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 on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which makes up around 83 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 1,501,635 as of 2023, of whom 712,362 (47% of the population) are Bahraini nationals and 789,273 are expatriates spanning 2,000 ethnicities (53% of the population). Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi) and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. The capital and largest city is Manama.

According to archeologist Geoffrey Bibby, Bahrain is the site of the ancient Dilmun civilization. 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, and 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 recognized by the World Bank as a high-income economy. Bahrain is a member of the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, Arab League, 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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Al-Ghasra at the 2009 World Championships

Ruqaya Al-Ghasra or Rakia Al Gassra (Arabic: رقية الغسرة; born September 6, 1982), is a retired Bahraini athlete. She was one of the first women to represent Bahrain at the Olympic Games, by taking part in the women's 100 metres sprint at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

She won medals at the 2006 Asian Games and went on to run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. (Full article...)

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Bahrain International Airshow

The United Arab Emirates Air Force Al Fursan demonstration team perform at the Bahrain International Airshow at Sakhir Airbase in Manama, Bahrain, January 2016

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Layout of the Bahrain International Circuit

The 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix (formally the 2014 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 6 April 2014 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the third round of the 2014 Formula One World Championship, the 900th Formula One World Championship event, the 11th Bahrain Grand Prix and the first time that the race was held at night. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the 57-lap race starting from second position. His teammate Nico Rosberg finished second and Force India driver Sergio Pérez took third. It was Hamilton's second victory of the season and the 24th of his Formula One career.

Hamilton accelerated faster than Rosberg off the line and overtook him at the first corner. Both Mercedes drivers pulled away from the rest of the field and Rosberg conserved fuel which allowed him to attack Hamilton before the first round of pit stops on lap 19 with his teammate successfully defending the lead. He extended his advantage over Rosberg over the next 22 laps before an incident between Pastor Maldonado and Esteban Gutiérrez caused the safety car to be deployed and his lead was reduced to nothing. Following instructions to bring the cars safely to the finish, Rosberg immediately battled Hamilton for first place, but was unable to get ahead of him and Hamilton maintained a steady advantage when his teammate's soft compound tyres were worn out to win the race. (Full article...)

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Qal'at al-Bahrain Mansoor al-Jamri Bahrain Bloody Thursday 2013 Bahrain GP2 Series round March of loyalty to martyrs Al Khawalid Bahrain health worker trials Abdul Amir al-Jamri Bahrain Tamarod Nabeel Rajab Matar Matar Death of Abdulredha Buhmaid Beit Al Quran Day of Rage (Bahrain) Bahrain Thirteen 2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round Abu Sa'id al-Jannabi 2014 Bahrain GP2 Series round

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

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

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... that a government commission has found that Bahrain Public Security Forces involved in Arab spring protests sometimes used force and firearms unnecessarily and in a disproportionate manner?

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... that Bahraini author Fatema Al Harbi, the first non-government Bahraini to visit Israel, faced death threats upon her return to Bahrain?
... that the first Chinese driver to race in Formula One debuted at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix?
... that as part of Bahrainization, the Bahraini government prohibited foreigners from driving taxis?
... that Tala Bashmi played on the Bahrain women's national football team for seven years before opening a restaurant in a Manama hotel?
... that the 2021 film West Side Story was banned in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain, likely due to the transgender character Anybodys?
... that between 2006 and 2007, Stacy Hollowell worked for basketball teams in Qatar, China, Bahrain and Lithuania?

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