The current coat of arms of Bahrain is a
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
that was originally designed in 1932 by
Charles Belgrave, the British adviser to the then-
Shaikh of Bahrain. The design has undergone slight modifications since then, namely in 1971 in 2002 when mantling and the indentations of the chief were modified respectively, but the influence of the original design is still clearly visible in the modern blazon. And the recent modification happened in 2022 when King Hamad Al-Khalifa issued a decree-law amending the royal crown to be added to the national emblem of Bahrain.
The arms act as a governmental and national symbol in addition to being the personal arms of the king; only the king, however, may display the royal crown ensigning the coat of arms.
History
The
General Maritime Treaty of 1820
The General Maritime Treaty of 1820 was a treaty initially signed between the rulers of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Great Britain in January 1820, with the nearby island state of Bahrain acceding to the trea ...
gave Bahrain protected status (not as a protectorate of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
). In 1932, the advisor to the Ruler, Charles Belgrave, designed a coat of arms for the Ruler,
Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa. The original heraldic achievement was red with a white chief dancetée of three ensigned by an heraldic ''ancient crown'' of eight points, with five being visible in renditions.
[De Vries, Hubert.]
Bahrain
" 28 September 2007. Web. 19 February 2011.
After the United Kingdom withdrew from Bahrain in 1971, red
mantling
In heraldry, mantling or "lambrequin" (its name in French) is drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering (often of linen) worn by knights from their helmets to stave off the ...
with a white lining was added to the coat of arms as a symbol of the island nation's newly acquired independent sovereignty. The mantling is displayed around the shield without a helm or torse, in a manner unusual to traditional
heraldic practice. The Princely coat of arms still displayed the Crown when used as the personal arms of Emir, though the Crown was modified to have smaller points displayed between the space of each point. The arms displayed with the mantling sans Crown became the arms of dominion for Bahrain.
[De Vries, Hubert.]
Bahrain
" 28 September 2007. Web. 19 February 2011.
The heraldic device has been most recently altered in 2002, when the emirate was declared a kingdom by
Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa. The shield remains red, but the white chief dancetée now includes five indentations to represent the five pillars of the
Muslim faith, rather than the three as was originally assumed in 1932.
[De Vries, Hubert.]
Bahrain
" 28 September 2007. Web. 19 February 2011.
The design on the shield is nearly identical to the design of the
national flag
A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours a ...
, the only difference being that the whole of the design is rotated so that the chief of the shield appears as the hoist of the flag.
See also
*
Flag of Bahrain
References
National symbols of Bahrain
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and a ...
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