Abu Mahir Fort

Traditional wooden Arabian dhows are built here by hand, in the last dhow shipyard in Bahrain and one of the few remaining in the Gulf.

The Bin Matar House is the latest in a series of projects by the Shaikh Ebrahim Center focusing on the restoration of traditional Bahraini houses associated with historic Bahraini families and leading cultural personalities. The house was designed by the well-known Bahraini architect Mussa Bin Hamad and built in 1905. It was used by Salman bin Hussein Matar as the venue for his permanent "majlis" (a room similar to a salon, used to entertain family and guests). By the 1940s, it was used a clinic by the famous physician Dr. Bandar Kab, and from the 1950s to the 1980s was used as the centre for the Eslah Club. The building then lay empty and in uninhabited, ready to be demolished to make way for a new construction. Today, the ceilings of the house are made of a combination of palm leaf and wood beam and the walls and floors have been authentically retouched.

This fort was built by Arabs in the 16th century. It was captured by the Portuguese around 1559 and then in 1653, Omanis seized it. Today, cultural events and shows are frequently held in the fort.