Why this ride
82 km from Dār Kulayb to Dār Kulayb, about 1 h 16 of riding. On the way it passes Janabiyah, Bū Māhir Seashore and back through Janabiyah.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field and Bū Māhir Seashore
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 82 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 16
- 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: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field
Bahrain was once covered with burial mounds. Over thousands of years, between roughly 2200 BC and the early centuries AD, the people of Dilmun, an ancient civilisation that controlled trade in the Gulf between Mesopotamia and the Indus valley, built tens of thousands of tombs across the northern part of the island. Many have been lost to modern development, but some fields survive, and in 2019 a selection of them, including the Madinat Hamad mound fields, was inscribed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Dilmun Burial Mounds.
Read the complete Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field is where the day begins. Next is Janabiyah.
2. Janabiyah
Bahrain is a small island, but it has been important for a very long time. Under the name Dilmun, it was a trading centre of the Bronze Age, linking Mesopotamia with the Indus valley, and the fresh water that bubbles up from beneath the seabed made it a stop for ships. Janabiyah lies on the western side of the main island, near the coast road, a village among low, flat land where date palms, farms and new housing meet the edge of the desert.
Read the complete Janabiyah write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Janabiyah comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bū Māhir Seashore.
3. 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
about 41 km into the recorded legs you reach Bū Māhir Seashore. Next is back through Janabiyah.
4. back through Janabiyah
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Janabiyah write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Janabiyah, late in the day. Next is Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field.
5. Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field to Janabiyah
Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field → Janabiyah is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Janabiyah to Bū Māhir Seashore
Janabiyah → Bū Māhir Seashore is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bū Māhir Seashore to back through Janabiyah
Bū Māhir Seashore → back through Janabiyah is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Janabiyah to Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field
back through Janabiyah → Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.