Why this ride
It goes by way of Bū Māhir Seashore, Al Zubarah Archaeological Site and back through Bū Māhir Seashore. It crosses from Qatar into Bahrain - carry ID and check the toll rules. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Al Zubarah Archaeological Site and Hayr Bū ‘Amāmah
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 1867 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 33 h 57
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Al Zubarah Archaeological Site
Out on the north-west coast of Qatar, where the desert slides into a shallow turquoise sea, stand the low ruins of Al Zubarah, once one of the busiest pearling and trading towns in the Gulf. In the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the town thrived on pearls dived from the oyster beds offshore, traded on to India, Persia and beyond. Then it declined, was abandoned in the early twentieth century, and the sand covered it. Archaeologists have since uncovered streets, houses, a souk, mosques and a long town wall running in an arc around the old harbour. UNESCO inscribed the site in 2013.
Read the complete Al Zubarah Archaeological Site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Al Zubarah Archaeological Site is where the day begins. Next is Bū Māhir Seashore.
2. Bū Māhir Seashore
Bahrain was once a pearl island, and its fortune depended on a harvest that took place under water. For centuries before oil, the men of Muharraq sailed out into the Gulf in the summer months to dive for oysters, going down on a single breath with a nose clip and a stone to carry them to the bottom, and bringing up baskets of shells in the hope of finding a pearl. The Bahraini pearls were famous, and their trade supported merchants, boat owners and whole districts. In the 1930s the Japanese invented cultured pearls, and the market collapsed, which is partly why Bahrain was so ready for oil.
Read the complete Bū Māhir Seashore write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bū Māhir Seashore comes up about 467 km into the recorded legs. Next is Hayr Shtayyah.
3. Back to Al Zubarah Archaeological Site
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Al Zubarah Archaeological Site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Hayr Shtayyah sits at 1506 km, about halfway. Next is back through Bū Māhir Seashore.
4. back through Bū Māhir Seashore
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bū Māhir Seashore write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Bū Māhir Seashore comes up about 1400 km into the recorded legs. Next is Al Zubarah Archaeological Site.
5. Al Zubarah Archaeological Site
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Al Zubarah Archaeological Site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Al Zubarah Archaeological Site closes the day.
Leg by leg
Al Zubarah Archaeological Site to Bū Māhir Seashore
Al Zubarah Archaeological Site → Bū Māhir Seashore is 467 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Bū Māhir Seashore to Back to Al Zubarah Archaeological Site
Bū Māhir Seashore → Back to Al Zubarah Archaeological Site is 467 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bū Māhir Seashore to Al Zubarah Archaeological Site
back through Bū Māhir Seashore → Al Zubarah Archaeological Site is 467 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.