Memories From Bahrain
Kingdom Of Bahrain – The Name that translates as “the Kingdom of Two Seas” is an archipelago of 33 low-lying islands in the heart of the GULF ruled by the Al Khalifa Royal Family.
There is a causeway named as the King Fahad Causeway that connects Bahrain to its nearing country Saudi Arabia. The planned Bahrain – Qatar Causeway which is still to meet its completion, will connect the two countries while being the longest fixed link in the world. It is a splendid land of joy, peace and prosperity.
A small glimpse of the sunset view from the King Fahad Causeway may give you an insight to the island…
Bahrain is a generally flat and arid archipelago, consisting of a low desert plain rising gently to a low central escarpment, in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia. The highest point is the 134 m (440 ft) Jabal ad Dukhan. Bahrain has a total area of 665 km2 (257 sq mi), which is slightly larger than the Isle of Man, though it is smaller than the nearby King Fahd International Airport near Dammam, Saudi Arabia (780 km2(301 sq mi)). (Sources: wiki/Bahrain)
A little into the HISTORY of BAHRAIN… Once known as DILMUN…
Anciently known as Dilmun, the island was known to the Greeks as Tylos. Ruled by Portugal (16th cent.) and Persia (intermittently from 1603, and long claimed by Iran), Bahrain became a sheikhdom in 1783 when the Al-Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians and a British-protected state in 1861. Independence was declared in 1971.
For more information on the history of the Ruling Al Khalifa Family visit http://www.bahrainroyalstud.com/alkhalifa.htm
A constitution, adopted in 1973, limited the sheikh’s powers and established an elected national assembly, but in 1975 the sheikh suspended the constitution and dissolved the national assembly. Bahrain established closer ties with other Persian Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, in the early 1980s, and Bahraini territory was used by coalition forces during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Since late 1994, Bahrain’s Shiites, many of whom live in poverty, have staged demonstrations demanding better living conditions and the return of an elected parliament. Sheikh Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa, who had ruled since 1961, died in 1999; he was succeeded by his son, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.
A new national charter, establishing a constitutional monarchy, was approved in 2001, and Bahrain was proclaimed a kingdom in 2002. Elections to the lower house of the national assembly were held in Oct. 2002; they marked the first time that women in a Arab Persian Gulf monarchy could vote or run for national office. Shiite-Sunni tensions in Bahrain increased again after the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Late Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa
The smile on Late His Highness face was as inspiring and encouraging as it can be seen on this picture, truly these eyes have witnessed an ideal person in reality.
The current head of the family is Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa - another splendid personality who became the emir in 1999 and gained the title of king in 2002. Emir was the former title given to the ruler of the country.
View more photos of the beauty of an island named “Two Seas – Bahrain“
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