A lot of people know, and some have already visited the state Bahrain and its most famous city - Manama. However, Manama hasn’t always been the capital of Bahrain. 100 years ago the capital city was Muharraq, which is located on the island of the same name. Muharraq is the second largest island of the state. It lost the status of the capital when the world pearl market slumped. Namely thanks to the pearl trade, not only Bahrain has existed and developed for centuries, but also the entire coastal Arab world. Fortunately, just a few years later, Bahrain became the first state in the Middle East to find oil in sufficient volumes for sale. Thanks to this, electricity and modernization came to Bahrain, the first cinema and airport were built. The level of education has improved, and citizens have become the most enlightened residents of Arabia. And this is how Muharraq looks from the nearest skyscraper of Manama (panorama). The distance between these islands is not so big - from several dozens to hundreds of meters. As it was centuries ago, the seafood industry is developing and being supported. Especially many crabs are found in coastal waters. In addition to fishing, Muharraq has its own farms. There are not many of them, but still they exist, despite the hot climate. Since the 2000s, Muharraq has been actively expanding its coastline, going deeper into the Persian Gulf. The shallow depth of the surrounding waters made it possible to fill new territories with sand. So a number of islands and archipelagos appeared. These include: Amwaj, Dilmuniya, Diyar Al-Muharraq, East Hidd City and several others are being developed. Now Bahrain has its own little Venice. Any foreigner can purchase real estate on artificial islands. The highlight of Muharraq Island is the flowering of such fruit trees as papaya, pomegranate, lime, and, of course, date. Date palms grow here like poplars in Russia. Since the coastline here is not very large, all good beaches are either paid, or are located in some kind of residential or hotel territory. There are also free beaches, but they look something like this (views). Therefore, many people prefer to pay and enjoy their vacation on the beach with a bar-restaurant. The main attraction of Muharraq is the Arad Fortress. It is about five hundred years old. At one time it was used to protect the territory of the island. It is well preserved and was partially restored at the end of the 20th century. You should visit it and feel the atmosphere of the past. Two of the four towers are available now and you can see the view from them. Apart from the fortress, there is one more attraction in Muharraq. This is "Pearl" - an unusual architectural monument, a testament of the island economy based on the fishing and pearl export. There is a small free museum inside. The Pearl is a UNESCO heritage site. A huge new airport has been recently built in Bahrain. The construction cost $ 1 billion. Bahrain Airport is a mixture of an art gallery, shopping mall, five-star hotel and restaurants territory. There is even a small kindergarten here. Now Muharraq can be surely called a portal to international tourism, because the airport is located exactly here. A few words about the airport hotel. It has 59 rooms and 24 sleeping capsules. The uniqueness of the service lies in the fact that you can rent a capsule or room for 3 hours instead of a whole day. So you will not overpay. For example, 3 hours in a sleeping capsule will cost $ 20. This price includes a shared shower, toilet, lockers, wireless internet, and in the capsule itself there is a large flat screen TV, radio and headphones. The hotel also has a 5-star spa with a small but equipped gym. Therefore, Bahrain Airport is a very comfortable hub for travelling with connections. Dohat Arad lagoon is near the airport. Many locals spend their holidays here with their families. It is a very pleasant place for walking and jogging. The promenade is 3 km long .. And if you get tired of walking, you can sit on a bench and just watch the tides. Muharraq at night is peaceful. Despite the constant traffic near the airport, the island itself is quiet and calm. The evening excitement fades away very quickly. Sometimes it’s hard to notice the moment when the city falls asleep.

• published: 17 Dec 2021
• views: 1583