Bahrain Fort is located on the outskirts of Manama, with good views over the sea and to the highrise buildings of the Bahraini capital. To my surprise there were dozens of other European tourists around. Most of them Germans, busloads full of them, maybe they were from a cruise ship. They however did only a quick tour of the site, so I had most of it to myself anyway. I started with a circular walk outside of the walls. The edges of the terrain are covered with some pretty palm groves, which have been in use since ancient times.
The fort itself looks almost over-restored. Compare my photos for example with the one taken by Paul Tanner in 2005 (see his review below). It seems that it has been white-washed during the final phase of restoration. The fortifications look like they always do (I do like the straight lines of the walls and the shape of the turrets). The interior holds a remarkably large open courtyard. The surrounding structures are in ruins and one can only guess what they were used for.
There’s a small museum on site, that displays a lot if items (pottery, stamp-seals) that I had already seen earlier in the day in the more extensive National Museum of Bahrain. It was only there that I found out that there is an entrance fee to the Fort - after arriving I had just walked up and around it without being bothered by anyone (the ticket lady hides herself in the museum). The complex has a pretty good museum café too, where I enjoyed a salad on the terrace while overlooking the fortress and the harbour.
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