Visitors choosing Hamala for a stay will find practical planning information at Al Liwan: a main promenade, restaurants and cafés, a central courtyard and Yabeela. Al Liwan in Hamala is 17 km from Manama and a short distance from the King Fahd Causeway, which connects Bahrain to Saudi Arabia. The attractions have different focuses, from entertainment to dining.
Al Liwan: Promenade and central square
A main promenade runs through Al Liwan, connecting 136 retail shops as well as restaurants and cafés. The number of shops may change. The route of this promenade and the central square provide a guide to the layout of the complex: the square is designed as a spacious courtyard for public gatherings and entertainment, and is connected to all areas of the complex. This places a continuous route alongside a central space designed for the community.
Restaurants and cafés at Al Liwan have both indoor and outdoor seating. This gives visitors two designated seating options when planning where to eat; it is worth checking the current offerings before visiting. If you have a particular venue in mind, you can also look out for the distinctive features of individual cafés.
Yabeela for entertainment
Yabeela Bahrain is the largest indoor family entertainment centre in the Kingdom of Bahrain—a relative ranking that may change over time. The centre offers more than 150 games, including high-speed racing and climbing walls. It also has a restaurant and an event hall for birthday parties. This makes Yabeela a specific entertainment highlight within Al Liwan. If you are planning a birthday party, it is advisable to confirm the hall’s availability in advance.
A café with its own character
Camel Club Café at Al Liwan is designed as a tribute to the 1980s and 1990s, combining retro nostalgia with a modern character. The menu also has its own distinctive touch, offering dishes from “fusion Arabic” cuisine. The dishes mentioned include Madrooba croquettes, Panko arancini sticks and Wagyu Tikka with black lime glaze. The menu and offerings may change, so check the current menu before visiting. The café can be appreciated both for its retro design and for the cuisine described.
Regional context: Al-Muhafazah Ash-Shamaliyah
Within the wider destination of Al-Muhafazah Ash-Shamaliyah, the Northern Governorate lies on the northwestern side of Bahrain’s main island. It is home to a large share of Bahrain’s antiquities. This regional perspective complements today’s offerings in Hamala with evidence of a long history.
The Diraz Temple complex preserves the southwestern remains of an extensive Dilmun settlement covering about 700 square metres. The temple was probably built in the early 2nd millennium BC. The Barbar Temples, in turn, comprise three successive temples built in five construction phases and dating from the 2nd and 3rd millennia BC. The two sites therefore represent different archaeological contexts: a settlement with a cautiously dated temple, and a temple complex built in several phases.
The burial grounds also offer insight into the diversity of the wider destination. The A´Ali West Burial Mound Field comprises 723 burial mounds. Six distinctive mounds have outer ring walls considered to indicate burials of chiefs. The Madinat Hamad 1 Burial Mounds Field, also called the Buri Burial Mound Field, preserves 754 burial mounds dating from 2050 to 1700 BC. These regional sites offer a historical theme of their own alongside Al Liwan in Hamala as a focus for a stay.
Discover more destinations: Saar, Zallaq, Karbabad
Go to the main travel overview: Bahrain.
