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 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 Janubiyah ...
.
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, 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, 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 cit ...
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 cen ...
, 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 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 of Bahrain lives there, as well as the Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. 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.
References
Citations
Bibliography
* .
External links
Satellite map at Maplandia.com
{{Cities of Bahrain