Bahrain Pearl Diving

Before oil, Bahrain lived on pearls: fleets sailed each summer for months, divers went down repeatedly on a single breath with a nose clip and a stone weight, and merchants in Muharraq built houses that displayed the profits. UNESCO listed the pearling testimony as a World Heritage site - a path through Muharraq linking merchant houses, a diver's house, warehouses and the seafront, plus three offshore oyster beds. Bahrain is one of the few places where visitors can legally dive for oysters on a licensed trip and keep any pearls they find, which is as close to the old industry as anyone gets now.

What you actually see

• The Muharraq pearling path - merchant and diver houses along the route.
• Licensed pearl diving trips - snorkelling the historic beds and keeping finds.
• Bu Maher fort - the seafront end of the pearling path.
• Traditional pearl merchants - the trade continuing in Manama's souq.

When to go

The pearling path is walkable year round but the cool months from November to April are far more comfortable. Diving trips run in the warmer, calmer months. Historically the pearling season ran through summer, when the water was warmest.

Honest expectations

Pearl diving trips are strictly licensed and finding a pearl is far from guaranteed - most participants come up with oysters and no pearl at all, which is honest to the historic reality. The Muharraq path is walked in the open with limited shade and some houses keep short opening hours. Natural Bahraini pearls sold in the souq are expensive and certificates matter; cultured pearls are cheaper and clearly labelled.

Nearby

Muharraq's old town, Bahrain Fort and the Manama souq.