Timeline Bahrain

Timeline Bahrain

Return to home

ArabNet: http://www.arab.net/bahrain/bahrain_contents.html
Bahrain History: http://www.arab.net/bahrain/history/bahrain_history.html
CIA Factbook: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ba.html
Emulate: http://www.emulateme.com/bahrain.htm
ICL: http://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/law/ba__indx.html
TravelDocs: http://www.traveldocs.com/bh/index.htm
USLC: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/bhtoc.html

An early archeological find in Bahrain is a letter of credit carved in stone.
(WSJ, 4/5/96, p.A-4)
Bahrain is made up of one large island linked to Saudi Arabia by a 13-mile causeway, plus several smaller islands. The population in 2004 was about 675,000 and 70% were Shia.
(Econ, 7/31/04, p.41)

2200BC    Settlements and temples of the city state of Dilmun, known as the city of the gods in ancient Sumerian literature, were found by Danish archaeologists in the 1950s.
    (AM, May/Jun 97 p.)

355BC-323BC        The use of coins in Bahrain can be traced back to the days of Alexander the Great according to a history published by the Bahrain Monetary Agency.
    (WSJ, 4/5/96, p.A-4)

1932        May 31, Socal, formerly Standard Oil of California, discovered oil in Bahrain. This was the 1st middle eastern oil discovered by an American firm.
    (SFC, 10/20/04, p.C6)(www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199901/prelude.to.discovery.htm)

1939        The first Catholic church in the Gulf was opened in Bahrain's capital, Manama.
    (AP, 3/14/08)

1943        Two American oil firms decided to expand their refinery in Bahrain and hired Bechtel. Capacity was doubled to 65,000 barrels per day.
    (SSFC, 5/4/03, p.A8)

1961        Sheik Isa ibn Salman Khalifa became emir upon the death of his father, Sulman.
    (SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D8)

1971        Aug 15, Bahrain proclaimed independence after 110 years of British rule. December 16, 1971, is the date of independence from British protection.
    (http://ixpats.com/bahrain.html)

1971        Dec 16, Bahrain, which had declared independence on Aug 15, won independence from British protection.
    (SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D8)(AP, 12/17/02)(http://ixpats.com/bahrain.html)

1973        Oct 16, OPEC, the Arab oil-producing nations, announced they would begin cutting back on oil exports to Western nations and Japan. The next day, the five Arab members of the OPEC committee were joined in Kuwait by the oil ministers of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, and Syria. The result was a total embargo that lasted until March 1974 and caused oil prices to quadruple.
    (www.harvardir.org/articles/1659/)(AP, 10/17/97)(WSJ, 7/28/03, p.A8)

1973        A new constitution established a Bahrain national assembly.
    (SFC, 12/25/00, p.B2)

1975        The Bahrain national assembly was dissolved.
    (SFC, 12/25/00, p.B2)

1977        Nov 21, The 1st commercial flight of the Anglo-French Concorde jet was from London to Bahrain.
    (www.britishairways.com/concorde/faq.html#4)

1978        May, The Bahrain Telephone Company began operating a commercial cellular telephone system. It probably marks the first time in the world that individuals started using what we think of as traditional, mobile cellular radio.
    (http://tinyurl.com/36e848)

1981        May 25, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918-2004), United Arab Emirates President, urged in 5 other Arab monarchies (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) to form the Gulf Cooperation Council. The unified economic agreement between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council was signed on 11 November 1981 in Riyadh.
    (Econ, 11/20/04, p.90)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Cooperation_Council)

1994        Dec 17, In Bahrain Hani al-Wasti (25) and Hani Khamees (26) were the first of more than 40 people killed in the political upheaval among the Shiites.
    (AP, 12/17/02)

1995        The Bahrain parliament was dissolved by the ruling al-Khalifa family.
    (WSJ, 1/3/96, p.A-12)

1995         Bahrain stored 18 US jets.
    (WSJ, 10/24/95, p.A-1)

1995        Bahrain became the headquarters for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.
    (www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/bahrain.htm)

1996         Jan, Bahrain’s ruling al-Khalifa family, followers of the Sunni branch of Islam, put down new protests by dissidents of the Shiite branch.
    (WSJ, 1/3/96, p.A-12)

1996         Jan, Bahrain Opposition leaders claim that 2,000 people were arrested by government authorities after protesting for the restoration of the parliament.
    (WSJ, 1/25/96, A-1)

1996        Feb, A Bahrain luxury hotel was bombed and 4 people were injured. An Islamic group claimed responsibility.
    (WSJ, 2/12/96, p.A-1)

