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The Bahrain Portal

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

Bahrain (/bɑːˈreɪn/ ^ⓘ bah-RAYN, /bæxˈreɪn/; Arabic: البحرين, romanized: al-Baḥrayn, lit. 'Two Seas', locally [æl bɑħˈreːn] ^ⓘ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up 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 of Bahrain is 1,501,635 as of May 14, 2023, based on elaborations of the United Nations data, of whom 712,362 are Bahraini nationals. 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.

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 AD. 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 1800s, 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 newly adopted constitution made Sharia a principal source for legislation.

Bahrain developed the first post-oil economy 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 the country's capital. 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. Bahrain is a Dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. (Full article...)

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The State of Bahrain (Arabic: دولة البحرين Dawlat al-Baḥrayn) was the name of Bahrain from 1971 to 2002. On 15 August 1971, Bahrain declared independence and signed a new treaty of friendship with the United Kingdom. Bahrain joined the United Nations and the Arab League later in the year. The oil boom of the 1970s benefited Bahrain greatly, although the subsequent downturn hurt the economy. The country had already begun diversification of its economy and benefited further from Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s and 1980s, when Bahrain replaced Beirut as the Middle East's financial hub after Lebanon's large banking sector was driven out of the country by the war.

Following the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, in 1981 Bahraini Shī'a fundamentalists orchestrated a failed coup attempt under the auspices of a front organisation, the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain. The coup would have installed a Shī'a cleric exiled in Iran, Hujjatu l-Islām Hādī al-Mudarrisī, as supreme leader heading a theocratic government. In December 1994, a group of youths threw stones at female runners during an international marathon for running bare-legged. The resulting clash with police soon grew into civil unrest. (Full article...)

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Manama

Skyline with roads, towers and harbour of Manama, Bahrain

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Beit Al Qur'an (Arabic: بيت القرآن, meaning: the 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. (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 Day of Rage (Bahrain) Bahrain Thirteen 2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix 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 1Manama Harbour, c. 1870 (from Bahrain)
Image 2Map showing the locations of the ancient burial mounds. There are an estimated 350,000 burial mounds. (from Bahrain)
Image 3Purple – Portuguese in the Persian Gulf in the 16th and 17th centuries. Main cities, ports and routes. (from Bahrain)
Image 4The cities of Muharraq (foreground) and Manama (background) (from Bahrain)
Image 5The Persian Empire in the Sassanid era on the eve of the Arab conquest, c. 600 AD. (from Bahrain)
Image 6A view of the Grand Avenue section of the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 7Coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in 1933. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 8Manama skyline as viewed from Juffair (from Bahrain)
Image 9The proposed federation of Arab emirates (from History of Bahrain)
Image 10National Evangelical Church, Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 11The King Fahd Causeway as seen from space (from Bahrain)
Image 12The Bahrain national football team playing Australia on June 10, 2009, in a World Cup qualifier (from Bahrain)
Image 13Location of the Dilmun burial mounds in Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 14The 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 15Map of Manama in 1926. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 16Facsimile of the letter written by Muhammed to the ruler of Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 17The Bahrain Fort, location of Dilmun artifacts. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 18Dilmun burial mounds in 1918. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 19Manama souq in 1965 (from Bahrain)
Image 20Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia Boys school. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 21This photograph shows the coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in February 1933. (from Bahrain)
Image 22The Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa house is an example of traditional architecture in Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 23The Tree of Life, a 9.75 meter high Prosopis cineraria tree that is over 400 years old (from Bahrain)
Image 24The Portuguese Fort in 1870. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 25Female students at the University of Bahrain dressed in traditional garb (from Bahrain)
Image 26A view of Arad Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 27Overview of Manama, 1953. (from Bahrain)
Image 28Bahraini protests against the ruling Al Khalifa family in 2011 (from Bahrain)
Image 29The National Union Committee members in 1954 (from History of Bahrain)
Image 30A 1745 Bellin map of the historical region of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 31Protesters at the Pearl Roundabout just before it was demolished. (from Bahrain)
Image 32King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa meets former U.S. President Donald Trump, May 2017 (from Bahrain)
Image 33Manama seen from Muharraq (from Bahrain)
Image 34Several people held a sit-in in solidarity with human rights activist Nabeel Rajab (from Bahrain)
Image 35Manama Souq on Bahrain National Day (from Bahrain)
Image 36Topography (from Bahrain)
Image 37Inside Riffa Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 38The Shrinathji temple in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 39The historical region of Bahrain on a 1745 Bellin map (from History of Bahrain)
Image 40The podium ceremony at the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix (from Bahrain)
Image 41Map of Bahrain in 1825. (from Bahrain)
Image 42The Portuguese Fort of Barém, built by the Portuguese Empire while it ruled Bahrain from 1521 to 1602. (from Bahrain)
Image 43Bahrainis observing public prayers in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 44The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620, under Khosrow II (from History of Bahrain)
Image 45Ambulance in International Hospital of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 46National Library of Bahrain at Isa Cultural Centre (from Bahrain)
Image 47GDP per capita development in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 48Facsimile of a letter sent by Muhammad to Munzir ibn-Sawa al-Tamimi, governor of Bahrain, in AD 628 (from Bahrain)
Image 49Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) are native to Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 50The new terminal of the Bahrain International Airport (from Bahrain)
Image 51A photograph of the First Oil Well in Bahrain, with oil first being extracted in 1931 (from Bahrain)
Image 52The Khamis Mosque in 1956. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 53An artisan making pottery using the traditional mud and water mixture on a revolving wheel. (from Bahrain)
Image 54First Oil Well, Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 55The view from outside one of the entrance gates at the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 56Phoenicians 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 57Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 58Mixed Martial Arts hosted by BRAVE Combat Federation event in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 59Bahrain is the eleventh most water stressed country in the world. (from Bahrain)
Image 60Over 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)

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... that at least five people died due to torture during the 2011–2012 Bahraini uprising?

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... 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 infectious diseases specialist Jameela Al Salman has supported the development of medical robots and called their use in Bahrain a "pioneering experiment"?
... that between 2006 and 2007, Stacy Hollowell worked for basketball teams in Qatar, China, Bahrain and Lithuania?
... that Bahraini businesswoman Yara Salman founded a beauty salon, a medical center, an entertainment complex, and a restaurant in the past decade?
... that as part of Bahrainization, the Bahraini government prohibited foreigners from driving taxis?