History of Bahrain

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the course of its history, Bahrain was mainly important as a trading center due to its island location, and the trade in natural products also played a role. Independent for a long time in antiquity, from the 2nd century BC it was successively owned by the dominant power in the region. In the 18th century there were disputes over ownership of the island, from which the Qatari Al-Chalifa clan , who resided on the island from 1796, emerged victorious. From 1861 to 1971, Bahrain was under the rule of Great Britain, after which the United States became increasingly important. In 2002 the absolute rule of the Al Khalifas was converted into a constitutional monarchy, but there were uprisings in the wake of the Arab Spring .

Early history

Bahrain had had since the 4th millennium BC Great importance for the high cultures in Sumer and Babylon , especially as a center of trade with Magan ( Oman ) and Melucha ( India ). The island gained this importance due to its fresh water resources and the pearl banks off the coast. At that time, long-distance trade consisted of timber and carnelian from the distant Indus valley and wool products from Mesopotamia . The merchants of Dilmun (old name Bahrain) acted as middlemen.

The oldest archaeological remains on Bahrain date from around 2800 BC. It is a Jemdet Nasr shard and a seal from around the same time. From the time from 2400 BC. BC, remains of settlements and cemeteries are evidence of a culture of its own on Bahrain. The island's heyday ended in the 16th century BC. When trade with India came to a standstill due to the end of the Indus culture . Now the export of pearls and dates gained increasing importance. From 1500 BC The island was ruled by the Kassites ( Mesopotamia ). Since 1250 BC The island seems to have been independent. The last time Dilmun is mentioned in Babylonian texts is around 50000.

Antiquity

From 200 BC The island probably came under Seleucid , then Parthian and finally Sassanid rule. During this period the island regained importance as a trading center, this time for frankincense from southern Arabia .

The 15th century Fort Arad in Bahrain

middle Ages

In 632 it was conquered by the Muslims . Since the 7th century Islamic, the island first came under the rule of Carmathians (899-1075) and the Persian Kingdom of Hormuz .

Modern times

The Old Portuguese Fort in Bahrain, photograph 1870

In 1507 the island was occupied by the Kingdom of Portugal and continued to gain importance ( Bahraini-Portuguese relations ). The Portuguese were particularly interested in the control of pearl fishing, which produced great economic gains. It was not until 1622 (or 1602) that the Portuguese were expelled by the Persians .

Their control over the island was soon lost to Oman , so that in 1739 a new Persian attack took place. However, the Persians could not prevail against the Arab tribes. After fending off another Persian attack, the Al Khalifa clan from Qatar gained control of the island in 1783. In 1796 the Al Chalifa moved their residence to Bahrain and led the island to a great economic boom. Through their fleet they controlled a large part of the sea trade in the Persian Gulf . When Oman again attacked and occupied Bahrain in 1799, the Al Chalifa called on the Wahhabis for help, who in turn occupied the island in 1804 and were only expelled in 1812 by the Al Chalifa in alliance with Oman and Persia. However, the island did not come to rest in the period that followed, as further attacks by the Omanis followed and violent power struggles raged in the Al Khalifa clan.

Colonial times

In 1861 Bahrain had to sign a protectorate treaty with Britain . After a violent war with the Al Thani of Qatar, influence in Qatar was lost in 1868 after a British intervention. However, the British protectorate also ended the power struggles within Al Khalifa. After pearl fishing had great economic importance for Bahrain at the beginning of the 20th century, this branch of industry collapsed after 1930 when Japan forced its way onto the world market with cultured pearls. However, oil was found as early as 1932 .

Recent history

On August 15, 1971, under Sheikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa (1961-1999) , Bahrain declared itself independent from Great Britain and, like Qatar, rejected a union with the United Arab Emirates to form the Federation of Arab Emirates . Now the USA received an air force and naval base on the island. In 1975 the absolute monarchy of the Chalifa clan was proclaimed. Shiite unrest and coup attempts after the Iranian Revolution (1979, 1981) were put down. In 1981, Bahrain was also a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council .

In September 1982 the USA delivered six F-5F fighter planes including missiles valued at 180 million US dollars. This was the first time that the Gulf state had an air force.

Because of the oil production, border conflicts with Qatar and Saudi Arabia have occurred again and again since 1986 , which were only settled in 2001 by the International Court of Justice in The Hague . In December 1998, American B-1 bomber planes flew air strikes against Iraq from the Sheikh Isa Air Force Base (" Operation Desert Fox ")

Since 2000, under the new Sheikh Hamad bin Isa (since 1999), democratic reforms began, as a result of which in 2002 the constitutional monarchy was established. The women's suffrage was introduced of 2002.

During the Arab Spring , serious protests against the government and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa also broke out in Bahrain on February 14, 2011 . Since the king belongs to the Sunni minority of Bahrain and the majority of the demonstrators were representatives of the Shiite majority, the unrest also had a denominational background. As the situation got further and further out of control, King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia , who feared that Iran could gain decisive influence in Bahrain through the overthrow of the king , sent soldiers to the neighboring country to support the protests in the Caused the episode almost completely.

literature

Web links

Commons : History of Bahrain  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ H. Crawford, Rice Michael (Ed.): Traces of paradise. The archeology of Bahrain 2500 BC-300 AD , London 2000, ISBN 0-9538666-0-2 , p. 216 (timetable).
  2. ^ Jad Adams: Women and the Vote. A world history. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2014, ISBN 978-0-19-870684-7 , page 438
  3. ↑ Peter Scholl-Latour : Arabia's moment of truth: Rebellion on the threshold of Europe. Propylaea, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-549-07366-7 , pp. 275, 281.