Sakhir ( ) is a

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

area 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 Janubiyah ...

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 ...

, near

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'' ...

. It contains the

Al-Sakhir Palace Al-Sakhir Palace, also known as Sakhir Palace, is a palace in the Sakhir desert region of western Bahrain. The palace lies off the Zallaq Highway, northeast of the Bahrain International Circuit, the town of Zallaq and the University of Bahrain. It ...

, built in 1870. Camping in Sakhir during the winter months is a popular activity in the country.

Notable sites

In the early 2000s, the area saw many changes such as the creation of 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 ...

main campus and

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 home of Formula One's

Bahrain Grand Prix The Bahrain Grand Prix ( ar, جائزة البحرين الكبرى), officially known as the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons, is a Formula One motor racing event in Bahrain. The first race took place at the Bahrain Internat ...

. During the

2020 Formula One season The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship was the motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 71st running of the Formula One World Championship. It marked the 70th anniversary of the first Formula One World Drivers' Cham ...

, the track hosted a second race, the Sakhir Grand Prix, using an alternate track layout. Sakhir is also the location of the biannual

Bahrain International Airshow The Bahrain International Airshow is a biennial airshow hosted at the Sakhir Air Base in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The event is organised by the Civil Aviation Affairs of Bahrain in association with Farnborough International, and is sponsored by ...

as well as the

Al Areen Wildlife Park Al Areen Wildlife Park ( ar, محمية العرين; transliterated: Maḥmīyat al-ʿArīn) is a nature reserve and zoo, located in Sakhir, Bahrain. It is one of five other protected areas in the country and it is the only designated protected a ...

, the only

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

and

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...

located on land in Bahrain.

Bell Sports Bell Sports is an American maker of bicycle and motorcycle helmets. The company is a subsidiary of Vista Outdoor, after BRG Sports –owner of Riddell football helmets– sold some of its brands (including Bell, Giro, C-Preme, and Blackburn) to ...

, an American manufacturer of bicycle and motorsport helmets, has a showroom located near Bahrain International Circuit.

References

Deserts of Bahrain Populated places in Bahrain {{Bahrain-stub