--- title: Bahrain — English Wikipedia · full text with trees description: Wikipedia's «Bahrain», whole, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics, CC BY-SA 4.0. It begins: Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in the eastern part of Arabian Peninsula in West Asia. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [wikipedia](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/) / [en](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/) / Bahrain # Bahrain From Wikipedia, [«Bahrain»](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain), revision of the 2026-09-01 dump, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). The trees and pragmatics of these pages, Mova's parse of that text, are CC BY-SA 4.0 too. The English Wikipedia article «Bahrain», whole: 50 sections, 656 sentences and 13419 words, its 385 notes at the end. The marks in brackets «[n]» are Wikipedia's own, each leading to its note and source; the small number after every sentence leads to the sentence's own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/page/2/) [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/page/3/) [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/page/4/) [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/page/5/) [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/page/6/) | Facts | | | --- | --- | | | **Kingdom of Bahrain · مملكة البحرين · Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn** | | | **Anthem:** بحريننا; [Baḥraynunā](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrainona); "Our Bahrain" | | Capital and largest city | [Manama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manama) [corpus](../Manama/ "in our corpus"); 26°13′N 50°35′E | | Official language | [Arabic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Standard_Arabic)[\[1\]](page/6/#ref-1 "note 1") | | [Ethnic groups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_group) (2020)[\[2\]](page/6/#ref-2 "note 2") | 53.2% [Arabs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabs); 43.4% [South Asians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic,_cultural_and_religious_groups_of_Bahrain#South_Asians); 1.4% [Africans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_diaspora); 1.1% [North Americans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Americans); 0.1% [others](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic,_cultural_and_religious_groups_of_Bahrain) | | Religion (2020)[\[3\]](page/6/#ref-3 "note 3")[\[4\]](page/6/#ref-4 "note 4") | 74.0% [Islam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Bahrain) ([official](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_religion)); 26.0% non-Muslim | | [Demonym](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonym) | [Bahraini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Bahrain) | | Government | Unitary [constitutional monarchy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_monarchy) under an authoritarian government[\[5\]](page/6/#ref-5 "note 5")[\[6\]](page/6/#ref-6 "note 6")[\[7\]](page/6/#ref-7 "note 7")[\[8\]](page/6/#ref-8 "note 8") | | • [King](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Bahrain) | [Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamad_bin_Isa_Al_Khalifa) | | • [Crown Prince](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Prince_of_Bahrain) | [Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_bin_Hamad_Al_Khalifa) | | • [Prime Minister](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Bahrain) | Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa | | • [Deputy Prime Minister](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deputy_Prime_Minister_of_Bahrain) | [Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_bin_Abdullah_Al_Khalifa) | | Legislature | [National Assembly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assembly_%28Bahrain%29) | | • [Upper house](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_house) | [Consultative Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consultative_Council_of_Bahrain) | | • [Lower house](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_house) | [Council of Representatives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Representatives_of_Bahrain) | | **Independence from the [United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire)** | | | • [Al Khalifa dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Khalifa) | 1783 | | • Declared independence[\[9\]](page/6/#ref-9 "note 9") | 14 August 1971 | | • [Kingdom of Bahrain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Action_Charter_of_Bahrain) | 14 February 2002 | | **Area** | | | • Total | 786.8 km² (303.1 sq mi)[\[10\]](page/6/#ref-10 "note 10") ([173rd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area)) | | • Water (%) | negligible | | **Population** | | | •  estimate | ([149th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population)) | | • 2020 census | 1,501,635[\[2\]](page/6/#ref-2 "note 2") | | • Density | 1,864/km² (4,828/sq mi) ([6th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population_density)) | | [GDP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_product) ([PPP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity)) | 2026 estimate | | • Total | $118.060 billion[\[11\]](page/6/#ref-11 "note 11") ([98th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29)) | | • Per capita | $71,460[\[11\]](page/6/#ref-11 "note 11") ([23rd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita)) | | [GDP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_product) (nominal) | 2026 estimate | | • Total | $49.190 billion[\[11\]](page/6/#ref-11 "note 11") ([95th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29)) | | • Per capita | $29,780[\[11\]](page/6/#ref-11 "note 11") ([40th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29_per_capita)) | | [HDI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index) (2023) | 0.899[\[12\]](page/6/#ref-12 "note 12"); very high ([38th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index)) | | Currency | [Bahraini dinar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahraini_dinar) ([BHD](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_4217)) | | Time zone | [UTC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordinated_Universal_Time)+3 ([AST](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabia_Standard_Time)) | | Calling code | [+973](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_numbers_in_Bahrain) | | [Internet TLD](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_code_top-level_domain) | [.bh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.bh) | | | **Website** | | | Since 17 November 1967[\[13\]](page/6/#ref-13 "note 13")46% are Bahraini citizens, 4.7% are other Arabs. | Bahrain,[\[14\]](page/6/#ref-14 "note 14") officially the Kingdom of Bahrain,[\[15\]](page/6/#ref-15 "note 15") is an [island country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_country) in the eastern part of [Arabian Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_Peninsula) in [West Asia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Asia).