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 has been called 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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The State of Bahrain (Arabic: دولة البحرين, romanized: 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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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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Al Khawalid (Arabic: الخوالد the Khawālid; literally "the Khālids"), also spelled Al Khawaled, is a branch of the House of Khalifa, the ruling family of Bahrain. Al Khawalid is most often used to refer collectively to descendants of Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, which they are named after. The term also refers to brothers Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Royal Court Minister and Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa the Commander in Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force. For the purpose of this article, immediate descendants of Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa will be referred to as "the Khalids", the aforementioned two brothers will be referred to as "the Khawalid brothers" and the family branch collectively as "Al Khawalid".

The history of Al Khawalid dates to the 1920s, when the Khalids opposed the British-led administrative reforms and launched a military crackdown on the Shia who supported the reforms. The perpetrators were later put before a court that sentenced them to exile. They gradually returned to Bahrain, where they were kept outside government despite developing personal relations with those in power. They regained some influence since the late 1960s, but remained outside the inner decision-making circle. During this period, senior members of the Khalids were critical of the ruling family, opposed political reforms and held a grudge against the British. (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 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 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 souq in 1965 (from Bahrain)
Image 2Manama Harbour, c. 1870 (from Bahrain)
Image 3Purple – Portuguese in the Persian Gulf in the 16th and 17th centuries (modern boundaries shown). Main cities, ports and routes. (from Bahrain)
Image 4The view from outside one of the entrance gates at the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 5Mixed Martial Arts hosted by BRAVE Combat Federation event in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 6Location of the Dilmun burial mounds in Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 7Facsimile of the letter written by Muhammed to the ruler of Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 8Facsimile of a letter sent by Muhammad to Munzir ibn-Sawa al-Tamimi, governor of Bahrain, in AD 628 (from Bahrain)
Image 9The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620, under Khosrow II (from History of Bahrain)
Image 10Dilmun burial mounds in 1918. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 11The National Union Committee members in 1954 (from History of Bahrain)
Image 12The cities of Muharraq (foreground) and Manama (background) (from Bahrain)
Image 13The 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 14Inside Riffa Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 15Protesters at the Pearl Roundabout just before it was demolished. (from Bahrain)
Image 16The historical region of Bahrain on a 1745 Bellin map (from History of 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 19A photograph of the First Oil Well in Bahrain, with oil first being extracted in 1931 (from Bahrain)
Image 20A view of Arad Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 21Topography (from Bahrain)
Image 22GDP per capita development in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 23Over 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 24The Khamis Mosque in 1956. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 25The Shrinathji temple in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 26A 1745 Bellin map of the historical region of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 27The Portuguese Fort of Barém, built by the Portuguese when they ruled Bahrain from 1521 to 1602. (from Bahrain)
Image 28The Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa house is an example of traditional architecture in Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 29Map of Bahrain in 1825. (from Bahrain)
Image 30Manama skyline as viewed from Juffair (from Bahrain)
Image 31A view of the Grand Avenue section of the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 32The podium ceremony at the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix (from Bahrain)
Image 33Overview of Manama, 1953. (from Bahrain)
Image 34Bahrain 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 35The King Fahd Causeway as seen from space (from Bahrain)
Image 36The Portuguese Fort in 1870. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 37Manama seen from Muharraq (from Bahrain)
Image 38Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia Boys school. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 39First Oil Well, Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 40National Evangelical Church, Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 41Bahrainis observing public prayers in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 42Several people held a sit-in in solidarity with human rights activist Nabeel Rajab (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 44The Bahrain national football team playing Australia on 10 June 2009, in a World Cup qualifier (from Bahrain)
Image 45Bahraini protests against the ruling Al Khalifa family in 2011 (from Bahrain)
Image 46Bahrain is the eleventh most water stressed country in the world. (from Bahrain)
Image 47The new terminal of the Bahrain International Airport (from Bahrain)
Image 48Ambulance in International Hospital of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 49Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) are native to Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 50Manama Souq on Bahrain National Day (from Bahrain)
Image 51Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 52Phoenicians 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 53Map showing the locations of the ancient burial mounds. There are an estimated 350,000 burial mounds. (from Bahrain)
Image 54An artisan making pottery using the traditional mud and water mixture on a revolving wheel. (from Bahrain)
Image 55The Persian Empire in the Sassanid era on the eve of the Arab conquest, c. 600 AD. (from Bahrain)
Image 56National Library of Bahrain at Isa Cultural Centre (from Bahrain)
Image 57Map of Manama in 1926. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 58The Tree of Life, a 9.75 meter high Prosopis cineraria tree that is over 400 years old (from Bahrain)
Image 59The proposed federation of Arab emirates (from History of Bahrain)
Image 60The Bahrain Fort, location of Dilmun artifacts. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 61King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa meets American president Donald Trump in May 2017 (from Bahrain)
Image 62Female students at the University of Bahrain dressed in traditional garb (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 Tala Bashmi played on the Bahrain women's national football team for seven years before opening a restaurant in a Manama hotel?
... that as part of Bahrainization, the Bahraini government prohibited foreigners from driving taxis?
... 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 the first Chinese driver to race in Formula One debuted at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix?

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