Bahrain

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Quick Facts

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Capital

Al Manama

Population

645,000

Government

Constitutional Hereditary Monarchy

Religions

Islam (Shi'a, Sunni), Christianity

Languages

Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Calling Code

+973

Nationality

Bahraini

Local name

Al Bahrayn

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Introduction

Bahrain

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As the Middle East's only island state, Bahrain (مملكة البحرين) is unique from its fellow Gulf nations for its lush environment. The Sumerian civilization saw Bahrain as a holy island, as did the Babylonians. Modern-day musings that it may have been the site of the Garden of Eden perpetuate this image further. In truth, however, development has put the environment under some strain and the land is not quite as lush as it used to be.

Bahrain's long past and involvement in Middle East history saw it pass through Dilmun, Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek, Portugese and Persian hands before hitting its stride as an independent nation in the 19th century. Since independence, Bahrain has propelled its economy forward with oil, but has diversified its economic basis, ensuring a long-term stability. Bahrain's modern capital, Manama, highlights the nation's prosperity. Elsewhere, most Bahrainis stick to a fairly traditional, conservative way of life.

Brief History

Geography

Governorates

Bahrain is split into five administrative regions, known as governorates.

• Capital Governorate
• Central Governorate
• Muharraq Governorate
• Northern Governorate
• Southern Governorate

Cities

• Al Manama - Is the capital of Bahrain and its most populous city.
• Al Muharraq
• Hamad Town
• Isa Town
• Riffa
• Jidhafs
• Sitrah
• Al-Hidd

Sights and Activities

Qal'at al-Bahrain

Qal'at al-Bahrain is an amazing archaeological site in Bahrain. This site was first occupied by humans in 2300 BC and was finally completely abandoned in the 1700s. Its main claim to fame is that it was the capital of the Dilmun civilization, which ruled most of the Persian Gulf from 2200 to 1600 BC. More presently on top of the 12 m high mound is an impressive colonial era Portuguese Fort. With 25% of the site excavated many great relics have been found. Because of its long history from 2300 BC to the colonial era Qal'at al-Bahrain was made into a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

Amwaj Islands

Amwaj Islands, just recently completed, are man-made islands just off the north coast of Muharraq. The developers offer a combination of residential areas with commercial districts and some very high end resorts. The area will mix the beauty of the sea with modern day shopping centers and living areas. Some of the very high end rental properties include amazing canal and beach front villas. The different island are worth checking out to see how the super rich in the Middle East live.

Bahrain National Museum

Bahrain National Museum opened in 1988, this museum features a stunning collection of archaeological artifacts. The collection covers over 6000 years of history, featuring the history of the Bahrain area. There are also many old documents, including some tablets featuring a scene from the Epic of Gilgamesh. There is even a relocated burial mound from the desert for visitors to explore. In 1993 a new area of the museum was opened featuring the natural history of Bahrain.

Bahrain World Trade Center

The Bahrain World Trade Center are two towers with reflecting design located in the capital and were completed in 2008. Each tower is 240 m high with 50 floors each. The coolest feature of these space age towers is that they are the first buildings in the world to incorporate wind power turbines into the design. The turbines provide 11% to 15% of the power for the buildings each year.

Other Sights and Activities

• Beaches - Chill out some amazing beaches on this island nation.
• King Fahd Causeway - Is multi dyke bridge connecting Bahrain to Saudi Arabia and all bridges combined are 12,430 m (40,781 ft) in length.
• Bahrain Grand Mosque - Visit this wonderful Mosque in the capital.
• Bahrain Grand Prix - Catch a Formula One Championship Race at this track.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Bahrain has an arid climate with warm to hot weather. There is no rain whatsoever from May to October. From November to April, there are about 2 to 4 days a month with some rainfall, totalling less than 100mm of rain a year. Temperatures are pleasant from November to April. January is the coldest month with average maximum temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius, dropping to 14 degrees at night. July is the hottest month with daytime temperatures averaging 38 degrees Celsius and nights still around 30 degrees! Temperatures hitting 50 degrees are not uncommon during summer and together with sometimes humid conditions makes this time almost unbearable.

Getting there

By Plane

Bahrain International Airport is where all international flights depart and arrive. The main national carrier is Gulf Air with flights both in the region as further away to many destinations in Asia, Europe and less so to other places. Main destinations include Paris, London, Istanbul, Bangkok, Shanghai and Delhi.
Although still in the early stages, the lowcost airline Bahrain Air is planning to serve about 10-15 destinations in the Middle East in the near future. For know, destinations include Alexandria, Dubai, Beirut and Mashad in Iran. Air Arabia, another lowcostairline, flies between Manama and Sjarjah, where it is based.

By Car

Those with their own car can technically visit Bahrain, by crossing the border from Saudi Arabia. Apart from citizens of both countries though, there are few travellers who make it here. You need prove that it is your own car (not a hired one!) and get a transit visa for travellers to countries like the United Arab Emirates or Jordan.
In the future, Bahrain might be linked to Qatar, via a very long causeway.

By Bus

Saudi Bahraini Transport Co runs buses between Manama and Dammam in Saudi Arabia 6 times daily, from where you can connect to Riyadh or Doha in Qatar.
Saudi Arabian Public Transport Co has buses from Manama to Amman in Jordan, Damascus in Syria, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sjarjah in the UAE and to Kuwait.

By Boat

Several ferries and fast catamarans travel between Iran and Bahrain. Connections include Bushehr to Bahrain .Check the Iran Traveling Center for more details about schedules and prices. International Agencies Company is the one to contact in Bahrain.

Getting Around

By Car

Roads are mostly paved and in a good condition and cars can be rented at the international airport or several offices and hotels in Manama. For destiations outside Manama, this is probably the best way of getting around, especially if time is limited and you want to visit many sights in one or two days. Traffic drives on the right and you will need an international driving permit.

By Bus

Buses connect Manama with most other cities and towns and are cheap and relatively comfortable. Shared taxis ply some routes as well and leave when full. Usually, these are regular cars.

By Foot

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If you are not going to leave Manama, getting around on foot is the best way here.

By Boat

You can charter boats to visit some offshore islands.

Red Tape

Citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council nationals (GCC: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman) do not need visas to enter Bahrain.

Nationals of the following countries can get a 14-day visa upon arrival (extendable for another 14 days):
Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland (3 months), Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom (3 months), United States, Uzbekistan and Vatican City.

You can also get an elektronic visa which could save you time after arriving in the country.

Note that an Israeli passport stamp will mean you can not get visa and you will be refused to enter the country.
Check the latest Bahrain visa requirements for more information, especially if you are from a different country than mentioned above.

Money

See also Money matters

Dinar (BHD) = 1,000 fils.
Notes appear in denominations of BHD20, 10, 5, and 1, and 500 fils.
Coins are in denominations of 100, 50, 25 and 10 fils.

Work

Study

Language

The official langage is Arabic. English is widely spoken in the country.

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Bahrain is: 973
To make an international call from Bahrain, the code is: 00

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