Muharraq Governorate

Muharraq Governorate (population 293,000) is Bahrain's heritage anchor and aviation gateway—an island territory that served as the kingdom's capital until 1932 and now preserves the last complete testimony of Gulf pearling culture. UNESCO designated Muharraq's pearling sites—17 historic buildings, oyster beds, and the seashore—as a World Heritage Site in 2012, recognizing it as the sole surviving example of an economy that dominated the Gulf before oil. The 3.5 km Pearling Path connects coral-stone houses with wind towers and teak-shaded courtyards through the old town, where traditional architecture evolved for climate adaptation before air conditioning. Simultaneously, Muharraq hosts Bahrain International Airport, which saw 13.5% growth in aircraft movements during 2023, and serves as headquarters for Gulf Air and the Civil Aviation Affairs ministry. This juxtaposition—UNESCO heritage preservation alongside aviation logistics expansion—creates productive tension between conservation and modernization. The governorate's 51% Bahraini citizen ratio reflects its historical roots, higher than the Capital's 31%, while population density in this smallest governorate remains among the kingdom's highest.