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Bahrain (/bɑːˈreɪn/ (listen) bar-AYN; Arabic: البحرين, romanized: al-Bahrayn, locally [æl baħˈreːn] (listen)), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in Western 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. According to the 2020 census, the country's population numbers 1,501,635, of which 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 CE. Following a period of Arab rule, Bahrain was ruled by the Portuguese Empire from 1521 until 1602, when they were expelled by Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty. In 1783, the Bani Utbah clan 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 an Islamic constitutional monarchy in 2002. 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 majority Shia Muslim population.

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 consequently ranks 42nd in the Human Development Index and is recognised 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. (Full article...)

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The National Assembly (Arabic: المجلس الوطني البحريني) is the name of both chambers of the Bahraini parliament when sitting in joint session, as laid out in the Constitution of 2002.

It has 80 seats formed from the 40 elected members of the Council of Representatives (the lower house) and the 40 royally-appointed members of the Consultative Council (the upper house). (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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Riot police firing tear gas from above a flyover while others are moving from below it towards Pearl Roundabout

Bloody Thursday (Arabic: خميس البحرين الدامي) is the name given by Bahraini protesters to 17 February 2011, the fourth day of the Bahraini uprising as part of the Arab Spring. Bahraini security forces launched a pre-dawn raid to clear Pearl Roundabout in Manama of the protesters camped there, most of whom were at the time asleep in tents; four were killed and about 300 injured. The event led some to demand even more political reform than they had been before, calling for an end to the reign of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

The clearance was described by witnesses as being brutal and sudden. Clouds of tear gas covered the area, and volleys of birdshot were fired on those who refused to withdraw. Medics, ambulances and a journalist were reportedly attacked as well. Sporadic clashes broke out around Bahrain hours after the raid. During the afternoon the National Guard and army deployed armoured vehicles, tanks, more than 50 armoured personnel carriers and set up checkpoints in the streets around the country. Protesters then took refuge at Salmaniya Medical Complex and continued their agitations; thousands of them chanted "Down with the king, down with the government." (Full article...)

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Qal'at al-Bahrain Mansoor al-Jamri 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) 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 1A photograph of the First Oil Well in Bahrain, with oil first being extracted in 1931 (from Bahrain)
Image 2The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620, under Khosrow II (from History of Bahrain)
Image 3The Bahrain national football team playing Australia on June 10, 2009, in a World Cup qualifier (from Bahrain)
Image 4This photograph shows the coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in February 1933. (from Bahrain)
Image 5Bahrain map 2014 (from Bahrain)
Image 6
Location of Bahrain (in green)
(from Bahrain)
Image 7Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 8Facsimile of the letter written by Muhammed to the ruler of Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 9Arad Fort in Arad; constructed before the Portuguese assumed control. (from Bahrain)
Image 10An artisan making pottery using the traditional mud and water mixture on a revolving wheel. (from Bahrain)
Image 11The National Union Committee members in 1954 (from History of Bahrain)
Image 12Bahraini protests against the ruling Al Khalifa family in 2011 (from Bahrain)
Image 13Ambulance in International Hospital of Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 14Several people held a sit-in in solidarity with human rights activist Nabeel Rajab (from Bahrain)
Image 15The podium ceremony at the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix (from Bahrain)
Image 16Satellite view of Bahrain and eastern Saudi Arabia in 2016. (from Bahrain)
Image 17Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia Boys school. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 18A proportional representation of Bahrain exports, 2019 (from Bahrain)
Image 19Female students at the University of Bahrain dressed in traditional garb (from Bahrain)
Image 20Coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in 1933. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 21Map of Manama in 1926. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 22King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa meets U.S. President Donald Trump, May 2017 (from Bahrain)
Image 23Inside Riffa Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 24The King Fahd Causeway as seen from space (from Bahrain)
Image 25Map showing the locations of the ancient burial mounds. There are an estimated 350,000 burial mounds. (from Bahrain)
Image 26The proposed federation of Arab emirates (from History of Bahrain)
Image 27Overview of Manama, 1953. (from Bahrain)
Image 28Dilmun burial mounds in 1918. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 29First Oil Well, Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 30A view of Arad Fort (from History of Bahrain)
Image 31The Persian Empire in the Sassanid era on the eve of the Arab conquest, c. 600 AD. (from Bahrain)
Image 32A 1745 Bellin map of the historical region of Bahrain (from 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 34The cities of Muharraq (foreground) and Manama (background) (from Bahrain)
Image 35The Khamis Mosque in 1956. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 36The Bahrain Fort, location of Dilmun artifacts. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 37Bahrainis observing public prayers in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 38Manama skyline as viewed from Juffair (from Bahrain)
Image 39RBNS Sabha of the Royal Bahraini Navy taking part in a multilateral sea exercise (from Bahrain)
Image 40Over 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 41Purple – Portuguese in the Persian Gulf in the 16th and 17th centuries. Main cities, ports and routes. (from Bahrain)
Image 42Location of the Dilmun burial mounds in Bahrain. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 43Manama harbor, c. 1870 (from Bahrain)
Image 44GDP per capita development in Bahrain (from Bahrain)
Image 45Map of Bahrain in 1825. (from Bahrain)
Image 46The Portuguese Fort in 1870. (from History of Bahrain)
Image 47The Portuguese Fort of Barém, built by the Portuguese Empire while it ruled Bahrain from 1521 to 1602. (from Bahrain)
Image 48Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) are native to Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 49Facsimile of a letter sent by Muhammad to Munzir ibn-Sawa al-Tamimi, governor of Bahrain, in AD 628 (from Bahrain)
Image 50Gudaibiya mosque, in Manama (from Bahrain)
Image 51The Tree of Life, a 9.75 meters high Prosopis cineraria tree that is over 400 years old (from Bahrain)
Image 52The 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 53Manama souq in 1965 (from Bahrain)
Image 54The Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa house is an example of traditional architecture in Bahrain. (from Bahrain)
Image 55The historical region of Bahrain on a 1745 Bellin map (from History of Bahrain)

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... that Bahraini former parliamentarian Abduljalil Khalil resigned his position in February 2011 in protest against government crackdown on anti-government demonstrations?

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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 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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WikiProject Bahrain

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This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Bahrain}}) or categorized correctly. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.