Bahrain

Lore & Background

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.

In Their Own Story

The call to prayer echoes softly across the Manama skyline, blending with the hum of air conditioning in the sleek glass towers that pierce the humid Gulf air. Below, in the shadow of the Bahrain World Trade Center's wind turbines, an old fisherman mends his nets near the harbor, his hands weathered like the ancient coral stone walls of the Qal'at al-Bahrain fortress nearby. He remembers stories from his grandfather about the days when the sea yielded pearls worth fortunes, before oil changed everything. Now, as a luxury cruise ship glides into port and a young tech entrepreneur rushes past on an electric scooter, the island breathes with a rhythm that is both timeless and urgently modern—a place where history is not just remembered, but lived in every stone and street.

Reader's Guide

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.

Did You Know?

• Bahrain is the dual form of the Arabic word Bahr (meaning 'sea'), so al-Bahrayn originally means 'the two seas'.
• Bahrain was home to Dilmun, an important Bronze Age trade centre linking Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.
• During the classical era, Bahrain was referred to by the ancient Greeks as Tylos, the centre of pearl trading.
• Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi) and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after Maldives and Singapore.