Capital Governorate: Culture, Souqs and City Life

The many facets of the Capital Governorate include cultural venues in Manama and the Block 338 pedestrian district in Adliya. The Bahrain National Theatre, museums, postal history and souqs offer different ways to experience the city; in Adliya, restaurants and the pedestrian area add a distinctive touch. For planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing between performance history, museum collections, market visits and dining: this lets you shape your stay around the subjects that interest you.

Cultural venues, from the stage to postal history

The Bahrain National Theatre opened in November 2012 and offers views of the sea. International performances hosted by the venue have included appearances by the Orchestra of the 21st Century of Russia, Yanni, Placido Domingo, the Bolshoi and Mariinsky ballets, and Il Divo. The theatre thus combines sea views with a history of international performances.

The Manama Post Office Museum is located just behind Bab Al Bahrain and is Manama’s original post office. It displays stamps, memorabilia and historical photographs documenting the history of Bahrain’s postal service. Bab Al Bahrain houses a tourism office and a permanent visitor gallery. The visitor facilities at Bab Al Bahrain and the postal collection are therefore located side by side, each with its own focus.

Bab Al Bahrain Souq has more than 30 shops, as well as cafés offering a wide selection of food and drinks. The specific mix of shops may change. Together with the tourism office and visitor gallery, the area around Bab Al Bahrain presents a combination of market, dining and visitor facilities.

Souqs and dining

Manama Souq is located near Bab Al Bahrain in the centre of Manama. Its shops offer souvenirs, gold, spices and textiles; traditional cafés are also part of the offering. In contrast, Bab Al Bahrain Souq is known for its more than 30 shops and cafés, with a wide selection of food and drinks. The different merchandise and café offerings give you two concrete points of reference for choosing market visits according to your interests.

Adliya offers a different experience: Block 338 is a pedestrian district in the heart of the neighbourhood. Its restaurants serve celebratory meals, traditional Bahraini dishes and drinks. While the souqs include shops and traditional cafés, Block 338 is described as a district with restaurants and dining. This makes it possible to distinguish between a focus on market offerings and one on dining, without treating the different places as the same kind of visit.

Museums and historical themes

The Bahrain National Museum is located in Manama on an artificial peninsula overlooking Muharraq and opened in 1988. Its six main halls cover burial mounds, Dilmun, Tylos and Islam, customs and traditions, traditional crafts, and documents and manuscripts. Its thematic range thus extends from archaeological subjects to traditions, crafts and written records. Compared with the Manama Post Office Museum, which focuses on the history of Bahrain’s postal service, the National Museum covers a broader range of historical and cultural subjects.

Khalaf House also illustrates Manama’s historical connections with the pearl trade and commerce. It adds a link to economic and trade history alongside the museums’ collections. Al Fateh Mosque welcomes tourists, who can explore its features and beauty with the help of multilingual guides. As visitor arrangements may change, check the latest information before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Manama, Al Muharraq, Al Manāmah, Central Governorate, Al-Muhafazah Al-Wustah, Al-Muhafazah Ash-Shamaliyah.

Back to the main travel overview: Bahrain.