"" (; ) is the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

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 ...

. Originally composed as an instrumental in 1942, the lyrics were added in 1985, which were changed in 2002 following the country's transformation from an

emirate An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalent ...

into a kingdom.

History

The anthem was originally composed in 1942 to be played at official events such as receptions, making Bahrain one of the first

Arab countries The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

to adopt a national anthem. The leaders of the police band made many modifications and additions to the music over the following years, most significantly in 1972, a year after Bahrain's independence from the United Kingdom, when it was extended by playing it twice. In 1985, former leader of the police band Colonel

Mohamed Sudqi Ayyash Colonel Mohamed Sudqi Ayyash (1925-2000) was a Bahraini police band leader who wrote the words for the Bahraini national anthem, Bahrainona "" (; ) is the national anthem of Bahrain. Originally composed as an instrumental in 1942, the lyrics wer ...

wrote lyrics for the anthem, which were used until 2002. That year, with the emergence of the National Action Charter and a constitutional amendments referendum that declared the country's ruler

Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (born 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 1999. He is a member of the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty. Early life and education Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was born on 28 January 1950 in Riffa, Bahrain. H ...

a king and the country a kingdom, the lyrics were changed by Minister of the Royal Court

Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa (born 24 April 1960) is a Bahraini diplomat who served as Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 until January 2020. Khalid became only the second foreign minister in Bahrain's history after replacing Moham ...

. Bahraini composer and singer Ahmed Aljumairi was directed by the government to re-arrange the national anthem with an inclusion of a fanfare that was recorded with the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...

in London. Mr. Ahmed Aljumairi sang the national anthem with the chorus in that recording that became the official anthem of the country. Band leader Major General Mubarak Najm Al-Najm made a military band version arrangement that is used by the police.

Lyrics

Current version

Lyrics until 2002

Notes

References

External links

Bahrain: ''Bahrainona'' - Audio of the national anthem of Bahrain, with information and lyricsarchive link

- A vocal version of the Anthem, featured in the ''Himnuszok'' website. {{Authority control Asian anthems Music of Bahrain National symbols of Bahrain Compositions in D major