[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") Situated near the western shore of the [Persian Gulf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf), the country comprises a small [archipelago](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archipelago) of 33 natural islands and an additional 50 [artificial islands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_island), centered on [Bahrain Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain_Island), which makes up around 80 percent of the country's landmass.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") Bahrain is situated between [Qatar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar) [corpus](../Qatar/ "in our corpus") and the northeastern coast of [Saudi Arabia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia) [corpus](../Saudi_Arabia/ "in our corpus"), to which it is connected by the [King Fahd Causeway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Fahd_Causeway).[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") The population is 1,588,670 as of 2024, of whom 739,736 (46.6% of the population) are Bahraini nationals, and 848,934 are expatriates (53.4% of the population).[\[2\]](page/6/#ref-2 "note 2")[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") Bahrain spans some 760 km2[\[16\]](page/6/#ref-16 "note 16") and is the [third-smallest nation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area) in Asia after [Maldives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives) [corpus](../Maldives/ "in our corpus") and [Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore) [corpus](../Singapore/ "in our corpus").[\[17\]](page/6/#ref-17 "note 17")[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") The capital and largest city is [Manama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manama) [corpus](../Manama/ "in our corpus").[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") The area that straddles the present-day territory of Bahrain was once the site of the ancient [Dilmun civilisation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilmun_civilization).[\[18\]](page/6/#ref-18 "note 18")[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") It has been famed since antiquity for its [pearl fisheries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_fisheries), which were considered the best in the world into the 19th century.[\[19\]](page/6/#ref-19 "note 19")[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Bahrain was one of the [earliest areas to be influenced by Islam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spread_of_Islam), during the lifetime of [Muhammad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad) in 628.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") Following a period of Arab rule, Bahrain was ruled by the [Portuguese Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Empire) from 1521 until 1602, when they were expelled by Shah [Abbas the Great](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbas_the_Great) of the [Safavid Iran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safavid_Iran).[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1783, the [Bani Utbah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bani_Utbah) and allied tribes captured Bahrain from [Nasr Al-Madhkur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasr_Al-Madhkur).[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") It has since been ruled by the [Al Khalifa royal family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Khalifa), with [Ahmed al Fateh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_ibn_Muhammad_ibn_Khalifa) as Bahrain's first [hakim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakim_%28title%29#In_Arab_countries).[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") In the late 19th century, following successive treaties with the [British](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland), Bahrain became a [protectorate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectorate) of the United Kingdom.[\[20\]](page/6/#ref-20 "note 20")[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1971, it [declared independence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%28Bahrain%29).[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") Formerly an [emirate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate), Bahrain was declared a [semi-constitutional monarchy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-constitutional_monarchy) in 2002, and Article 2 of the [constitution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikisource:Constitution_of_the_Kingdom_of_Bahrain_%282002%29) made [sharia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia) a principal source for legislation.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2011, the [country experienced protests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Bahraini_uprising) inspired by the regional [Arab Spring](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring).[\[21\]](page/6/#ref-21 "note 21")[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") The ruling [Sunni Muslim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni_Muslim) [Al Khalifa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Khalifa) royal family has been criticised for [violating the human rights](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Bahrain) of groups including dissidents, political opposition figures, and its [Shia Muslim population](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia_in_Bahrain).