Bahrain: Upwards To The Middle East!

State of Bahain is the only island state in the Middle East. It is located on the same archipelago in the western part of the Persian Gulf, in the western borders with Saudi Arabia and Qatar to the east. The bridge connects the mainland it King Fahd Causeway, about 25 km long. The total geographical area of ​​the archipelago is 665 km². The capital Manama is a state that is located on the island of Bahrain.

In a state live about 1 215 000 inhabitants, including 235 000 people who are not nationals, mostly foreign workers mostly from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Around 63% of the population are Bahrains (Arabs), most of them live in the northern part of the island and on the islands of Bahrain and Al Muharraq Sitrah.

State religion in Bahrain is Islam, which professes around 81,2% of the population including foreigners (of whom 60% are Shia Muslims, 40% Sunni), 9% - Christians, other religions – 9,8%.

Political system

Kingdom of Bahrain is a constitutional hereditary monarchy. In 1971 country gained independence from Great Britain. Since 1999 head of state and supreme commander of the armed forces of the King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, a member of the ruling dynasty from the late 18th century. The king appoints the prime minister and its members. Since 1977, the Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa.

Legislative power has a bicameral Parliament, which consists of the Consultative Council (40 members appointed by the king) and the Council of Representatives (40 members elected for 4-year period).

Judicial power is represented by the Higher Civil Court of Appeal. Political parties are banned, but since 2005 have been legalized political alliances.

Administratively the state is divided into 5 provinces, which are administered by governors: Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat. 

Sights

In ancient times, Bahrain was renowned as the "Garden of Eden", even it is said that here was located the biblical Garden of Eden. The main advantages of the present Bahrain include the sun (almost 360 days a year), warm sea and the picturesque Arabian architecture. Virtually the entire coast of the archipelago is a large beach with huge resorts.

The capital Manama is located in the northeastern part of the island of Bahrain. It is a small picturesque town famous mosques, marketplaces and ultramodern architecture. The sights of the capital city includes the Portuguese fortress Qal'at al-Bahrain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with numerous archaeological areas, the old mosque of Al Khamis - one of the oldest Islamic building in the region, the Great Al Fateh Mosque with its prayer hall for 7000 faithful, a complex of Beit Al Qur'an with the mosque, library, school and museum, which is a unique collection of old manuscripts and Korans.

The National Museum is one of the richest museums in the Persian Gulf. There usually you can see lots of exhibitions, including an excellent historical collection of 7000 years of history of Bahrain, with objects from the Dilmun period and Tilos. There are also exhibited works by contemporary artists Bahrain, exposure of sculpture and ceramics of all periods, etc.

Text: Maxim Kucer

Photo: Vladimir Arshinov, Soman, Navin Shetty Brahmarvan, Mohamed_CJ