Muharraq was Bahrain's capital before Manama took over, and it is still the island's most atmospheric old town, a tangle of narrow lanes, coral-stone houses and wind towers beside a shallow sea. Siyadi House belongs to a group of merchant houses built when pearls made Bahrain rich, and it stands in the middle of the Pearling Path, a UNESCO-listed route through the old town that traces the pearl trade from the oyster beds to the merchants' counting rooms. Carved wooden doors, plaster work and a tall wind tower that once caught the breeze are the signature of the house.
Before oil, pearls were the island's fortune. Boats left each summer for the oyster banks, divers working with a nose clip and a weighted rope, and the merchants who bought the catch lived in houses like this one. The trade collapsed in the early twentieth century when cultured pearls from Japan flooded the market, and the later finding of oil in the 1930s changed Bahrain's course. The old merchant houses fell into disrepair until restoration brought them back, and some are now museums or cultural centres.
The riding here is urban and hot. Muharraq is linked by causeways to Manama and the rest of the island, and the roads are good, with plenty of traffic, roundabouts and fast dual carriageways. The lanes of the old town are narrow, and a motorcycle is an easy way to explore them, though signs and one-way streets may confuse you. Summer is extremely hot and humid, with temperatures above forty degrees, so ride in the early morning or evening, or choose the cooler months from November to March. The sea breeze is welcome, but dust storms occasionally drift in from the desert.
Fuel is plentiful and inexpensive across Bahrain, and Muharraq has stations on its main roads, so there is no need to plan ahead. Food in the old town includes fish, rice dishes spiced with saffron, dates and halwa, a sticky sweet made with starch, sugar and nuts, and cafés serve strong cardamom coffee. Walk the Pearling Path on foot, preferably in the morning, and leave time for the seafront, where fishing dhows bob in the harbour.