[\[22\]](page/6/#ref-22 "note 22")[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") Bahrain is known as one of the first post-oil economies in the [Persian Gulf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf),[\[23\]](page/6/#ref-23 "note 23") the result of decades of investing in the banking and tourism sectors.[\[24\]](page/6/#ref-24 "note 24")[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") 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.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") It is recognised by the [World Bank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank) as a [high-income economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank_high-income_economy).[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") Bahrain is a member of the [United Nations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations), the [Non-Aligned Movement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Aligned_Movement), the [Arab League](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_League), the [Organisation of Islamic Cooperation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_of_Islamic_Cooperation), and the [Gulf Cooperation Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Cooperation_Council).[\[25\]](page/6/#ref-25 "note 25")[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") It is a Dialogue partner of the [Shanghai Cooperation Organization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organization).[\[26\]](page/6/#ref-26 "note 26")[\[27\]](page/6/#ref-27 "note 27")[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") ## Etymology Bahrain is the [dual form](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_form) of the [Arabic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic) word Bahr (meaning "[sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea)"), so al-Bahrayn originally means "the two [seas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea)".[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") However, the name has been lexicalised as a feminine [proper noun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proper_noun) and does not follow the grammatical rules for duals; thus its form is always Bahrayn and never Bahrān, the expected nominative form.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") Endings are added to the word with no changes, as in the name of the national anthem Bahraynunā ("our Bahrain") or the [demonym](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonym) Bahraynī.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") The medieval grammarian [al-Jawahari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismail_ibn_Hammad_al-Jawhari) commented on this, saying that the more formally correct term Bahrī (lit.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") ‘belonging to the sea’) would have been misunderstood and so was unused.[\[28\]](page/6/#ref-28 "note 28")[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") It remains disputed which "two seas" the name Bahrayn originally refers to.[\[29\]](page/6/#ref-29 "note 29")[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") The term appears five times in the [Quran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran) but does not refer to the modern island—originally known to the Arabs as Awal.[\[29\]](page/6/#ref-29 "note 29")[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") Today, Bahrain's "two seas" are generally taken to be the bay east and west of the island,[\[30\]](page/6/#ref-30 "note 30") the seas north and south of the island,[\[31\]](page/6/#ref-31 "note 31") or the salt and fresh water present above and below the ground.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") In addition to wells, there are areas of the sea north of Bahrain where fresh water bubbles up in the middle of the saltwater as noted by visitors since antiquity.[\[32\]](page/6/#ref-32 "note 32")[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") An alternative theory concerning Bahrain's toponymy is offered by the al-Ahsa region, which suggests that the two seas were the "Great Green Ocean" (the [Persian Gulf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf)) and [Al-Asfar Lake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Asfar_Lake) on the [Arabian mainland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_Peninsula).[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") Until the late [Middle Ages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages), "Bahrain" referred to the [region of Eastern Arabia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Arabia) that included southern [Iraq](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq) [corpus](../Iraq/ "in our corpus"), [Kuwait](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuwait) [corpus](../Kuwait/ "in our corpus"), [Al-Hasa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Ahsa_Oasis), [Qatif](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatif), and Bahrain.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") The region stretched from [Basra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basra) in Iraq to the [Strait of Hormuz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz) in [Oman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman) [corpus](../Oman/ "in our corpus").[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") This was Iqlīm al-Bahrayn's "Bahrayn Province".[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") When the term "Bahrain" began to refer solely to the Awal archipelago is unknown.[\[33\]](page/6/#ref-33 "note 33")[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") The entire coastal strip of Eastern Arabia was known as "Bahrain" for a millennium.[\[34\]](page/6/#ref-34 "note 34")[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") The island and kingdom were also commonly spelled Bahrein.