1800–1930 CEIn-depth studyBu Maher Fort, Bahrain, photographed on 18 August 2024. This modern view includes restored fabric; it is not an archival photograph of the pearling industry.Picture source & rightsDiego Delso, delso.photo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized and converted to WebP; derivative under the same licence · Licence termsMiddle East / TradeBahrain: pearling, maritime work and MuharraqBefore oil, pearls connected Bahrain’s offshore oyster beds with crews, merchant houses and overseas markets. Muharraq preserves traces of this maritime economy, not merely the wealth of its most successful traders.Read →