Manama Attractions

Venue: Bahrain National Museum    When: Daily; not Mon

Bahrain's National Museum is a non-profit institution run by the Ministry for Culture, dedicated to the history and culture of Bahrain. Over 7000 years of Bahrain's history is explained with exhibits marked in both Arabic and English.

Through sculpture and ceramics, reconstructed burial mounds, Arabic calligraphy and illuminated Korans, the different periods of Bahrain's history are examined - from Dilmun (ancient pre-Babylonians circa 3000BC) and Tylos (ancient Greek circa 300BC) to the Islamic period (from the 7th century AD to the present day).

No explanation of Bahrain's history would be complete without reference to the boat-building traditions of the country. Dhow-making has been a Bahraini industry for centuries, while pearl diving dates back millennia. Beside the parking lot there are a number of reconstructed traditional buildings and boats. One of these exhibits is a reconstructed souk from the 1930s, showing the many traditional crafts which were common on the island and are still found today, albeit to a lesser extent.