[\[19\]](page/6/#ref-19 "note 19")[\[35\]](page/6/#ref-35 "note 35")[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") ## History Main article: [History of Bahrain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Bahrain) ### Antiquity Bahrain was home to [Dilmun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilmun), an important [Bronze Age](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Age) trade centre linking [Mesopotamia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia) and the [Indus Valley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_River).[\[36\]](page/6/#ref-36 "note 36")[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") Bahrain was later ruled by the [Sumerians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumer) and [Babylonians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonia).[\[37\]](page/6/#ref-37 "note 37")[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") From the 6th to 3rd century BC, Bahrain was part of the [Achaemenid Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire).[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") By about 250 BC, [Parthia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthia) brought the Persian Gulf under its control and extended its influence as far as Oman.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") The Parthians established garrisons along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf to control trade routes.[\[38\]](page/6/#ref-38 "note 38")[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") During the [classical era](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_era), Bahrain was referred to by the [ancient Greeks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek) as [Tylos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tylos), the centre of pearl trading, when the Greek admiral [Nearchus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nearchus) serving under [Alexander](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great) landed on Bahrain.[\[39\]](page/6/#ref-39 "note 39")[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") Nearchus is believed to have been the first of Alexander's commanders to visit the island, and he found a verdant land that was part of a wide trading network; he recorded: "That on the island of Tylos, situated in the Persian Gulf, are large plantations of cotton trees, from which are manufactured clothes called sindones, of strongly differing degrees of value, some being costly, others less expensive.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") The use of these is not confined to India, but extends to Arabia."[\[40\]](page/6/#ref-40 "note 40")[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") The Greek philosopher and a botanist [Theophrastus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophrastus)[\[41\]](page/6/#ref-41 "note 41") states that much of Bahrain was covered by these cotton trees and that Bahrain was famous for exporting walking canes engraved with emblems that were customarily carried in Babylon.[\[42\]](page/6/#ref-42 "note 42")[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") Alexander had planned to settle Greek colonists in Bahrain, and although it is not clear that this happened on the scale he envisaged, Bahrain became very much part of the [Hellenised](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenization) world: the language of the upper classes was Greek, with [Aramaic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaic_language) in everyday use.[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") Local coinage shows a seated Zeus, who may have been worshipped there as a syncretised form of the Arabian sun-god [Shams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shams_%28deity%29).[\[43\]](page/6/#ref-43 "note 43")[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") Tylos was also the site of Greek athletic contests.[\[44\]](page/6/#ref-44 "note 44")[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") The Greek historian [Strabo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strabo) believed the [Phoenicians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenicians) originated from Bahrain.[\[45\]](page/6/#ref-45 "note 45")[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") [Herodotus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus) also believed that the homeland of the Phoenicians was Bahrain.[\[46\]](page/6/#ref-46 "note 46")[\[47\]](page/6/#ref-47 "note 47")[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") This theory was accepted by the 19th-century German classicist [Arnold Heeren](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Heeren) who said "In the Greek geographers, for instance, we read of two islands, named Tyrus or Tylos, and [Aradus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arad,_Bahrain), which boasted that they were the mother country of the Phoenicians, and exhibited relics of Phoenician temples."[\[48\]](page/6/#ref-48 "note 48")[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") The people of [Tyre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyre,_Lebanon) in particular have long maintained [Persian Gulf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf) origins, and the similarity in the words "Tylos" and "Tyre" has been commented upon.[\[49\]](page/6/#ref-49 "note 49")[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") However, there is little evidence of any human settlement at all on Bahrain during the time when such migration had supposedly taken place.[\[50\]](page/6/#ref-50 "note 50")[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") The name Tylos is thought to be a Hellenisation of the Semitic Tilmun (from [Dilmun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilmun)).[\[51\]](page/6/#ref-51 "note 51")[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") The term Tylos was commonly used for the islands until [Ptolemy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy)'s [Geographia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographia_%28Ptolemy%29) when the inhabitants are referred to as Thilouanoi.[\[52\]](page/6/#ref-52 "note 52")[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") Some place names in Bahrain go back to the Tylos era; for instance the name of Arad, a residential suburb of [Muharraq](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muharraq), is believed to originate from "Arados", the ancient Greek name for Muharraq.