__NOTOC__ Arad () is a town in

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

, located on Muharraq Island. It was originally a small

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

village inhabited by Baharna Shia, but later expanded to include new middle-class housing, which brought with it a large

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

population. As of 2023 there is a population of approximately 46,000.

Geography

Arad lies east of Muharraq City and northwest of the town of Hidd. It was originally a separate island (called Arad Island) but

land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...

over the course of the 20th century joined Arad and Muharraq islands.

Arad Bay

The town is home to Arad Bay, a protected

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

area and recreational park. Opened in 2010, the 10 million BHD park covers 3.3km of walkways and includes four bridges. The bay is home to wildlife including

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

, fish, seaweed, in addition to seasonal migratory birds such as greater flamingoes.

History

The name Arad comes from the Greek word Arados, the Greek name for Muharraq island alongside Tylos for the main Bahrain island. It was believed that Arados was originally a

Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...

n settlement, as described by the Greek historian

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

. The

Arad Fort __NOTOC__ Arad Fort (, ''Qal'at 'Arad'') is a 15th-century fort in Arad, Bahrain, Arad, Bahrain. Formerly guarding a separate island of its own, the fort and its surroundings have since been joined to Muharraq Island. Arad Fort was built in the t ...

, the Al Muharraq Stadium, and the headquarters of the Islamic Society (Bahrain) are located in the town. The Site of Arad Fort, is a 15th-century fortress that served as a military garrison during Portuguese occupation in the 1520s. Archaeological evidence suggest it was a significant settlement part of the Dilmun civilization.

Governance

The town is administered under the Muharraq Governorate.

Education

The Bahraini Ministry of Education operates government schools nationwide. Within the Arad area, they operate boys schools include Al Kawarzmi Primary Boys School, Al-Dair Primary Boys School, Arad Primary Boys School, and Arad Primary Intermediate Boys School. Girls schools include Al Oroba Primary Girls School, Arad Intermediate Girls School, and Arad Primary Girls School.Directory
." Ministry of Education. Retrieved on 8 September 2009.

References

Populated places in the Muharraq Governorate {{Bahrain-geo-stub