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. 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 14 May 2023, based on elaborations of the United Nations data, of whom 712,362 (47.44% of the country's population of 1,501,635) are Bahraini nationals and 789,273 are expatriates from other countries of more than 2,000 ethnicities (52.56% of the country's population of 1,501,635). 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 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. In 2011, the country experienced protests inspired by the regional Arab Spring. Bahrain's 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 developed 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 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 Supreme Council for Women (SCW) is Bahrain's advisory body to the government on women's issues. It is chaired by Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The current Secretary General of SCW is Hala Al Ansari.

SCW was established to promote women's rights in the Kingdom and women's full participation in society, and has been at the forefront of the campaign for the introduction of a unified personal status law (see Women's rights in Bahrain). It has also published studies, worked to coordinate campaigns with other women's rights groups, and sought to promote female candidates for the 2006 municipal and general elections. Among the candidates contesting the 2006 poll, held on 26 November 2006, was the Council's Dr Munira Fakhro, who stood for the ex-Marxist Waad. (Full article...)

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Muharraq Island

Muharraq Island (in the foreground), with Manama in the background

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The Bahrain Thirteen (Arabic: البحرين ثلاثة عشر, romanized: al-Baḥrayn Thalāthat ʻAshar) are thirteen Bahraini opposition leaders, rights activists, bloggers and Shia clerics arrested between 17 March and 9 April 2011 in connection with their role in the national uprising. In June 2011, they were tried by a special military court, the National Safety Court, and convicted of "setting up terror groups to topple the royal regime and change the constitution"; they received sentences ranging from two years to life in prison. A military appeal court upheld the sentences in September. The trial was "one of the most prominent" before the National Safety Court. A retrial in a civilian court was held in April 2012 but the accused were not released from prison. The sentences were upheld again on 4 September 2012. On 7 January 2013, the defendants lost their last chance of appeal when the Court of Cassation, Bahrain's top court upheld the sentences.

The thirteen are Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Abdulhadi al-Mukhodher, Abduljalil al-Miqdad, Abduljalil al-Singace, Abdulla al-Mahroos, Abdulwahab Hussain, Hasan Mushaima, Ibrahim Sharif, Mohamed Habib al-Miqdad, Mohamed Hasan Jawad, Mohamed Ismail, Sa’eed al-Nuri and Salah al-Khawaja. They were originally twenty-one, but seven were tried in absentia and one was released in April 2012. The thirteen became popular heroes in Bahrain, and analysts speculated that the government was concerned that their release might re-energize the protest movement and frustrate government supporters who oppose any royal pardons. (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) 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 1The podium ceremony at the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix (from Bahrain)
Image 2The view from outside one of the entrance gates at the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 3GDP per capita development in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 4Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 5The King Fahd Causeway as seen from space (from Bahrain)
Image 6Artistic depiction of Nasr Al-Madhkur in Bushehr (from History of Bahrain)
Image 7The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620, under Khosrow II (from History of Bahrain)
Image 8Bahraini protests against the ruling Al Khalifa family in 2011 (from Bahrain)
Image 9A photograph of the First Oil Well in Bahrain, with oil first being extracted in 1931 (from Bahrain)
Image 10An artisan making pottery using the traditional mud and water mixture on a revolving wheel. (from Bahrain)
Image 11Inside Riffa Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 12The Shrinathji temple in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 13Phoenicians 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 14The cities of Muharraq (foreground) and Manama (background) (from Bahrain)
Image 15Map showing the locations of the ancient burial mounds. There are an estimated 350,000 burial mounds. (from Bahrain)
Image 16Several people held a sit-in in solidarity with human rights activist Nabeel Rajab (from Bahrain)
Image 17Manama Souq on Bahrain National Day (from Bahrain)
Image 18Manama souq in 1965 (from Bahrain)
Image 19The Tree of Life, a 9.75 meter high Prosopis cineraria tree that is over 400 years old (from Bahrain)
Image 20The Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa house is an example of traditional architecture in Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 21A view of Arad Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 22King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa meets American president Donald Trump in May 2017 (from Bahrain)
Image 23Mixed Martial Arts hosted by BRAVE Combat Federation event in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 24This photograph shows the coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in February 1933. (from Bahrain)
Image 25The proposed federation of Arab emirates (from History of Bahrain)
Image 26The Persian Empire in the Sassanid era on the eve of the Arab conquest, c. 600 AD. (from Bahrain)
Image 27Manama seen from Muharraq (from Bahrain)
Image 28National Library of Bahrain at Isa Cultural Centre (from Bahrain)
Image 29Bahrain 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 30A 1745 Bellin map of the historical region of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 31Over 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 32Bahrainis observing public prayers in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 33Facsimile of the letter written by Muhammed to the ruler of Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 34The Khamis Mosque in 1956. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 35Overview of Manama, 1953. (from Bahrain)
Image 36Female students at the University of Bahrain dressed in traditional garb (from Bahrain)
Image 37The National Union Committee members in 1954 (from History of Bahrain)
Image 38The 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 39Map of Manama in 1926. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 40Topography (from Bahrain)
Image 41National Evangelical Church, Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 42First Oil Well, Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 43The Portuguese Fort in 1870. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 44Manama skyline as viewed from Juffair (from Bahrain)
Image 45Map of Bahrain in 1825. (from Bahrain)
Image 46Coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in 1933. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 47The Bahrain Fort, location of Dilmun artifacts. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 48Facsimile of a letter sent by Muhammad to Munzir ibn-Sawa al-Tamimi, governor of Bahrain, in AD 628 (from Bahrain)
Image 49The new terminal of the Bahrain International Airport (from Bahrain)
Image 50Dilmun burial mounds in 1918. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 51The Bahrain national football team playing Australia on 10 June 2009, in a World Cup qualifier (from Bahrain)
Image 52Ambulance in International Hospital of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 53Manama Harbour, c. 1870 (from Bahrain)
Image 54Location of the Dilmun burial mounds in Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 55Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia Boys school. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 56The historical region of Bahrain on a 1745 Bellin map (from History of Bahrain)
Image 57Bahrain is the eleventh most water stressed country in the world. (from Bahrain)
Image 58Protesters at the Pearl Roundabout just before it was demolished. (from Bahrain)
Image 59A view of the Grand Avenue section of the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 60Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) are native to Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 61Purple – Portuguese in the Persian Gulf in the 16th and 17th centuries (modern boundaries shown). Main cities, ports and routes. (from Bahrain)
Image 62The Portuguese Fort of Barém, built by the Portuguese when they ruled Bahrain from 1521 to 1602. (from Bahrain)

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... that Tom Collins resigned the presidency of RCSI-Bahrain over the alleged government cancellation of an ethics conference?

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... 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?
... that as part of Bahrainization, the Bahraini government prohibited foreigners from driving taxis?
... 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 Tala Bashmi played on the Bahrain women's national football team for seven years before opening a restaurant in a Manama hotel?

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