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 international reactions to the 2011 Bahraini uprising include responses by supranational organisations, non-governmental organisations, media organisations, and both the governments and civil populaces, like of fellow sovereign states to the protests and uprising in Bahrain during the Arab Spring. The small island nation's territorial position in the Persian Gulf not only makes it a key contending regional power but also determines its geostrategic position as a buffer between the Arab World and Iran. Hence, the geostrategic implications aid in explaining international responses to the uprising in Bahrain. Accordingly, as a proxy state between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Bahrain's domestic politics is both wittingly and unavoidably shaped by regional forces and variables that determine the country's response to internal and external pressures. (Full article...)

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Manama

Skyline with roads, towers and harbour of Manama, Bahrain

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The complex at night, in 2000

The Beit Al Qur'an (Arabic: بيت القرآن, lit. 'House of Qur'an') is a multi-purpose complex dedicated to the Islamic arts and is located in Hoora, Bahrain. Established in 1990, the complex is most famous for its Islamic museum, which has been acknowledged as being one of the most renowned Islamic museums in the world. The complex includes a mosque, a library, an auditorium, a madrasa, and a museum. (Full article...)

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

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

Did you know -

... that Indians living in Bahrain account for 31% of the country's total population?

More Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Bahraini author Fatema Al Harbi, the first non-government Bahraini to visit Israel, faced death threats upon her return to Bahrain?
... that between 2006 and 2007, Stacy Hollowell worked for basketball teams in Qatar, China, Bahrain and Lithuania?
... that as part of Bahrainization, the Bahraini government prohibited foreigners from driving taxis?
... 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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