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 near the western shore of the Persian Gulf and latitudinally about two-thirds the shore's length from the north, the country comprises a small archipelago of 33 natural islands and an additional 50 artificial islands, centered 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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Bahrain's record on human rights has been described by Human Rights Watch as "dismal", and having "deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010". Their subsequent report in 2020 noted that the human rights situation in the country had not improved.

The government of Bahrain have repressed the native Shia Muslim population. Torture and forced disappearances are common in Bahrain. The crackdown on protesters during the 2011 Arab Spring brought further human rights complaints, including the destruction of dozens of long-standing Shia mosques. (Full article...)

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Wind tower

A photograph of a wind tower in Bahrain. Originally Persian, they are a traditional element in Bahraini architecture.

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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.

Going into the event, Rosberg led the World Drivers' Championship and his team Mercedes led the World Constructors' Championship. Rosberg qualified on pole position by setting the fastest lap time in the third qualifying session. 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 of Lotus and Sauber's 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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The following are images from various Bahrain-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The 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 2Phoenicians 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 3Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) are native to Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 4Female students at the University of Bahrain dressed in traditional garb (from Bahrain)
Image 5Location of the Dilmun burial mounds in Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 6The cities of Muharraq (foreground) and Manama (background) (from Bahrain)
Image 7The First Oil Well in Bahrain, with oil first being extracted in 1931 (from Bahrain)
Image 8A view of Arad Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 9First Oil Well, Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 10A map of Bahrain in 1825 (from Bahrain)
Image 11The podium ceremony at the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix (from Bahrain)
Image 12Bahrain was the tenth most water-stressed country in the world in 2022. (from Bahrain)
Image 13The Shrinathji temple in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 14A facsimile of a letter sent by Muhammad to Munzir ibn-Sawa al-Tamimi, governor of Bahrain, in AD 628 (from Bahrain)
Image 15Mixed Martial Arts hosted by BRAVE Combat Federation event in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 16The National Library of Bahrain at Isa Cultural Centre (from Bahrain)
Image 17Artistic depiction of Nasr Al-Madhkur in Bushehr (from History of Bahrain)
Image 18Coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in 1933. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 19Protesters at the Pearl Roundabout just before it was demolished (from Bahrain)
Image 20Bahrainis observing public prayers in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 21The Bahrain Fort, location of Dilmun artifacts. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 22The Khamis Mosque in 1956. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 23The King Fahd Causeway as seen from space (from Bahrain)
Image 24The view from outside one of the entrance gates at the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 25Inside Riffa Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 26Map of Manama in 1926. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 27Sidade de Baren depicted in Lázaro Luís' 1563 map of Arabia (from History of Bahrain)
Image 28The Tree of Life, a 9.75 metre high Prosopis cineraria tree that is over 400 years old (from Bahrain)
Image 29GDP per capita development in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 30A 1745 Bellin map of the historical region of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 31The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620, under Khosrow II (from History of Bahrain)
Image 32The Manama Souq on Bahrain National Day (from Bahrain)
Image 33National Evangelical Church, Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 34Over 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 35A view of the Grand Avenue section of the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 36Manama seen from Muharraq (from Bahrain)
Image 37The proposed federation of Arab emirates (from History of Bahrain)
Image 38The Portuguese Fort in 1870. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 39The Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa house is an example of traditional architecture in Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 40An artisan making pottery using the traditional mud and water mixture on a revolving wheel (from Bahrain)
Image 41The new terminal of the Bahrain International Airport (from Bahrain)
Image 42The coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in February 1933 (from Bahrain)
Image 43The Bahrain national football team playing Australia in June 2009, in a World Cup qualifier (from Bahrain)
Image 44Manama souq in 1965 (from Bahrain)
Image 45Purple – Portuguese Empire in the Persian Gulf in the 16th and 17th centuries (modern boundaries shown). Main cities, ports and routes. (from Bahrain)
Image 46Manama skyline as viewed from Juffair (from Bahrain)
Image 47The King Hamad American Mission Hospital. (from Bahrain)
Image 48Bahraini protests against the ruling Al Khalifa family in 2011 (from Bahrain)
Image 49The Persian Empire in the Sassanid era on the eve of the Arab conquest, c. 600 AD (from Bahrain)
Image 50The Portuguese Fort of Barém, built by the Portuguese when they ruled Bahrain from 1521 to 1602 (from Bahrain)
Image 51Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia Boys school. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 52Dilmun burial mounds in 1918. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 53Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 54Facsimile of the letter written by Muhammed to the ruler of Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 55Several people held a sit-in in solidarity with human rights activist Nabeel Rajab. (from Bahrain)
Image 56Manama Harbour, c. 1870 (from Bahrain)
Image 57Bahrain 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 58The historical region of Bahrain on a 1745 Bellin map (from History of Bahrain)
Image 59A map showing the locations of Bahrain's ancient burial mounds. There are an estimated 350,000 burial mounds. (from Bahrain)
Image 60Topography (from Bahrain)
Image 61King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa meets American president Donald Trump in May 2017. (from Bahrain)
Image 62Overview of Manama, 1953 (from Bahrain)
Image 63The National Union Committee members in 1954 (from History of 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 between 2006 and 2007, Stacy Hollowell worked for basketball teams in Qatar, China, Bahrain and Lithuania?
... that hurdler Ahmed Hamada was the Bahraini flagbearer for two Olympic Games – sixteen years apart?

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