Al Jasra House

One of several historic homes in Bahrain restored to their original condition, this one was built in 1907 and is famous as the birthplace of the former emir, Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa. It was constructed using local building materials of coral stone supported by palm-tree trunks, and the gravel in the courtyard is made up of a hundreds-and-thousands mixture of tiny mitre and auger shells. Opening times can be erratic, so it is worth calling ahead.