[\[39\]](page/6/#ref-39 "note 39")[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") In the 3rd century, [Ardashir I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardashir_I), the first ruler of the [Sassanid dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassanid_dynasty), marched on Oman and Bahrain, where he defeated Sanatruq the ruler of Bahrain.[\[53\]](page/6/#ref-53 "note 53")[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") Bahrain was the site of worship of an ox deity called [Awal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awal) (اوال).[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") Worshipers built a large statue to Awal in [Muharraq](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muharraq), although it has now been lost.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") For many centuries after Tylos, Bahrain was known as Awal.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") By the 5th century, Bahrain became a centre for [Nestorian Christianity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestorianism), with the village [Samahij](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samahij)[\[54\]](page/6/#ref-54 "note 54") as the seat of bishops.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") In 410, according to the Oriental Syriac Church synodal records, a bishop named Batai was excommunicated from the church in Bahrain.[\[55\]](page/6/#ref-55 "note 55")[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") As a sect, the Nestorians were often persecuted as heretics by the [Byzantine Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire), but Bahrain was outside the empire's control, offering some safety.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") The names of several [Muharraq](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muharraq) villages today reflect Bahrain's Christian legacy, with [Al Dair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Dair) meaning "the monastery".[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") Bahrain's pre-Muslim population consisted of [Christian Arabs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Christians) (mostly [Abd al-Qays](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abd_al-Qays)), Persians ([Zoroastrians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrians)), [Jews](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Bahrain#Early_history),[\[56\]](page/6/#ref-56 "note 56") and [Aramaic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaic_language)-speaking agriculturalists.[\[57\]](page/6/#ref-57 "note 57")[\[58\]](page/6/#ref-58 "note 58")[\[59\]](page/6/#ref-59 "note 59")[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") According to [Robert Bertram Serjeant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bertram_Serjeant), the [Baharna](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baharna) may be the [Arabised](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabization) "descendants of converts from the original population of Christians (Aramaeans), Jews and Persians inhabiting the island and cultivated coastal provinces of [Eastern Arabia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Arabia) at the time of the [Muslim conquest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Muslim_conquests)".[\[57\]](page/6/#ref-57 "note 57")[\[60\]](page/6/#ref-60 "note 60")[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") The sedentary people of pre-Muslim Bahrain were [Aramaic speakers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaic_language#Geographic_distribution) and to some degree Persian speakers, while [Syriac](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syriac_language) functioned as a [liturgical language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_language).[\[58\]](page/6/#ref-58 "note 58")[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Arrival of Islam Main article: [List of expeditions of Muhammad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_expeditions_of_Muhammad) [Muhammad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad)'s first interaction with the people of Bahrain was the [Al Kudr Invasion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Kudr_Invasion).[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") Muhammad ordered a surprise attack on the [Banu Salim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banu_Salim) tribe for plotting to attack Medina.[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") He had received news that some tribes were assembling an army in Bahrain and preparing to attack the mainland, but the tribesmen retreated when they learned Muhammad was leading an army to do battle with them.[\[61\]](page/6/#ref-61 "note 61")[\[62\]](page/6/#ref-62 "note 62")[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") Traditional Muslim accounts state that [Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Ala%27a_Al-Hadrami) was sent as an envoy during the [Expedition of Zayd ibn Harithah (Hisma)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_of_Zayd_ibn_Harithah_%28Hisma%29)[\[63\]](page/6/#ref-63 "note 63")[\[64\]](page/6/#ref-64 "note 64") to the [Bahrain region](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Arabia) by [Muhammad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad) in AD 628 and that [Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munzir_ibn_Sawa_Al_Tamimi), the local ruler, responded to his mission and converted the entire area.[\[65\]](page/6/#ref-65 "note 65")[\[66\]](page/6/#ref-66 "note 66")[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Middle Ages In 899, the [Qarmatians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qarmatians), a [millenarian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millenarianism) [Ismaili](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isma%27ilism) Muslim sect, seized Bahrain, seeking to create a [utopian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia) society based on reason and redistribution of property among initiates.