Portal:Bahrain

The Bahrain Portal

Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated in the middle of the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 33 natural islands and an additional 50 artificial islands, centred on Bahrain Island, which makes up around 80 percent of the country's landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. The population is 1,588,670 as of 2024, of whom 739,736 (46.6% of the population) are Bahraini nationals, and 848,934 are expatriates (53.4% of the population). Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi) and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after Maldives and Singapore. The capital and largest city is Manama.

The area that straddles the present-day territory of Bahrain was once the site of the ancient Dilmun civilisation. It has been famed since antiquity for its pearl fisheries, which were considered the best in the world into the 19th century. Bahrain was one of the earliest areas to be influenced by Islam, during the lifetime of Muhammad in 628. Following a period of Arab rule, Bahrain was ruled by the Portuguese Empire from 1521 until 1602, when they were expelled by Shah Abbas the Great of the Safavid Iran. In 1783, the Bani Utbah and allied tribes captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur. It has since been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family, with Ahmed al Fateh as Bahrain's first hakim.

In the late 19th century, following successive treaties with the British, Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. In 1971, it declared independence. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a semi-constitutional monarchy in 2002, and Article 2 of the constitution made sharia a principal source for legislation. In 2011, the country experienced protests inspired by the regional Arab Spring. The ruling Sunni Muslim Al Khalifa royal family has been criticised for violating the human rights of groups including dissidents, political opposition figures, and its Shia Muslim population.

Bahrain is known as one of the first post-oil economies in the Persian Gulf, the result of decades of investing in the banking and tourism sectors. Many of the world's largest financial institutions have a presence in Manama, but oil revenues still constitute a significant part of its government budget. It is recognised by the World Bank as a high-income economy. Bahrain is a member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is a Dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. (Full article...)

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The National Union Committee (Arabic: هيئة الاتحاد الوطني) was a nationalist reformist political organization formed in Bahrain in 1954 (originally named the Higher Executive Committee, Arabic: الهيئة التنفيذية العليا). The committee was formed by reformists in response to sectarian clashes between Sunni and Shia members of the population. Its foundations were laid in the journal, Sawt al-Bahrain, which was founded and published by these reformist figures. The original aims were to push for an elected popular assembly, a codified system of civil and criminal law, the establishment of an appellate court, the right to form trade unions, an end to British colonial influence (through the removal of Charles Belgrave), and an end to sectarianism.

The original committee was made up of four Sunni representatives and four Shi'i representatives. The members were:

Abdul Rahman Al Bakir (Arabic: عبدالرحمن الباكر) - Secretary
Abdulaziz Al Shamlan (Arabic: عبدالعزيز الشملان)
Ibrahim Fakhro (Arabic: إبراهيم آل فخرو)
Ibrahim bin Mousa (Arabic: إبراهيم بن موسى)
Abdali Al Alaiwat (Arabic: عبدعلي العليوات)
Sayyid Ali Kamaluddin (Arabic: السيد علي كمال الدين)
Shaikh Abdullah Abudeeb (Arabic: الشيخ عبدالله ابو ديب)
Shaikh Mohsin al Tajir (Arabic: الشيخ محسن التاجر) (Full article...)

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Manama

Skyline with roads, towers and harbour of Manama, Bahrain

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Riot police firing tear gas from above a flyover while others are moving from below it towards Pearl Roundabout

Bloody Thursday (Arabic: خميس البحرين الدامي) is the name given by Bahraini protesters to 17 February 2011, the fourth day of the Bahraini uprising as part of the Arab Spring. Bahraini security forces launched a pre-dawn raid to clear Pearl Roundabout in Manama of the protesters camped there, most of whom were at the time asleep in tents; four were killed and about 300 injured. The event led some to demand even more political reform than they had been before, calling for an end to the reign of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

The clearance was described by witnesses as being brutal and sudden. Clouds of tear gas covered the area, and volleys of birdshot were fired on those who refused to withdraw. Medics, ambulances and a journalist were reportedly attacked as well. Sporadic clashes broke out around Bahrain hours after the raid. During the afternoon the National Guard and army deployed armoured vehicles, tanks, more than 50 armoured personnel carriers and set up checkpoints in the streets around the country. Protesters then took refuge at Salmaniya Medical Complex and continued their agitations; thousands of them chanted "Down with the king, down with the government." (Full article...)

