Muharraq Island (), formerly known as Moharek, is the second largest

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the archipelago of

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

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 ...

. It lies east 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

History

It is named after

Muharraq City Muharraq ( ar, المحرق, al-Muḥarraq) is Bahrain's third largest city and served as its capital until 1932 when it was replaced by Manama. The population of Muharraq in 2012 was 176,583. The city is located on Muharraq Island. Bahrain Int ...

, the former capital of Bahrain. The Al Khalifa dynasty settled there in the nineteenth century and resided there until 1923. The island dominated trade, fishing and especially pearls industries in Bahrain. The Pearl center was made a UNESCO world heritage site in 2012. In recent years, north of Muharraq Island have a major reclamation of some artificial islands like

Amwaj Islands Amwaj Islands ( ar, جزر أمواج; transliterated: Juzur Amwaj) are a group of man-made islands, located in the Persian Gulf to the northeast of Bahrain, near the coast of Muharraq island. They lie northeast of the capital, Manama, on Bahrai ...

. The south of the island, at Hidd district, the new

Bahrain International Investment Park 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 ad ...

of the free zone (BIIP) was built. And in the far south, new Khalifa bin Salman harbor, which opened in 2009.

Demography

There are several towns and villages located on the Island, including: *

Al Muharraq Muharraq ( ar, المحرق, al-Muḥarraq) is Bahrain's third largest city and served as its capital until 1932 when it was replaced by Manama. The population of Muharraq in 2012 was 176,583. The city is located on Muharraq Island. Bahrain Int ...

Al Dair Al Dair ( ar, الدَيْر) is a village in Bahrain on the northern coast of Muharraq Island. It lies north of the Bahrain International Airport, and north west of Samaheej village. Before the discovery of oil in Bahrain, most of the inhabitants ...

* Arad, formerly a separate island of its own * Busaiteen *

Hidd :''To be distinguished from Ras al Hadd (رأس الحد), a district with a famous turtle breeding beach in Oman'' Al Hidd ( ar, الحد; transliterated: Al-Ḥidd) is a town in Bahrain, located on a sand spit on the southeastern extremity of Muh ...

* Galali *

Halat Bu Maher Halat Bu Maher ( ar, حالة بو ماهر), sometimes abbreviated to simply "Al Hala" ( ar, الحالة), is a neighbourhood of Muharraq, Bahrain. It used to be a separate island, but after coastal expansion and dredging, the island has merged ...

Samaheej Samaheej ( ar, سماهيج ''Samāhīj'') is a village in Bahrain on the northern coast of Muharraq Island. Al Dair village lies to its northwest, while Galali lies to its southeast. It is north of Bahrain International Airport. Samaheej ( ' ...

Administration

The island belongs to

Muharraq Governorate The Muharraq Governorate ( ar, محافظة المحرق, Muḥāfaẓat al-Muḥarraq) is one of the four governorates of Bahrain. It is now co-extensive with the municipality of Al Muharraq and with Muharraq Island together with outlying ...

Transportation

The island has the

Bahrain International Airport Bahrain International Airport ( ar, مطار البحرين الدولي, ''maṭār al-Baḥrayn al-dwalī'') is the international airport of Bahrain. Located on Muharraq Island, adjacent to the capital Manama, it serves as the hub for the nati ...

that follows the long east–west axis. The island has the

Muharraq Airfield Muharraq Airfield is a military base located adjacent to Bahrain International Airport. It is run by the United States Navy (USN) and usually ships supplies in and out of the airport with many of them from other countries as well. The USN, the Uni ...

(

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

code:none) adjacent to

. There are three

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 Muharraq Island with

on Bahrain Island: *

Shaikh Hamad Bridge Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

: From Muharraq City to

Diplomatic Area The Diplomatic Area (; transliterated: ''al-Mantiqah ad-Diblomasiyah'') is an area that is located within the Central Business District of Manama, the capital city of Bahrain, an island kingdom in the Persian Gulf. Constructed on reclaimed land i ...

Shaikh Isa bin Salman Causeway Shaikh Isa Causeway (officially known as Shaikh Isa bin Salman Causeway, ar, جسر شيخ عيسى بن سلمان) is a causeway in the Kingdom of Bahrain connecting Busaiteen to the Diplomatic Area, near the Bahrain Bay area. Opened to the ...

: From Muharraq City/ Busaiteen to

Shaikh Khalifa Bridge Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

: From

Juffair Juffair ( ar, الجفير) is a district situated in Manama, Bahrain. It was originally a separate village inhabited by Shia Muslims but it has been absorbed by the suburban expansion of Manama in the 20th century, and presently includes large ...

Image gallery

File:Un-bahrain.png, Map 1 File:Muharraq Governorate in Bahrain 2014.svg, District Map File:Muharraq and Manama.jpg, Muharraq in the foreground;

in the background File:Bahrain17.JPG, Shaikh Isa bin Salman Causeway

Citations

Bibliography

* . * . Islands of Bahrain {{Bahrain-geo-stub