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, centred 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 1,588,670 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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The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR; Arabic: مركز البحرين لحقوق الإنسان, romanized: Markaz al-Baḥrayn li-Ḥuqūq al-Insān) was a Bahraini non-profit non-governmental organisation founded by Bahraini activists in 2002 and working to promote human rights in Bahrain. The centre was given a dissolution order after its former president Abdulhadi Al Khawaja was arrested in September 2004 a day after criticizing the country's Prime Minister, Khalifah ibn Sulman Al Khalifah at a seminar in which he blamed the Prime Minister for the failure of widespread economic development for all citizens. The BCHR is still banned by the government, but has remained very active.

In 2013 the organisation was awarded the Rafto Prize for its work. (Full article...)

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Gulf Air

Gulf Air is the flag carrier of Bahrain

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The Qal'at al-Bahrain (Arabic: قلعة البحرين; Portuguese: Forte de Barém), also known as the Bahrain Fort or Portuguese Fort, is an archaeological site located in Bahrain. Archaeological excavations carried out since 1954 have unearthed antiquities from an artificial mound of 12 m (39 ft) height containing seven stratified layers, created by various occupants from 2300 BC up to the 18th century, including Kassites, Greeks, Portuguese and Persians. It was once the capital of the Dilmun civilization and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. (Full article...)

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

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

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... that the Bahrain Supreme Defence Council is composed of 14 members, all of whom belong to the ruling Al Khalifa family?

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... 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 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 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 as part of Bahrainization, the Bahraini government prohibited foreigners from driving taxis?

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