History de Bahreïn

First mention of Dilmun, the ancient name of Bahrain, on a clay tablet found in the Mesopotamian city of Uruk. Dilmun is described in Sumerian epics as a sacred land. This marks the beginning of the Bronze Age in the archipelago. The political and economic power of the civilization develops.

This period marks the religious and architectural apogee of the Dilmun civilization, with the successive construction of the three Barbar temples, today considered the most emblematic remains of the Bronze Age in the Gulf. Built near a freshwater spring, these temples reveal profound ritual symbolism and advanced social organization. Excavations have uncovered basins, altars, monumental staircases and votive objects such as animal figurines, seals and ceramics imported from Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. These discoveries suggest not only the existence of a structured clergy and a local pantheon influenced by Mesopotamian gods, but also the integration of Dilmun into a vast trade network.

After a short period of decline, Dilmun's second golden age began, thanks to the development of its maritime network between Mesopotamia and India. In 1475 BC, the archipelago came under Babylonian rule. It was at this time that irrigation was introduced in Bahrain, with the introduction of the falaj, an ingenious system of underground canals. At the same time, the dromedary was domesticated in the Arabian Peninsula.

The Dilmun civilization began a gradual decline, with no abrupt end in sight. The archipelago remained inhabited, but lost its central role as a commercial crossroads. In 544 BC, Bahrain was invaded by the Achaemenids and integrated into the Persian Empire.

Hellenistic period. The conquests of Alexander the Great upset the political balance in the region. The conqueror of the Persian Empire launched an expedition to Tylos, the new name of the archipelago. His soldiers established a small Greek community there. The Parthians, the new masters of Persia, regained control of the island in 129 BC.

The port of Qal'at welcomed merchants from all over the ancient world, while the local inhabitants widely adopted the Greek language. The historian Pliny the Elder describes a prosperous society focused on the production and trade of pearls, renowned throughout the Roman Empire. Local medicine, influenced by the school of Hippocrates, attracted the regional elite. But the invasion of the archipelago in 250 AD by the Sassanids, successors to the Parthians, marked the beginning of a long decline.

The year of the Hegira, the departure of the Prophet Mohammed and his companions to Medina, marks Year 1 of the Muslim calendar. Bahrain converted to this new religion almost immediately (as early as 629). The country was then dominated by the Arab Manadhira tribe; their king Al Mundhir Ibn Sawi Al Timimia was one of Mohammed's first followers outside the Arabian Peninsula. As a sign of this rapid conversion, the Al Khamis mosque, one of the first in the world, was built in 692.

At the beginning of the ^10th century, an Ismaili mystic, a branch of Shiism, created the "republic" of the Qarmates, whose government was centered on reason and equality. Taking advantage of their strategic position on the road to Mecca, the Qarmates became notorious for attacking pilgrim caravans. In 930, they pillaged Mecca. In the process, they seized the sacred black stone of the Kaaba. They demanded a staggering ransom from the Abbasid caliph, which was never paid. The black stone was mysteriously returned 22 years later. Defeated by the Abbasids in 976, then slowly weakened, the Qarmates were overthrown in 1058.

The Portuguese Empire seized Bahrain to control the Gulf trade routes and secure its maritime links with India. The colonists built several fortresses. Lusitanian power weighed heavily on the local populations, who were subjected to fiscal pressure and religious repression. Tensions with the island's Shiite Arabs intensified, until the Persian Safavid dynasty finally ousted the Portuguese in 1602. This empire controlled the archipelago until the Arab conquest of 1783.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Fateh, leader of the Sunni Al Khalifa tribe, defeats the Persians at the Battle of Zubarah. He took control of the archipelago and founded a dynasty that still reigns today. Under his rule, Manama became the political capital, while Muharraq remained a cultural and religious center. The conquest marked the beginning of a new tribal order, with alliances forged between Sunni tribes, local merchants and outside powers such as Great Britain. The Shiite minority remained marginalized.

Nicknamed "Ahmed the Conqueror", Ahmed Al-Fateh Al Khalifa is considered the country's founding father. In 1783, at the head of the Al Khalifa tribes from Kuwait, he drove the Persians off the island and established his domination over the archipelago. He set up his residence in Al Zubarah, Qatar, while ensuring effective control of Bahrain. His seizure of power laid the foundations for today's Bahraini monarchy. Even today, his name is omnipresent in public life - a mosque, an avenue and several national institutions bear his name in tribute to his founding role.

British protectorate in Bahrain. After a conflict with the Omanis, the Al Khalifas finally seized power in 1811. But to consolidate it, they decided to ally themselves with the British. In 1820, a treaty was signed. The Al Khalifas pledged to stop committing acts of piracy in the Persian Gulf. In exchange, the United Kingdom recognized the dynasty as the sole legitimate rulers of Bahrain.

The Al-Khalifas wanted to radically transform the archipelago's economy. The country relied mainly on revenues from the pearling industry, whose pearls were exported to Paris and Bombay. Thanks to this financial windfall, Bahrain acquired a police force in 1896 and the archipelago's first hospital in 1900. In 1924, the first airfield in the Arab world opened in Manama. Competition from Japanese pearls and the stock market crash of 1929 led to a sharp decline in the pearling industry... But in 1932, oil was discovered in the Bahrain desert, ensuring the kingdom's wealth.

After the Second World War, the whole region caught fire. In Bahrain, popular movements demanded independence and denounced social discrimination. It wasn't until 1971, with the declaration of independence, that the British officially left the country. The Kingdom became a sovereign state, a parliamentary monarchy headed by Emir Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

A period of great domestic instability. The Shiite majority held a series of demonstrations demanding a constitution, free elections and an end to economic discrimination. The authorities responded with severe repression: arbitrary detentions, torture, closure of newspapers. It was against this backdrop that Crown Prince Hamad's reformist rhetoric emerged, promising a national dialogue.

After Emir Isa's death in 1999, he was succeeded by his son Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. He set about reforming the country's constitution to modernize its institutions. In 2002, the Emirate became a constitutional monarchy. Hamad assumed the title of king. In 2009, Bahrain abolished kafala, a sponsorship system for foreign workers. A first in the region.

The revolutionary movement hit Bahrain in February. Tens of thousands of demonstrators, mostly Shiites but also Sunnis, gathered in Pearl Square to demand democratic reforms and a better distribution of wealth. The government deploys the army, supported by Saudi and Emirati troops. The demonstrations were violently repressed, with dozens of deaths, hundreds of arrests and the dissolution of opposition parties. The Place de la Perle was closed, becoming a symbol of the return to order.

The reopening of Pearl Square marks the end of the Arab Spring in Bahrain. The monarchy has timidly sought to reform institutions, while tightening its grip on the country. The 2018 elections were boycotted by the opposition, but the king could count on the support of the American ally: in 2020, Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords and normalized its relations with Israel. In 2022, the Crown Prince became Prime Minister. The country returned to growth, reaching 2.9% in 2024, driven by Islamic finance and tourism.