Riffa ( ar, الرفاع, ) is the second largest

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in the

Kingdom 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 ad ...

by area size. Riffa is divided into three parts: , and . The city is completely located in the

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 Janubiya ...

. The city is growing fast: during the 2001 census, the population was recorded as 79,550 but by 2008 it was estimated as 111,000.

History

Riffa was formerly the principal settlement 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 ...

, before being supplanted by the port of

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 ...

over the course of the 19th century.

East Riffa

East Riffa has many attractions; one such attraction is

Riffa Fort Riffa Fort ( ar, قلعة الرفاع, Qal'at ar-Rifa') is a fort in Riffa, Bahrain. History It was built during the reign of Sheikh Salman bin Ahmed Al Fateh Al Khalifa in 1812. In the 19th century the fort was a residence for Sheikh Sa ...

, which is also known as Sheikh Salman Bin Ahmad Al Fateh Fort. The city has several shopping malls and two main shopping streets; Riffa Market (, ''Souk ar-Rifa'') and Bukuwara Street Market. The former is larger, while the latter is more organised and modernised. Playing golf in the

Royal Golf Club Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

is considered one of the top activities to do in the area. A new development, created by

Arcapita Arcapita founded in 1997, is an asset management firm. Headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, Arcapita also operates from its offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. The firm serves a group of investors in the Mi ...

, called

Riffa Views Riffa ( ar, الرفاع, ) is the second largest city in the Kingdom of Bahrain by area size. Riffa is divided into three parts: , and . The city is completely located in the Southern Governorate. The city is growing fast: during the 2001 ce ...

, is a large residential and commercial center. The project includes artificial lakes, an international school,www.rvis.edu.bh
/ref> commercial districts, supermarkets, and will have access to the recently opened Royal Women's University.

Enma Mall In East Asian and Buddhist mythology, Yama () or King Yan-lo/Yan-lo Wang (), also known as King Yan/Yan Wang (), Grandfatherly King Yan (), Lord Yan (), and Yan-lo, Son of Heaven (), is the King of Hell and a dharmapala (wrathful god) said ...

and

Lulu Hypermarket LuLu Group International is an Indian Emirati-based multinational conglomerate company that operates a chain of hypermarkets and retail companies, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It was founded in 2000 by M. A. Yusuff Ali from ...

Mall are new additions to the rapidly increasing commercial centers in East Riffa.

West Riffa

West Riffa is predominantly a residential area. Most of the ruling family, ministers and business investors live in West Riffa. 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 ...

of Bahrain lives there, as well as the Prime Minister, Sheikh

Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, خليفة بن سلمان آل خليفة) (24 November 1935 – 11 November 2020) was a Bahraini royal and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bahrain from 10 January 1970 until his death in 20 ...

. Riffa's famous clock tower is located in the centre of West Riffa. West Riffa also has various landmarks including the Riffa Palace, where the former rulers of Bahrain, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad and Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa lived. West Riffa also is home to well-known springs, Al Hunaynya and Umm Ghwayfa, once considered to be Bahrain's purest and finest water.

History

East Riffa

West Riffa

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links