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General images -
The following are images from various Bahrain-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Tree of Life, a 9.75 metre high Prosopis cineraria tree that is over 400 years old (from Bahrain)
Image 2The view from outside one of the entrance gates at the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 3Manama seen from Muharraq (from Bahrain)
Image 4Several people held a sit-in in solidarity with human rights activist Nabeel Rajab (from Bahrain)
Image 5Manama souq in 1965 (from Bahrain)
Image 6The Khamis Mosque in 1956. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 7Inside Riffa Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 8Topography (from Bahrain)
Image 9Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) are native to Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 10A 1745 Bellin map of the historical region of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 11Dilmun burial mounds in 1918. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 12King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa meets American president Donald Trump in May 2017 (from Bahrain)
Image 13The First Oil Well in Bahrain, with oil first being extracted in 1931 (from Bahrain)
Image 14A map of Bahrain in 1825 (from Bahrain)
Image 15Overview of Manama, 1953 (from Bahrain)
Image 16The podium ceremony at the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix (from Bahrain)
Image 17Over 100,000 of Bahrainis taking part in the "March of Loyalty to Martyrs", honoring political dissidents killed by security forces, on 22 February. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 18The emir Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa heads the opening session of the first conference on the formation of a union of the Gulf emirates in February 1968. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 19The proposed federation of Arab emirates (from History of Bahrain)
Image 20The King Fahd Causeway as seen from space (from Bahrain)
Image 21Purple – Portuguese in the Persian Gulf in the 16th and 17th centuries (modern boundaries shown). Main cities, ports and routes. (from Bahrain)
Image 22The Bahrain Fort, location of Dilmun artifacts. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 23The National Union Committee members in 1954 (from History of Bahrain)
Image 24Bahraini protests against the ruling Al Khalifa family in 2011 (from Bahrain)
Image 25The coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in February 1933. (from Bahrain)
Image 26Phoenicians man their ships in service to Assyrian king Sennacherib, during his war against the Chaldeans in the Persian Gulf, ca. 700 BC (from History of Bahrain)
Image 27The Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa house is an example of traditional architecture in Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 28The National Library of Bahrain at Isa Cultural Centre (from Bahrain)
Image 29Protesters at the Pearl Roundabout just before it was demolished (from Bahrain)
Image 30The Portuguese Fort of Barém, built by the Portuguese when they ruled Bahrain from 1521 to 1602 (from Bahrain)
Image 31Artistic depiction of Nasr Al-Madhkur in Bushehr (from History of Bahrain)
Image 32The Persian Empire in the Sassanid era on the eve of the Arab conquest, c. 600 AD (from Bahrain)
Image 33The historical region of Bahrain on a 1745 Bellin map (from History of Bahrain)
Image 34Mixed Martial Arts hosted by BRAVE Combat Federation event in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 35An ambulance at the International Hospital of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 36Sidade de Baren depicted in Lázaro Luís' 1563 map of Arabia (from History of Bahrain)
Image 37The new terminal of the Bahrain International Airport (from Bahrain)
Image 38GDP per capita development in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 39Bahrain province before Independence, was simultaneously part of Iran, a British protectorate whilst at the same time it was ruled "locally" by the Al-Khalifa tribe. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 40A view of the Grand Avenue section of the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 41The Manama Souq on Bahrain National Day (from Bahrain)
Image 42A view of Arad Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 43Map of Manama in 1926. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 44An artisan making pottery using the traditional mud and water mixture on a revolving wheel. (from Bahrain)
Image 45The Bahrain national football team playing Australia in June 2009, in a World Cup qualifier (from Bahrain)
Image 46Bahrainis observing public prayers in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 47Coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in 1933. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 48Location of the Dilmun burial mounds in Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 49Bahrain is the eleventh most water-stressed country in the world. (from Bahrain)
Image 50First Oil Well, Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 51Manama Harbour, c. 1870 (from Bahrain)
Image 52Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 53The Shrinathji temple in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 54Facsimile of the letter written by Muhammed to the ruler of Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 55A facsimile of a letter sent by Muhammad to Munzir ibn-Sawa al-Tamimi, governor of Bahrain, in AD 628 (from Bahrain)
Image 56Female students at the University of Bahrain dressed in traditional garb (from Bahrain)
Image 57The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620, under Khosrow II (from History of Bahrain)
Image 58The Portuguese Fort in 1870. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 59Manama skyline as viewed from Juffair (from Bahrain)
Image 60Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia Boys school. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 61A map showing the locations of Bahrain's ancient burial mounds. There are an estimated 350,000 burial mounds. (from Bahrain)
Image 62National Evangelical Church, Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 63The cities of Muharraq (foreground) and Manama (background) (from Bahrain)

Did you know -

... that the hardline faction Al Khawalid was so empowered during the reign of King Hamad of Bahrain (pictured) that they were considered a "new royal family"?

More Did you know (auto-generated)

... that as part of Bahrainization, the Bahraini government prohibited foreigners from driving taxis?
... that between 2006 and 2007, Stacy Hollowell worked for basketball teams in Qatar, China, Bahrain and Lithuania?
... that Bahraini author Fatema Al Harbi, the first non-government Bahraini to visit Israel, faced death threats upon her return to Bahrain?
... that hurdler Ahmed Hamada was the Bahraini flagbearer for two Olympic Games – sixteen years apart?
... that the first Chinese driver to race in Formula One debuted at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix?

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