Portal:Bahrain

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The Bahrain Portal

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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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 has marginalized 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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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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Nabeel Rajab in July 2011

Nabeel Ahmed Abdulrasool Rajab (Arabic: نبيل أحمد عبدالرسول رجب, romanized: Nabīl Aḥmad ʿAbd al-Rasūl Rajab; born 1 September 1964) is a Bahraini human rights activist and opposition figure. He is the president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), a member of the Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch's Middle East Division, deputy secretary general for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), member of the Advisory Board of the Bahrain Rehabilitation and Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO), co-founder of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), and former chairman of CARAM Asia.

Rajab’s human rights activism began during the 1990s uprising in Bahrain. He later expanded his advocacy to include the rights of migrant workers in Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Rajab has used social networking as a tool in human rights campaigning, which has led to conflicts with the Bahraini authorities. His activism has been acknowledged by international human rights organizations such as Front Line Defenders, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Reporters Without Borders, which have highlighted his targeting by the Bahraini government. (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 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 1National Library of Bahrain at Isa Cultural Centre (from Bahrain)
Image 2King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa meets former U.S. President Donald Trump, May 2017 (from Bahrain)
Image 3Manama Souq on Bahrain National Day (from Bahrain)
Image 4Phoenicians 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 5Map showing the locations of the ancient burial mounds. There are an estimated 350,000 burial mounds. (from Bahrain)
Image 6Map of Bahrain in 1825. (from Bahrain)
Image 7Facsimile of the letter written by Muhammed to the ruler of Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 8This photograph shows the coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in February 1933. (from Bahrain)
Image 9Bahrain is the eleventh most water stressed country in the world. (from Bahrain)
Image 10Overview of Manama, 1953. (from Bahrain)
Image 11The Portuguese Fort in 1870. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 12The Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa house is an example of traditional architecture in Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 13The cities of Muharraq (foreground) and Manama (background) (from Bahrain)
Image 14A 1745 Bellin map of the historical region of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 15The Khamis Mosque in 1956. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 16The view from outside one of the entrance gates at the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 17A photograph of the First Oil Well in Bahrain, with oil first being extracted in 1931 (from Bahrain)
Image 18Coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in 1933. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 19The Bahrain Fort, location of Dilmun artifacts. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 20Facsimile of a letter sent by Muhammad to Munzir ibn-Sawa al-Tamimi, governor of Bahrain, in AD 628 (from Bahrain)
Image 21The Persian Empire in the Sassanid era on the eve of the Arab conquest, c. 600 AD. (from Bahrain)
Image 22The podium ceremony at the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix (from Bahrain)
Image 23Manama seen from Muharraq (from Bahrain)
Image 24Female students at the University of Bahrain dressed in traditional garb (from Bahrain)
Image 25Purple – Portuguese in the Persian Gulf in the 16th and 17th centuries. Main cities, ports and routes. (from Bahrain)
Image 26A view of the Grand Avenue section of the Avenues (from Bahrain)
Image 27The Bahrain national football team playing Australia on June 10, 2009, in a World Cup qualifier (from Bahrain)
Image 28The Portuguese Fort of Barém, built by the Portuguese Empire while it ruled Bahrain from 1521 to 1602. (from Bahrain)
Image 29Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia Boys school. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 30Mixed Martial Arts hosted by BRAVE Combat Federation event in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 31The new terminal of the Bahrain International Airport (from Bahrain)
Image 32An artisan making pottery using the traditional mud and water mixture on a revolving wheel. (from Bahrain)
Image 33Bahrainis observing public prayers in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 34Inside Riffa Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 35GDP per capita development in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 36Over 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 37Dilmun burial mounds in 1918. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 38The Tree of Life, a 9.75 meter high Prosopis cineraria tree that is over 400 years old (from Bahrain)
Image 39Manama Harbour, c. 1870 (from Bahrain)
Image 40Bahraini protests against the ruling Al Khalifa family in 2011 (from Bahrain)
Image 41Manama skyline as viewed from Juffair (from Bahrain)
Image 42National Evangelical Church, Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 43Topography (from Bahrain)
Image 44The historical region of Bahrain on a 1745 Bellin map (from History of Bahrain)
Image 45Protesters at the Pearl Roundabout just before it was demolished. (from Bahrain)
Image 46Manama souq in 1965 (from Bahrain)
Image 47Ambulance in International Hospital of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 48Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 49The National Union Committee members in 1954 (from History of Bahrain)
Image 50Location of the Dilmun burial mounds in Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 51The Shrinathji temple in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 52The King Fahd Causeway as seen from space (from Bahrain)
Image 53Map of Manama in 1926. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 54Several people held a sit-in in solidarity with human rights activist Nabeel Rajab (from Bahrain)
Image 55First Oil Well, Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 56Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) are native to Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 57The 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 58The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620, under Khosrow II (from History of Bahrain)
Image 59A view of Arad Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 60The proposed federation of Arab emirates (from History of Bahrain)

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... that the Bahrain Supreme Defence Council is composed of 14 members, all of whom belong to the ruling Al Khalifa family?

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... that as part of Bahrainization, the Bahraini government prohibited foreigners from driving taxis?
... 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 Tala Bashmi played on the Bahrain women's national football team for seven years before opening a restaurant in a Manama hotel?
... that infectious diseases specialist Jameela Al Salman has supported the development of medical robots and called their use in Bahrain a "pioneering experiment"?
... that Bahraini businesswoman Yara Salman founded a beauty salon, a medical center, an entertainment complex, and a restaurant in the past decade?

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