Portal:Bahrain

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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 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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Clockwise from top-left: Protesters raising their hands towards the Pearl Roundabout on 19 February 2011; Teargas usage by security forces and clashes with protesters on 13 March; Over 100,000 Bahrainis taking part in the "March of loyalty to martyrs", on 22 February; clashes between security forces and protesters on 13 March; Bahraini armed forces blocking an entrance to a Bahraini village.

The 2011 Bahraini uprising was a series of anti-government protests in Bahrain led by the Shia-dominant and some Sunni minority Bahraini opposition from 2011 until 2014. The protests were inspired by the unrest of the 2011 Arab Spring and protests in Tunisia and Egypt and escalated to daily clashes after the Bahraini government repressed the revolt with the support of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Peninsula Shield Force. The Bahraini protests were a series of demonstrations, amounting to a sustained campaign of non-violent civil disobedience and some violent resistance in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain. As part of the revolutionary wave of protests in the Middle East and North Africa following the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia, the Bahraini protests were initially aimed at achieving greater political freedom and equality for the 70% Shia population.

This expanded to a call to end the monarchy of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa following a deadly night raid on 17 February 2011 against protesters at the Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama, known locally as Bloody Thursday. Protesters in Manama camped for days at the Pearl Roundabout, which became the centre of the protests. After a month, the government of Bahrain requested troops and police aid from the Gulf Cooperation Council. On 14 March, 1,000 troops from Saudi Arabia, 500 troops from UAE and naval ships from Kuwait entered Bahrain and crushed the uprising. A day later, King Hamad declared martial law and a three-month state of emergency. Pearl Roundabout was cleared of protesters and the iconic statue at its center was demolished. (Full article...)

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Gulf Air

Gulf Air is the flag carrier of Bahrain

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Layout of the Bahrain International Circuit

The 2013 Bahrain GP2 Series round was a pair of motor races held on 20 and 21 April 2013 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain as part of the GP2 Series. It was the second round of the 2013 GP2 Series and was run in support of the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix. The first race, a 32-lap feature event, was won by Racing Engineering driver Fabio Leimer from pole position. Stefano Coletti finished second for Rapax and Caterham Racing driver Alexander Rossi took third. Sam Bird won the following day's 30-lap sprint race for Russian Time, with Carlin's Felipe Nasr second and Coletti third.

Leimer held off the fast-starting Coletti to keep the lead and pulled out an significant gap in the following laps before ceding the lead to Adrian Quaife-Hobbs for ten laps after a mandatory pit stop for tyres. Leimer retook first place after Quaife-Hobbs's pit stop and held the position to win the race. Tom Dillmann started from pole position in the sprint race but lost the lead to teammate Bird before the end of the first lap. Coletti and Nasr gained on Bird in the final two laps as his tyres were worn. Coletti bowed out after running wide and lost second to Nasr before the final lap and Bird held off Nasr to win the race by 0.080 seconds, the closest margin of victory in GP2 Series history. (Full article...)

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

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