1996        Mar 27, A dissident was executed in Bahrain for murdering a police officer. It was the first execution in 20 years and set off street battles and arrests.
    (WSJ, 3/27/96, p.A-1)

1996        Jun 3, The Bahrain government said that 29 militants confessed last month to be trained by Iran to topple the ruling Al Khalifa family and install a Shiite Muslim government.
    (SFC, 6/4/96, p.A11)

1996        Jun 10, Iran offered to mediate between Bahrain and its Shiite opposition and denied any involvement in the recent plot to topple the government.
    (SFC, 6/11/96, p.A16)

1996        Aug 22, A new environmental anti-pollution laws went into effect in Bahrain.
    (SFC, 8/22/96, p.E3)

1996        Sep 15, Defense Secretary William Perry was making the rounds among American allies in the Persian Gulf region, seeking additional support for the U.S. stance against Iraq. Bahrain agreed to play host to 26 American F-16 jet fighters.
    (AP, 9/15/97)

1998        Jun 13, It was reported that the Old World Screwworm had broken out in Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain. 19 people were reported infected by the disease in which carnivorous larvae hatch from eggs laid in broken skin.
    (SFC, 6/13/98, p.A7)

1999        Mar 6, The emir of Bahrain, Sheik Issa bin Salman Al Khalifa (65), a key Western ally who had ruled for nearly four decades, died shortly after a meeting with Defense Secretary William Cohen. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Crown Prince Hamed ibn Issa Khalifa (49). King Hamed al-Khalifa soon ended a 25-year-long state of emergency.
    (SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D8)(AP, 3/6/00)(WSJ, 10/25/01, p.A1)(Econ, 11/25/06, p.46)

1999        Jul 7, The top Bahrain dissident, Sheik Abdul-Ameer al-Jamri, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $15 million after he was convicted of spying and inciting unrest. He was freed the next day with an amnesty.
    (WSJ, 7/8/99, p.A1)(WSJ, 7/9/99, p.A1)

1999        Fall, Princess Meriam Al Khalifia (19) of Bahrain eloped with US Marine Pfc. Jason Johnson (25). Johnson smuggled her into the US. In 2000 she faced deportation by the US State Dept.
    (SFC, 7/22/00, p.A20)(SFC, 7/25/00, p.A5)

2000        Aug 23, In Bahrain a Gulf Air Airbus A320 crashed on approach to Manama and all 143 people aboard were killed including 36 children.
    (SFC, 8/24/00, p.A1)

2000        Dec 24, It was reported that Bahrain’s emir, Sheikh Hamad, would allow a vote on a new national charter that would make the country a constitutional monarchy.
    (SFC, 12/25/00, p.B2)

2000        Dec 31, Six Persian Gulf nations (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) signed a regional defense pact.
    (SFC, 1/1/01, p.A10)

2000        Bahrain’s Sheikh Hamad emptied the jails of political dissidents, abolished draconian security laws, promised to hold free municipal elections in 2002 and elections for a new parliament in 2003.
    (WSJ, 10/25/01, p.A1)

2001        Sep 23, The 6-member Persian “Gulf Cooperation Council” met in Jidda and pledged support for an int’l. coalition against terrorism.
    (SFC, 9/24/01, p.A7)

2002        Feb 14, Bahrain’s Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa declared himself king and approved plans for a constitutional monarchy. Parliamentary elections were scheduled for October and municipal elections in May. Women were to be allowed to vote and stand as candidates for the 1st time. Foreigners would be allowed to vote under certain conditions.
    (SFC, 2/15/02, p.A10)(WSJ, 2/15/02, p.A14)

2002        May 9, Voters cast ballots in elections for 50 municipal seats. Bahraini women were allowed to vote and run for office for the 1st time, though none were elected.
    (SFC, 5/10/02, p.A20)

2002        Sep 14, In Lackawanna, New York, 5 men of Yemeni descent were charged with supporting foreign terrorist organizations. They reportedly were schooled in the tools of terror, including the use of suicide as a weapon, in camps run by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. A 6th member of the cell was arrested in Bahrain.
    (AP, 9/15/02)(SFC, 9/17/02, p.A12)

2002        Oct 24, Bahrain held its first legislative elections in nearly 30 years. Results showed a mix of secularist and Islamic candidates winning seats, with two women securing places in run-off polls. The Shia opposition boycotted the election and this led to a heavily Sunni-dominated parliament.
    (AP, 10/25/02)(Econ, 7/31/04, p.41)

2002        Nov 1, In Bahrain Islamic and secular candidates won run-off votes for seats in the parliament, according to final results. 2 women lost in run-off races.
    (AP, 11/1/02)