[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") Thereafter, the Qarmatians demanded [tribute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribute) from the caliph in [Baghdad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad) [corpus](../Baghdad/ "in our corpus"), and in 930 [sacked](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Mecca) [Mecca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca), bringing the sacred [Black Stone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Stone) back to their base in [Ahsa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain_%28historical_region%29), in medieval Bahrain, for ransom.[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics") According to historian [Al-Juwayni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Juwayni), the stone was returned 22 years later in 951 under mysterious circumstances.[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics") Wrapped in a sack, it was thrown into the [Great Mosque of Kufa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mosque_of_Kufa) in Iraq, accompanied by a note saying "By command we took it, and by command, we have brought it back."[77](77/ "tree and pragmatics") The theft and removal of the Black Stone caused it to break into seven pieces.[\[67\]](page/6/#ref-67 "note 67")[\[68\]](page/6/#ref-68 "note 68")[\[69\]](page/6/#ref-69 "note 69")[78](78/ "tree and pragmatics") Following their defeat in 976 by the [Abbasids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasid_Caliphate),[\[70\]](page/6/#ref-70 "note 70") the Qarmatians were overthrown by the Arab [Uyunid dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyunid_dynasty) of [al-Hasa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Ahsa_Oasis), who took over the entire Bahrain region in 1076.[\[71\]](page/6/#ref-71 "note 71")[79](79/ "tree and pragmatics") The Uyunids controlled Bahrain until 1235, when the archipelago was briefly occupied by the Persian ruler of [Fars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fars_province).[80](80/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1253, the [Usfurids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usfurids) brought down the Uyunid dynasty, thereby gaining control over eastern [Arabia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabia), including the islands of Bahrain.[\[33\]](page/6/#ref-33 "note 33")[81](81/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1330, the archipelago became a tributary state of the rulers of [Hormuz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ormus).[\[33\]](page/6/#ref-33 "note 33")[82](82/ "tree and pragmatics") Locally, the islands were controlled by the Shia [Jarwanid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarwanids) dynasty of [Qatif](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatif).[\[72\]](page/6/#ref-72 "note 72")[83](83/ "tree and pragmatics") In the mid-15th century, the archipelago came under the rule of the [Jabrids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabrids), a Bedouin dynasty also based in [Al-Ahsa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Ahsa_Oasis) that ruled most of eastern Arabia.[\[73\]](page/6/#ref-73 "note 73")[84](84/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Portuguese and early modern era Main article: [Safavid Bahrain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safavid_Bahrain), [Bani Utbah invasion of Bahrain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bani_Utbah_invasion_of_Bahrain), [Bahrain and its Dependencies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain_and_its_Dependencies), [Qatari–Bahraini War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatari–Bahraini_War) In 1521, the Portuguese allied with Hormuz and seized Bahrain from the [Jabrid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabrids) ruler [Muqrin ibn Zamil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muqrin_ibn_Zamil), who was killed during the takeover.[85](85/ "tree and pragmatics") Portuguese rule lasted for around 80 years, during which time they depended mainly on [Sunni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni_Islam) Persian governors.[\[33\]](page/6/#ref-33 "note 33")[86](86/ "tree and pragmatics") The Portuguese were expelled from the islands in 1602 by [Abbas I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbas_I_of_Persia) of the [Safavid Iran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safavid_Iran),[\[74\]](page/6/#ref-74 "note 74") which gave impetus to [Shia Islam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia_Islam).[\[75\]](page/6/#ref-75 "note 75")[87](87/ "tree and pragmatics") For the next two centuries, Persian rulers retained control of the archipelago, interrupted by the 1717 and 1738 invasions of the [Ibadis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibadi) of Oman.[\[76\]](page/6/#ref-76 "note 76")[88](88/ "tree and pragmatics") During most of this period, they resorted to governing Bahrain indirectly, either through the city of [Bushehr](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushehr) or through [immigrant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration) Sunni Arab clans.[89](89/ "tree and pragmatics") The latter were tribes returning to the Arabian side of the Persian Gulf from Persian territories in the north who were known as [Huwala](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huwala).[\[33\]](page/6/#ref-33 "note 33")[\[77\]](page/6/#ref-77 "note 77")[\[78\]](page/6/#ref-78 "note 78")[90](90/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1753, the Huwala clan of [Nasr Al-Madhkur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasr_Al-Madhkur) invaded Bahrain on behalf of the Iranian [Zand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zand_dynasty) leader [Karim Khan Zand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karim_Khan_Zand) and restored direct Iranian rule.[\[78\]](page/6/#ref-78 "note 78")[91](91/ "tree and pragmatics") **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/page/2/) [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/page/3/) [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/page/4/) [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/page/5/) [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/page/6/) - next →: [page 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Bahrain/page/2/) - ↑ back to [English Wikipedia](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/)