Jidda Islands () are a group of three small uninhabited

islet An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...

s in

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

, lying to the west of

Bahrain Island Bahrain Island ( ''Jazīrah al-Baḥrayn''), also known as al-Awal Island and formerly as Bahrein, is the largest island within the archipelago of Bahrain, and forms the bulk of the country's land mass while hosting the majority of its population ...

and just north of

Umm an Nasan Umm an Nasan island () is the fifth largest island in Bahrain. It is west of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island. Description Umm an Nasan is privately owned by (former) Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and is off limits to ordi ...

in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

. They are west of the capital,

Manama Manama ( ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and List of cities in Bahrain, largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 297,502 as of 2012. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is ...

, on Bahrain Island.

History

In 1930 Jidda became the location of one of Bahrain's

prisons A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...

Majeed Marhoon Majeed Marhoon (; 17 August 1945 – 16 March 2010) was a Bahraini saxophonist, and a former leftist political activist with the National Liberation Front of Bahrain. See also * March Intifada The March Intifada () was an uprising that bro ...

Abdulhadi Khalaf Abdulhadi Khalaf (, born 1945) is a Bahraini leftist political activist and senior lecturer in the Sociology department at Lund University. He is regarded as a specialist in the politics of the Persian Gulf region. Biography He received his prim ...

and several other political activists spent time in the prison in the 1960s and 1970s. It later became the private property of Prime Minister

Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa () (24 November 1935 – 11 November 2020) was a Bahraini royal and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bahrain, prime minister of Bahrain from 10 January 1970 until his death in 2020. He took office ov ...

and is currently closed to the public.

Geography

The main island is made of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

cliffs. It is believed that blocks of rock cut from the island were used in the

Barbar temple The Barbar Temple () is an archaeological site located in the village of Barbar, Bahrain, considered to be part of the Dilmun culture. The most recent of the three Barbar temples was rediscovered by a Danish archaeological team in 1954. A furth ...

. The small Mini Bahrain is an

artificial island An artificial island or man-made island is an island that has been Construction, constructed by humans rather than formed through natural processes. Other definitions may suggest that artificial islands are lands with the characteristics of hum ...

on the south shore made to look exactly like the big Bahrain island.

Demography

The island has a palace, gardens, a

helipad A helipad is the landing area of a heliport, in use by helicopters, powered lift, and vertical lift aircraft to land on surface. While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fa ...

, a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

Jidda Island Mosque - Archnet.org
/ref> and several other facilities made for the prime minister and his family, although the island is uninhabited and Sheikh Khalifa himself lived in

Riffa Riffa () is the second-largest city in the Kingdom of Bahrain in terms of area. The city is divided into three parts: , and . All three parts are located in the Southern Governorate. The city is growing fast: during the 2001 census, the p ...

until his death in November 2020.

Administration

The island belongs to the

Northern Governorate The Northern Governorate () is one of the four governorates of Bahrain. It includes parts of the former municipalities of Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah al Shamaliyah, Jidd Haffs and Madinat Hamad. Settlemen ...

of Bahrain.

Transportation

It is connected to

by a causeway.

Image gallery

File:Un-bahrain.png, Map 1 File:Northern Governorate in Bahrain 2014.svg, District Map

References

External links

Article about politics of the islands
Abbas al Murshid Islands of Bahrain Uninhabited islands Islands of the Persian Gulf Prison islands {{Bahrain-geo-stub