Manama

Manama is the capital city of Bahrain. It is also the largest city in Bahrain, having almost 150,000 residents.

Map of Bahrain showing Al Manama

Bahrain from space, June 1996

History

Manama has been a city since at least the 1300s, when it was mentioned in Islamic books. It was owned by Portugal from 1521 to 1602, by Persia from 1602 to 1783, and by the Al-Khalifa family for a long time after that. In 1971, Manama became the capital city of Bahrain.

Areas of Manama

The city is divided into a few parts:

• The Diplomatic Area has most of the banks and government offices. This area is very important, because most of Bahrain's economy is connected to banks.
• Gudabiya is the oldest area of the city, and it has the building where the parliament meets.
• Hoora is where most visitors go. There are many parties in the clubs here at night.