2002        Dec 14, Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, king of Bahrain, inaugurated the first parliament in nearly 30 years.
    (AP, 12/14/02)

2002        The Bahrain constitution decreed by Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa kept half the legislature’s seats for his appointees and hobbled its power to initiate laws or question officials.
    (Econ, 7/31/04, p.41)

2002        A Singapore company, Events HQ Int’l., set up a summer festival in Bahrain that featured a Russian Buran space shuttle.
    (WSJ, 4/11/05, p.A18)

2003        Oct 2, In Bahrain assailants hurled gasoline bombs at a busload of police officers, wounding five of them.
    (AP, 10/3/03)

2004        Jul 5, US military families planned to leave Bahrain in the next few days following reports terrorists were planning attacks here.
    (AP, 7/5/04)

2004        Aug 23, Electricity went out across Bahrain, snarling rush hour traffic and leaving residents without air conditioning as temperatures climbed toward 130 Fahrenheit.
    (AP, 8/23/04)

2004        Bahrain’s population was about 675,000. 70% were Shia under a Sunni royal family.
    (Econ, 7/31/04, p.41)(Econ, 4/5/08, p.52)

2005        May 6, In Bahrain about 5,000 citizens jammed a main road in the capital, waving red and white Bahraini flags in the 2nd rally for constitutional reforms in a month.
    (AP, 5/7/05)

2005        Nov 5, Three Bahraini men returned home after being released from the US military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Bahraini authorities vowed to keep pressing Washington to free three remaining detainees.
    (AP, 11/5/05)

2005        Nov 12, In Bahrain a US-backed Mideast democracy and development summit ended in rancor despite adoption of two initiatives that are part of President Bush's push to expand political freedom in a region dominated by monarchies and effective single-party rule.
    (AP, 11/12/05)

2006        Jan 12, In Bahrain an official said Prince Faisal (15), the sixth son of the king, Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, was killed in an accident while driving a car.
    (AP, 1/12/06)

2006        Mar 10, In Bahrain riot police clashed with demonstrators burning tires and garbage at a suburban shopping center in Manama, and at least 11 people were wounded. The demonstration began as a peaceful protest by about 175 people who were demanding the release of 20 supporters of a cleric who have been detained since Dec 24. The government did not want demonstrations while the tiny island state hosted thousands of foreigners who had come for the Formula 1 Grand Prix on Mar 12.
    (AP, 3/10/06)

2006        Mar 30, A cruise boat carrying some 130 people capsized in calm Gulf waters only a few hundred yards off the Bahrain coast. 58 people were killed. In 2007 the owner of a dinner cruise boat was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
    (SFC, 3/31/06, p.A11)(AP, 4/2/07)(AP, 5/24/07)

2006        Jun 8, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, a pioneering lawyer and women's rights advocate from Bahrain, was elected UN General Assembly president, the first woman from the Middle East to take the post.
    (AP, 6/8/06)

2006        Jul 30, In Bahrain 16 Indian workers died when a fire broke out in the building where they lived in the capital Manama. The six-storey building housed some 300 workers, mostly Indians, working for a contracting company.
    (AFP, 7/30/06)

2006        Oct 15, Salah Abdulrahim al Blooshi, a former detainee in the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, returned home to Bahrain after being held for five years. Two other Bahrain nationals remain in custody at Guantanamo Bay, where the US holds about 450 men on suspicion of links to al-Qaida or the Taliban.
    (AP, 10/15/06)

2006        Oct 17, Bahrain said Lateefa al-Geood, a British-educated civil servant, has become the first-ever female to serve as an elected member of the parliament. 18 women were among 221 candidates vying for seats in the 40-member assembly in the Nov. 25 vote. Al-Geood was the only candidate who registered to run in her region.
    (AP, 10/17/06)

2006        Nov 25, Bahrain, an island nation of 700,000 citizens, held elections. More than 200 candidates vied for the National Assembly's 40-seat lower house. 40 members of the upper chamber are appointed by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who can veto parliamentary legislation. Shiites and opposition members say the system preserves Sunni dominance.
    (AP, 11/25/06)

2006        Nov 26, In Bahrain preliminary results showed Islamist candidates victorious in parliamentary elections, splitting the vote between hardline Shiite and Sunni Muslims while female and liberal candidates fared poorly in the US-allied kingdom.
    (AP, 11/26/06)

2006        Dec 2, In Bahrain the 2nd round run-off election for the lower house of parliament pitted the Shiite-led opposition against Sunnis backed by the island kingdom's government in a tight race. Islamic hardliners dominated the Sunni supporters of Bahrain's government who defeated an opposition led by the kingdom's majority Shiites in parliamentary elections. Ali Salman (41) led Wifaq, the main Shia-based opposition party.
    (AP, 12/2/06)(Econ, 11/25/06, p.46)

