Portal:Bahrain

The Bahrain Portal

Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain	Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Bahrain

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. 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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Clockwise from top-left: Protesters raising their hands towards the Pearl Roundabout on 19 February 2011; Teargas usage by security forces and clashes with protesters on 13 March; Over 100,000 Bahrainis taking part in the "March of loyalty to martyrs", on 22 February; clashes between security forces and protesters on 13 March; Bahraini armed forces blocking an entrance to a Bahraini village.

The mainly Shia and some Sunni Bahraini opposition led anti-government protests in Bahrain in 2011. The protests were inspired by the unrest of the Arab Spring and protests in Tunisia and Egypt and escalated to daily clashes after the Bahraini government put the revolt down with the support of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Peninsula Shield Force. The Bahraini protests were a series of demonstrations, amounting to a sustained campaign of both non-violent civil disobedience and volatile riots in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain. As part of the revolutionary wave of protests in the Middle East and North Africa following the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia, the Bahraini protests were initially aimed at achieving greater political freedom and equality for the 45% Shia population. Towards the culmination of the protests, the demands metamorphosed into calls for the resignation of former Crown Prince Khalifa Bin Salman and establishing an Islamic republic similar to that of Iran.

This expanded to a call to end the monarchy of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa following a deadly night raid on 17 February 2011 against protesters at the Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama, known locally as Bloody Thursday. Protesters in Manama camped for days at the Pearl Roundabout, which became the centre of the protests. When attempts to improvise a political dialogue between the government and opposition became futile, the government of Bahrain requested troops and police aid from the Gulf Cooperation Council (Peninsula Shield Force). On 14 March, 1,000 troops from Saudi Arabia, 500 troops from the UAE and naval ships from Kuwait entered Bahrain and crushed the uprising. A day later, King Hamad declared martial law and a three-month state of emergency. Pearl Roundabout was cleared of protesters and the iconic statue at its center was demolished. (Full article...)

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Manama

Skyline with roads, towers and harbour of Manama, Bahrain

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Over 100,000 took part in the protest which stretched for several miles.

The March of loyalty to martyrs (Arabic: مسيرة الوفاء للشهداء masīra al-wafāʾ ash-shuhadāʾ) was a protest on 22 February 2011 in Manama, Bahrain. Tens of thousands participated in the protest, one of the largest in the Bahraini uprising. Named after the seven victims killed by police and army forces during previous protests, the march filled the space between Bahrain mall and Pearl Roundabout. Protesters carried Bahrain's flag and demanded the fall of the government, implementation of a constitutional monarchy and other reforms, with some of them also demanding the end of the regime.

The march was named the largest in the country's history by organizers; sources estimated that over 100,000 protesters (20% of Bahrain's citizens) participated, although other sources gave higher and lower estimations. A number of ambulance drivers, police and army officers joined the protest. Security forces were not present and unlike previous protests, it ended peacefully. (Full article...)

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

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

Did you know -

... that Mina Salman's harbour, in Bahrain, was initially unsuitable for ocean liners and that these ships had to anchor up to 6 km (3.7 mi) offshore until the construction of a deep-water wharf in 1962?

More Did you know (auto-generated)

... that as part of Bahrainization, the Bahraini government prohibited foreigners from driving taxis?
... that the first Chinese driver to race in Formula One debuted at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix?
... 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?

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