to guard the approach from the water. It sits within the Pearling Path inscription, which includes the seashore here along with the oyster beds and the merchants' buildings. Visiting is simple. A small cafe nearby is usually open in the evening, and the air is full of the smell of salt, diesel and frying fish. At dusk the sun sinks behind the Manama skyline across the bay, and the light goes copper.
On a bike, you will arrive by the coastal road through Muharraq, with slow traffic, parked cars and the occasional goat on a leash, and you should expect a hot, humid, windless day for much of the year. The shamal, the northwesterly wind, can bring dust and rough water in winter and early summer. Fuel is available on the main roads on the island and in nearby Manama. The best time is the cooler months, from November to March, in the late afternoon, when the heat has lifted and you can walk the shore in comfort.