2006        Dec 10, The oil-rich Arab states on the Persian Gulf said that they will consider starting a joint nuclear program for peaceful purposes. The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council included Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
    (AP, 12/10/06)

2006        Dec 18, Sheik Abdul-Ameer al-Jamri (67), a spiritual leader of Bahrain's Shiite opposition, died of heart and kidney failure. He had served in Bahrain's first parliament (1973-75), which was dissolved by the emir. He was jailed for 3½ years (1996-1999) after riots against the country's Sunni leadership.
    (AP, 12/19/06)

2006        In Bahrain Salah al-Bandar, a former government official, said he had confidential government documents revealing a plan to provide Sunnis form other countries with passports in an attempt to turn the Shias into a minority.
    (Econ, 4/5/08, p.52)

2006        A third of the native Bahraini workforce earned less than $600 a month, despite an average per head income of close to $20,000. Shia villages ringing Manama, the main city, suffered power cuts, leaky sewage and crowded schools.
    (Econ, 11/25/06, p.46)

2007        Jan 4, Musir Salem Jawher (28) from Bahrain won the 30th International Tiberias Marathon, around the Sea of Galilee. The Kenyan runner (Leonard Mucheru), adopted by Bahrain 4 years earlier, faced anger from Bahrain for running in an Israeli marathon.
    (WSJ, 4/16/07, p.A1)(www.tiberias-marathon.co.il/en/)

2007        Jul 25, Tony Blair held talks on with the crown prince of Bahrain on his first regional tour as an international envoy for Middle East peace.
    (AP, 7/25/07)

2007        Oct 22, A US Navy sailor allegedly shot and killed two female sailors in the barracks of an American military base in Bahrain.
    (AP, 10/22/07)

2007        Dec 21, Bahraini security forces stormed the houses of the country's most outspoken Shiite opposition group at dawn, arresting at least seven of its members. Shiites account for about 70 percent of Bahrain's 450,000 citizens, but the ruling family is Sunni.
    (AP, 12/21/07)

2007        Dec 22, In Bahrain Security forces conducted sweeps through Shiite villages, arresting several protesters involved in a week of demonstrations against the Sunni-led government.
    (AP, 12/23/07)

2007        Dec 27, In Bahrain more than a dozen people detained during recent Shiite protests were charged with attempted murder, illegal assembly and rioting.
    (AP, 12/27/07)

2007        The parliament of Bahrain passed a non-binding motion banning the use of its territory for any attack on Iran. Bahrain hosted the US 5th fleet.
    (Econ, 12/22/07, p.78)

2008        Feb 28, It was reported that Aluminum Bahrain BSC had filed suit in federal court in Pittsburgh accusing Alcoa Corp. of a 15-year conspiracy involving overcharging, fraud and bribery.
    (WSJ, 2/28/08, p.A1)

2008        Mar 12, The US Treasury said it blacklisted Future Bank of Bahrain because it is controlled by Bank Melli of Iran, which plays a role in financing Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs.
    (WSJ, 3/13/08, p.A3)

2008        Apr 21, The 6-member Gulf Cooperation Council met in Bahrain, along with representatives from Egypt, Jordan and Condoleeza Rice for the US, to discuss diplomatic support for Iraq as well as other issues. Rice failed to secure firm commitments on debt relief for Iraq.
    (SFC, 4/22/08, p.A10)(WSJ, 4/22/08, p.A10)

2008        May 28, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa appointed Lawmaker Houda Nonoo, believed to be the Arab world's first Jewish ambassador, as the country's envoy to Washington.
    (AP, 5/29/08)

2008        Nov 9, A Bahrain-based Islamic investment bank unveiled plans for a five-billion-dollar energy sector business hub at Sabratha, Libya.
    (AFP, 11/9/08)

2008        Dec 19, Bahraini security troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of protesters demanding Arab governments take action to end the closure of the Gaza Strip.
    (AP, 12/19/08)

2009        Jan 6, Bahrain’s credit outlook was downgraded by Moody’s Investors Service amid tumbling crude prices and the global financial crises.
    (WSJ, 1/7/09, p.A7)

2009        Jan 27, In Bahrain police fired tear gas at dozens of rioters as the public prosecutor charged three Shiite Muslim activists with promoting a coup.
    (AP, 1/27/09)

2009        Jan 30, Bahrain’s riot police in Manama used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters angry with perceived government discrimination against the Shiite majority.
    (AP, 1/30/09)

Go to http://www.timelinesdb.com
Subject = Bahrain
End of file.