Bahrain - Pearling, testimony of an island economy

"Pearling, testimony of an island economy (Bahrain), consists of 17 buildings in Murharraq city, three offshore oyster beds, part of the seashore and the Qal’at Bu Mahir fortress on the southern tip of Muharraq Island, from where boats used to set off for the oyster beds. The buildings listed include residences of wealthy merchants, shops, storehouses and a mosque. The site is the last remaining complete example of the cultural tradition of pearling and the wealth it generated at a time when the trade dominated the Gulf economy (2nd century to the 1930s when Japan developed cultured pearls). It also constitutes an outstanding example of traditional utilization of the sea’s resources and human interaction with the environment, which shaped both the economy and cultural identity of the island’s society. 
The list includes 
- Hayr Bū-l-Thāmah - Hayr Bū ‘Amāmah - Hayr Shtayyah 
- Māhir Seashore - Qal‘at Bū Māhir - Al-Ghūṣ House 
- Badr Ghulum House - Al-Jalahma House - Al-Alawi House 
- Fakhro House - Murad House - Murad Majlis - Siyadi Shops 
- Amārat Yousif A.‘Fakhro - ‘Amārat Ali Rashed Fakhro (I)
- ‘Amārat Ali Rashed Fakhro (II) - Nūkhidhah House 
- Siyadi House - Siyadi Majlis - Siyadi Mosque" 
Source: UNESCO World Heritage