Bu Maher Fort

Bu Maher stands at the southern tip of Muharraq island, a small fort of 1840 on the seashore from which the pearling boats set out for the oyster beds, and it is the point where the UNESCO pearling property formally begins, inscribed in 2012 along with seventeen buildings in Muharraq and three offshore oyster beds. A visitor centre stands beside it and access is by boat across the channel.

History

The rectangular fort with four round towers was built in 1840 by Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa to guard the passage into Muharraq Bay, probably on the site of a 16th-century Portuguese fortification. British warships wrecked it in 1868 while intervening in the Qatari-Bahraini War; it was partly restored in 1930 as a smallpox quarantine station and rebuilt further in the 1970s by a Bahraini archaeological team. In 2012 it became part of the Bahrain Pearling Trail World Heritage Site, and its visitor centre marks the start of the trail (Wikipedia, Bu Maher Fort).

What to look for

• The seashore fort - the 1840 building the pearling fleet set out from.
• The visitor centre - the interpretation of the pearling property beside the fort.
• The boat access - the crossing to the site from the Muharraq shore.
• The 2012 inscription - the starting point of the UNESCO pearling property.

When to go

November to March is the comfortable season. Boat crossings run on set hours and days. Summer heat on the exposed shore is severe.

Good to know

Access is by boat on a limited schedule and must be timed. The fort itself is small and the interest is mostly in what it represents. There is no shade on the site.

Nearby

Muharraq's pearling path is north, and Arad Fort is northeast.

Key facts