Al-Sakhir Palace, also known as Sakhir Palace, is a palace in the

Sakhir Sakhir ( ) is a desert area located in the Southern Governorate of Bahrain, near Zallaq. It contains the Al-Sakhir Palace, built in 1870. Camping in Sakhir during the winter months is a popular activity in the country. Notable sites In the earl ...

desert region of western

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

. The palace lies off the Zallaq Highway, northeast of the

Bahrain International Circuit The Bahrain International Circuit ( ar, حلبة البحرين الدولية, Ḥalba al-Baḥrayn ad-Dawliyya) is a motorsport venue opened in 2004 and used for drag racing, GP2 Series (now FIA Formula 2), and the annual Formula One Bahrai ...

, the town of

Zallaq Zallaq ( ar, الزلاق) is a village on the western coast of Bahrain. Zallaq was the home to the Al-Dawasir, Al-Zeabi and Al-Gahtam and Al-Seddiqi tribes in Bahrain together with Budaiya and Hawar Islands. It is famous for the ''Jazaer Beach'' ...

and the

University of Bahrain The University of Bahrain ( ar, جامعة البحرين , informally Bahrain University, abbreviated as UOB) is the largest public university in the Kingdom of Bahrain with campuses in Sakhir, Isa Town and Manama, the university has more than ...

. It lies southwest of

Sadad The SADAD payment system was established by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) to be the national electronic billing, electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) service provider for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The core mandate for ...

, Shahrakan and

Dar Kulaib Dar Kulaib ( ar, دار كليب) is a village situated in the western side of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The village is close to the Bahrain International Circuit, where the Bahrain Grand Prix takes place annually. The spirit of Jogy the legend of ...

, the nearest town to the palace.

History

Built in 1870 or 1901 according to different sources, it is one of the most eminent buildings in the country. The extensive complex was once the residence of the ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad, who moved into the palace around 1925. He was very fond of the palace and lived there with his wife Hosha and regularly invited prominent noblemen and political figures from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and elsewhere to dine at the palace. However, the building was abandoned after his death at the palace in 1942, and remained locked and the windows shuttered for decades afterwards as a sign of respect. For years the palace stood isolated, although after the discovery of oil in 1928 in Bahrain the island developed considerably in other areas. Painter Christine Rollitt visited Bahrain in the 1970s and painted the palace in 1977. Still vacant in 1983, the palace underwent restoration to its former glory in the mid-1990s. The palace is approached passing a

camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...

farm along Highway 105. Two kilometres from the palace, towards

, is an oil-pumping well which is decorated as a

hoopoe Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers. Three living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years all of the extant species were lumped as a single ...

bird. The

Arabian Gulf University Arabian Gulf University is a university in the city of Manama, in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is accredited by the Ministry of Education, Bahrain, and governed by Gulf Cooperative Countries, and is a member of Federation of the Universities of t ...

was built near the palace around 1985. Today the palace is used for some of the most honorable and important occasions in Bahrain.

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

visited the palace on January 12, 2008, and received a welcoming sword ceremony in the courtyard to the palace and was presented with an award by Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa. Bush's visit sparked off a demonstration outside the US Embassy in

Manama Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is h ...

, attracting some 300 people with placards such as "Bush is not welcome". On March 12, 2011, US Defense Secretary

Robert Gates Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was originally appointed by president George W. Bush an ...

and Crown Prince

Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa ( ar, سلمان بن حمد آل خليفة; born 21 October 1969) is the Crown prince and the Prime Minister of Bahrain. He is also the deputy supreme commander of the Bahrain Defence Force. Early life and educat ...

met with Bahrain's King

Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة '; 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999. He is the son of Isa bin Salman ...

at the palace. In April 2011 Bahrain honored Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah by giving him the historic Ajrab sword of Imam Turki bin Abdullah and the Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa Medal at ceremony at Al-Sakhir Palace.

Hessa bint Salman Al Khalifa Hessa bint Salman Al Khalifa (c. 1933 – 5 August 2009) was a member of the Bahraini royal family. Marriage and children Hessa bint Salman was the Queen consort and widow of the former Emir of Bahrain, Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, who reigned fr ...

died at the palace in March 2009.

Architecture

Al-Sakhir Palace was the work of a specialist group of builders of the Ruyan group headed by Zar Hydar Banna, who were also responsible for the Shayak Khalaf al-Asfur house. The palace is built in the traditional

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic fashion, common in the Middle East, white, consisting mainly of grand arches and columns, a dome and an imposing

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

which towers above. The

majlis ( ar, المجلس, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning "sitting room", used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural conne ...

of Al-Sakhir Palace is reportedly long. Sheikh Hamad had also visited

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

for the first time, along with his wife, son and brother, to buy plumbing fixtures and furniture for his Sakhir Palace.

References

{{Reflist Palaces in Bahrain Houses completed in 1901