The Kingdom of Bahrain
The history of Bahrain can be traced back to 5,000 years ago, when Sumerians settled and established cities around 3000 BC. Today, however, Bahrain is a country of cars on the streets, great shopping malls, the iconic twin towers of the World Trade Center, and cities that still operate late at night. Many people associate the Middle East with endless oil and luxury sports cars. The common denominator among these rich countries, be they big ones like Saudi Arabia or small ones like the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait or Oman, is that their economies are highly dependent on the huge benefits of oil extraction. Among these “oil countries”, the kingdom of Bahrain stands out from the rest. Its economic level is equally enviable, and its people are living a rich and comfortable life. However, its pillar industry is not oil, but developed tourism. The Kingdom of Bahrain, located in the core of the Persian Gulf, consists of 36 scattered islands with a total area of about 767 square kilometers. It is the smallest country in the Middle East. Its capital is Manama, and its regime is a binary constitutional monarchy. Although the kingdom of Bahrain is small in size, it is very rich, with a per capita GDP of more than $20,000, so in terms of national living standards, it is no different from those of Saudi Arabia and other big countries in the Middle East. Since the beginning of the last century, Bahrain’s government has worked hard to build tourism, finance and banking, making the country one of the healthiest, most structurally sound and least dependent on oil in the Middle East.
Oil and gas are Bahrain’s two largest industries, accounting for 11 percent of GDP and 70-86 percent of government revenue. About 80 percent of the oil revenue comes from Saudi Aramco’s offshore Absafa field. Forty percent of the oil is consumed domestically and the rest is exported.
The kingdom of Bahrain has the most developed banking system in the Arab region, with an Islamic financial center and a Persian Gulf banking center. As of 2020, Islamic Finance Center’s banking sector wide value exceeded $35.1 billion, with total industry-wide transactions of $232.7 billion. The industry employs about 16,000 people and accounts for over 26% of GDP. Bahrain’s success as a regional financial center was due to the rise of the Persian Empire, which was also boosted by its special strategic location. Bahrain is the smallest insurance market in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The industry had revenues of about $870 million as of 2020, but is expected to grow 7% to $1.05 billion in 2021. There are 36 insurance companies, 25 local insurance companies and 11 foreign insurance companies. No insurer has more than 10% of the market. Most of that revenue now comes from the booming auto industry. Bahrain’s tourism industry contributes about $220 million in annual revenue, 75 percent of which comes from foreign direct investment. Despite the global spread of the pandemic in 2020, Bahrain attracted 15.2 million overseas visitors. 2021 plans to increase that number to 16.8 million.
Bahrain is a relatively wealthy country with money and generosity. Free medical care is provided throughout the country, and the coverage rate of health services has reached 100 percent. The average life expectancy is over 70 years. Bahrain attaches great importance to education and implements free education for all. The education rate of its youth is close to 100 percent, making it the country with the highest average level of education in the Middle East.
Bahrain is known as the back garden of the Middle East. Despite its peaceful development, it is also an important tourist destination in the Middle East. In terms of tourism, Bahrain is second only to the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf.
Bahrain has developed tourism. There are 25 five-star hotels and nearly 50 four-star hotels in Bahrain. Most of the hotel staff can speak fluent English. The average occupancy rate at Four Seasons Bahrain is over 50 percent. More than 10 million foreign tourists flock to Bahrain each year.
Walking through the streets of Manama, Bahrain’s capital, we can see solemn mosques, modern sculptures and tall buildings. Deeply feel the modern and traditional fierce collision, experience this Gulf country’s unique deposits.
For those who prefer a modern city, visit the World Trade Center in Bahrain. The 240-meter-high building is shaped like a two-leaf-filled sail, and there are three wind turbines embedded between the twin towers. The huge blades with a diameter of 29 meters provide clean energy to the building continuously.
The novel and unique shape of the building, with a trendy structure, the use of energy, low carbon and environmental protection, fully show the world the future urban style and the inevitable trend of human development. For those keen on traditional culture, visit the Great Mosque of Manama for a taste of Muslim culture.
The Great Mosque of Manama can hold up to 7,000 worshippers at a time and has the largest circular dome in the world. In particular, 60 tons of hemispherical glass fiber are used to create natural light, which can be poured into every corner of the palace
The 5,000-year-old Balin Castle, built during the Durmon Dynasty, is also a good choice. A famous World Heritage site, the citadel of coral reefs still seems to speak to the past in their own way.
If guests want to go further back in history, the burial forest west of Manama can satisfy their curiosity. The Tsuka Forest is one of the wonders of Bahrain. It is located on one of 32 small islands around Bahrain. This is the world’s largest prehistoric tomb forest, so it is also known as “Mantsuka Island”, “dead island”. The mounds were first discovered as tombs by the British in 1879. Due to the long time, the tombs of the predecessors were buried by silt, and the descendants were buried on top of them, one layer after another, eventually forming a hill.
