Bahrain

Bahrain is an island country in the Persian Gulf: the main island of Bahrain, Muharraq and a few dozen smaller islands, linked to Saudi Arabia by a long causeway. Manama is a modern capital with waterfront towers around Bahrain Bay; a few blocks away, by the Bab Al Bahrain gateway, the old town begins, with the narrow lanes of the souq selling spices, fabrics and gold.

History here lives in places. Qal’at al-Bahrain is a seaside mound crowned by a fort, with layers of settlement some four thousand years old — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nearby lie the Dilmun burial mounds, thousands of ancient graves, also UNESCO-listed, and on Muharraq the Pearling Path, another UNESCO site, leads past the coral-stone houses of pearl merchants and divers. The south holds the Sakhir desert and unhurried beach resorts, and the warm, shallow sea invites boat trips to sandbanks that surface at low tide.

At the table: machboos — spiced rice with fish or meat — fresh Gulf seafood, Arabic coffee with dates, and halwa, a chewy sweet with saffron, rosewater and nuts. Summers are very hot and humid; roughly November to March is usually the most comfortable time. Bahrain suits couples and families, a short city-and-beach break, and lovers of history, architecture and design.