Portal:Bahrain

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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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The Cabinet of Bahrain is the chief executive body of the Kingdom of Bahrain. According to Article 32 (b) of the 2002 Constitution, "executive authority is vested in the King together with the Council of Ministers and Ministers". The Council of Ministers (Cabinet) is appointed directly by the King (Article 33d). Bahrain has had two Prime Ministers since the country's independence in 1971, Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the uncle of the reigning King Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah. Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa died on 11 November 2020, and was succeeded by the King's son, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. (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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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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The following are images from various Bahrain-related articles on Wikipedia.

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

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... that the Bahrain pearling trail is Bahrain's second UNESCO World Heritage Site after the Bahrain Fort?

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... 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?
... that the first Chinese driver to race in Formula One debuted at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix?
... that Bahraini author Fatema Al Harbi, the first non-government Bahraini to visit Israel, faced death threats upon her return to Bahrain?

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