Abstract
The Kingdom of Bahrain is the smallest and most crowded country in the Arabian Gulf with an area of 765 square kilometers (UNESCO, 2018) and a population that reached 1,672,864 people in January 2020 (Worldometers, 2020). Muharraq, the former capital, is considered to be the second largest city in Bahrain. This historic city reflects unique urban and architectural characteristics dating back to the 2nd century and until the early 20th century. However, urban sprawl occupied the city after the exploration of oil and the industrial revolution, which affected the city’s urban fabric and its cultural values. Therefore, the city’s rich cultural heritage is now being recognized as a valuable resource for sustainable development. Within the last two decades, the government authorities in Bahrain conducted several urban rehabilitation projects in Muharraq and other cities to protect and revive its cultural heritage and enhance the quality of life of its inhabitants. Cultural heritage tourism is “traveling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes cultural, historical, and natural resources” (Hargrove, 2017). Cultural heritage tourism, the built environment, natural landscapes, and cultural resources utilize several existing assets. The pearling path is one of these urban regeneration projects that was designated as a world heritage site in 2012. The journey of the pearling path links 17 rehabilitated historic buildings along a tour of 3.5 km path. These buildings celebrate Muharraq’s heritage that is generated between the 2nd century and until the early 20th century (Smith, 2017). Therefore, the paper explores the role of cultural heritage tourism in regenerating Old Muharraq. This paper focuses on the role of cultural heritage tourism and its implications for urban regeneration in the context of Bahrain with a particular focus on the historic old core of Muharraq. Accordingly, in order to use heritage wisely, it will be necessary to position cultural heritage tourism as an essential element of sustainable development. The research methodology is based on the case study approach through the investigation of the pearling path project. The site represents an interesting case study that shares similar characteristics with other Gulf cities and would therefore be beneficial to further adapt the same approach and benefit from the lessons learned from it. The assessment of the site is through a comprehensive onsite study in order to recognize the economic, social, and cultural significant factors with a vision to activate the role of culture in social and economic development, in addition to conducting informal interviews with the local and global tourists. Consequently, the analysis will evaluate the experience and identify the weaknesses that need to be reinforced. Based on that the paper will develop recommendations for improvement to regenerate old Muharraq though cultural heritage tourism. An important key point is to understand and utilize the tangible and intangible social and economic, and cultural values through setting a holistic approach. This could be done through sustain the cultural heritage and the organic urban fabric. Keywords: Urban Regeneration, Resilience, Cultural Heritage Tourism, Identity, Sustainability.
