Countries

Bahrain

Bahrain is a small island kingdom in the Gulf, tied to Saudi Arabia by a causeway and just west of Qatar. Once the seat of the ancient Dilmun trading culture and a great pearling centre, it struck the first oil on the Arab side of the Gulf in 1932.

Excavated pale stone walls and ramparts of the fort at Qal'at al-Bahrain, with the city skyline faint behind

Qal'at al-Bahrain, the ancient Dilmun harbour

Photo: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0

The five white points of the serrated edge stand for the Five Pillars of Islam, a count fixed in 2002. Red and white are long-standing Gulf colours, and the zigzag sets the flag apart.

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