World Heritage
Dilmun Burial Mounds
Archaeological sites in Bahrain
A UNESCO World Heritage Site of necropolis areas on Bahrain's main island, going back to the Dilmun and Umm al-Nar cultures.
Photo: Storrs-Fox, Edwin Aubrey, Public domain
BH · Curated travel guide
Bahrain: 10 places worth the journey
Dilmun Burial Mounds, Sakhir, Al Fateh Grand Mosque and 7 more — what each one is, and why it is worth the detour.
- Places
- 10
- World Heritage
- 1
- Language
- Arabic, Berber
- Currency
- BHD
What to see in Bahrain
Chosen from everything Wikidata knows about Bahrain and ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions describe them, which is about as close to "famous" as open data gets. One is on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
World Heritage
Al Fateh Grand Mosque
Mosque in Manama, Bahrain
Also called the Al-Fateh Islamic Center, or the Al Fateh Grand Mosque, a large mosque in Manama, Bahrain. Covering 6,500 square metres (70,000 sq ft), with room for more than 7,000 worshippers at once, it ranked among the biggest mosques on Earth.
Photo: أبو الشاي حليب, CC BY-SA 4.0
King Fahd Causeway
Road connection between Khobar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
A chain of bridges and causeways 25 km (15.5 mi) long across the Gulf of Bahrain, linking Al Jasra, Bahrain, with Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
Photo: Greens n cornbread, CC BY 2.0
Bahrain World Trade Center
Twin skyscraper complex in Manama, Bahrain
Twin towers of 50 floors, 240-metre-high (787 ft), in Manama, Bahrain, designed by the multinational architects Atkins and finished in 2008.
Photo: B.alotaby, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Beit Al Quran
Islamic museum complex in Bahrain
A complex in Hoora, Bahrain, devoted to the Islamic arts and opened in 1990, best known for its museum of Islamic art, recognised as one of the most renowned in the world.
Photo: Ibrahim.ID, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Pearl Roundabout
Circular traffic intersection in Manama, Bahrain; destroyed during the 2011 uprising
Named the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, Roundabout, and known as Pearl or Lulu Roundabout: a former roundabout in Manama, Bahrain, near the financial district. It took its name from the pearl monument that stood there until government forces destroyed it on 18 March 2011, cracking down on protesters in the Bahraini uprising of that year.
Photo: http://bahrain.viewbook.com, CC BY-SA 3.0
Khamis Mosque
Mosque in Khamis, Manama, Bahrain
A mosque in Khamis thought to be Bahrain's first, built under the Umayyad caliph Umar II. According to the Al Wasat journalist Kassim Hussain, other sources say it was built later, with one minaret, under the Uyunids.
Photo: Aiman titi, CC BY-SA 3.0
Arad Fort
Historic site
A fort of the 15th century in Arad, Bahrain. It once guarded an island of its own, but land reclamation has since joined it and its surroundings to Muharraq Island.
Photo: Abadi Moustapha from Jufoor, Bahrain, CC BY 2.0
Barbar Temple
Archaeological site in Bahrain
An archaeological site in the village of Barbar, Bahrain, thought to belong to the Dilmun culture. A Danish team of archaeologists rediscovered the latest of its three temples in 1954.
Photo: Graeme, CC BY-SA 2.0
About Bahrain
Officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, an island country of West Asia, in the east of the Arabian Peninsula, near the western shore of the Persian Gulf. It has 33 natural islands and 50 more made by people, grouped around Bahrain Island, which is about 80 percent of its land. It lies between Qatar and Saudi Arabia's northeastern coast, to which the King Fahd Causeway links it.
Officially The Kingdom of Bahrain. Known locally as البحرينAl-Bahrayn.
Based on the Wikipedia article, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0: the facts are Wikipedia's, the wording is this site's.
Questions travellers ask
What is worth seeing in Bahrain?
This guide lists 10: Dilmun Burial Mounds, Sakhir, Al Fateh Grand Mosque and King Fahd Causeway and others. Dilmun Burial Mounds is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How were these places chosen?
By machine, from open data, with no human ranking them and nobody able to pay for a place on the list. Everything Wikidata records in Bahrain that is a building, a landform, a protected area or a tourist attraction, has coordinates, a photograph and an English Wikipedia article, is ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions wrote about it. Provinces, cities, airports, stations and stretches of sea shared with the neighbours are filtered out.
Which places here are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
1 of the 10 in this guide: Dilmun Burial Mounds. That is not the full count for Bahrain, only the listed sites that made this guide.
What language is spoken in Bahrain, and what currency?
Arabic, Berber. The currency is BHD.
How do I get mobile data in Bahrain?
A travel eSIM is usually the cheapest way, and avoids a roaming bill. The plans suggested at the foot of this guide start at $2.79 for 1GB for 7 days. The eSIM is data-only and sits alongside your normal SIM, so calls, texts and WhatsApp keep working on your own number.
Which networks would my phone use in Bahrain?
STC. Your phone picks whichever has the best signal where you are, the same way a local phone does.
One practical note: staying online
Maps, tickets and translation all want data, and roaming is the expensive way to get it. A Computatus eSIM eSIM connects to STC once you land, and installs by QR code before you leave.
See 13 Computatus eSIM plans for Bahrain from $2.79
| Plan | Data | Valid | Price | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB for 7 days Cheapest | 1 GB | 7 days | $2.79 | Get it → |
| 1GB per day | 1 GB | 1 day | $3.40 | Get it → |
| 1GB per day | 1 GB | 1 day | $3.94 | Get it → |
| 2GB per day | 2 GB | 1 day | $6.80 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 15 days | 3 GB | 15 days | $6.95 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 30 days | 3 GB | 30 days | $7.39 | Get it → |
No app needed. Install by QR code before you fly, keep your own number for calls, and it connects the moment you land.
STC 5G
A commission on plans bought through these links is what pays for this guide. Nothing above depends on it: the places are chosen before any price is looked up.