Bu Maher Fort

Want to discover more about Bahrain’s interesting pearling history? The Bu Maher Fort Visitor’s Center is the starting point to discovering more about that!

The fort was constructed in 1840 although its origins likely come from a Portuguese fortification from the 16th century.

Built in 1840, Bu Maher Fort is steeped in seafaring and pearling history. The fort forms the first stop in the historical pearling path having once served as the main fishing harbor and gateway to and from the sea.In 2012, the fort was identified as part of the Bahrain pearling trail, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The center contains a three-dimensional display that guides the viewer though the history of the path and the houses which formed it from the early beginnings to the main pearling traders.

The fort was constructed in 1840 although its origins likely come from a Portuguese fortification from the 16th century. An analysis of artefacts from the fort by an excavation team from Oxford Brookes University have suggested the site may have been first occupied from the Ummayad or early Abbasid era.

There was also evidence of the site periodically being submerged underwater.The rectangular fort with four circular towers was built by Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and served as a sister fort to Arad Fort, guarding the passageway of Muharraq Bay. In 1868, the fort was destroyed by British warships intervening in the Qatari–Bahraini War.

The visitor’s center can be accessed via the sea by boats that depart from Bahrain’s National Museum harbor and a pedestrian bridge in Muharraq.n