Durrat Al Bahrain () is the third largest

artificial island An artificial island is an island that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means. Artificial islands may vary in size from small islets reclaimed solely to support a single pillar of a building or structure to those tha ...

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 ...

after

Northern City Northern City Islands () are a group of islands in the archipelago of Bahrain, lying west of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island. Description The proposed plan for the city was made in 2000. It is a residential area that is being reclaimed an ...

and Diyar Al Muharraq Islands. It lies south of the capital,

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 ...

, on

Bahrain Island Bahrain Island ( ar, جزيرة البحرين ''Jazīrah al-Baḥrayn''), also known as al-Awal Island and formerly as Bahrein, is the largest island within the archipelago of Bahrain, and forms the bulk of the country's land mass while hosting ...

Description

Durrat Al Bahrain islands include luxury villas with either sea or beach views, parks, sports facilities, mosques, shops, restaurants, 12 bridges, and a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

. The project has a cost of about

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

1.3 billion. The marina is a joint venture between the Bahraini government and

Kuwait Finance House Kuwait Finance House ( ar, بيت التمويل الكويتي) (KFH) was established in the Kuwait, State of Kuwait, in 1977, as the first bank operating in accordance with the Islamic Sharia, Shari'a rulings. KFH is listed in Kuwait Stock Exch ...

, one of the GCC region's leading banks. The marina development is the first of its type and size in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

History

In 2002, plans were laid down for the project. Work began in 2004. In February 2008, work on the project was interrupted as more than 1,300 laborers laid down tools in a dispute over pay. Workers who were based at a laborers' camp on the development site, went on strike demanding better salaries and complaining of poor living conditions. The strike was called off soon after.

Geography

The project consists of a series of 15 large artificial islands, covering an area of about . It has six

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

s, five fish-shaped islands, two crescent-shaped islands, and two more small islands related to the Marina area.

Administration

The island belongs to

Southern Governorate The Southern Governorate () has the largest area of the four governorates of Bahrain, and the smallest population (91,450). It includes parts of Bahrain's old municipalities – Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah ...

. The Development Company established an organization to manage the ongoing operation of the development. Julian Butson was appointed as the first chief executive officer of Durrat Resort Management.

Transportation

The islands have two

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...

s connecting them to

Image gallery

File:Un-bahrain.png, Map 1 File:Southern Governorate in Bahrain 2014.svg, District Map File:Durrat Al Bahrain Model Pict 1.jpg, Promotional poster of the islands File:Durrat Al Bahrain Model Pict 2.jpg, Model of Durrat Al Bahrain as seen at ''Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2007''. File:Durrat Al Bahrain, Persian Gulf.JPG, Astronaut photograph of Durrat Al Bahrain.

References

Populated places in Bahrain Islands of Bahrain Artificial islands of Bahrain {{Bahrain-geo-stub