Sitra ( or , ''As-Sitra''), also known as Sitrah or Sitra Island ( ), is an

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

in Bahrain situated approximately south 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 ...

, which is on

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 ...

History

The island of Sitra has witnessed various conflicts. One notable conflict occurred in 1782 between the local populace and a group of

Al Khalifa The House of Khalifa () is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. They profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe. Some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which migrated from Najd in central Arabia to Kuwait, then r ...

individuals who arrived in Sitra from

Zubarah Zubarah (), also referred to as Al Zubarah or Az Zubarah, is a ruined, ancient town located on the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about from the capital Doha. It was founded by Shaikh Muhammed bin Khal ...

seeking supplies. This confrontation resulted in casualties on both sides.

Arab Spring

During the Arab Spring in Bahrain, Sitra played a prominent role as a site of significant protests. The island became a focal point for demonstrations, with numerous citizens gathering to express their grievances. The events during this period led to widespread unrest, injuries, and fatalities among the protesters, marking a critical chapter in the island's contemporary history.

Geography

Situated to the east of

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 ...

, Sitra is positioned south of

and

Nabih Saleh Nabih Saleh () is an island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. It lies in the Tubli Bay, east of Bahrain Island, and is south of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island. Etymology The island is named for the formerly separate islands of Nebbi and ...

. Its western coastline serves as the boundary for Tubli Bay. Historically, the island was characterized by date-palm groves and agricultural land with several

freshwater spring A spring is a natural exit point at which groundwater emerges from an aquifer and flows across the ground surface as surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere, as well as a part of the water cycle. Springs have long been important fo ...

s. However, rapid urbanization and development have significantly transformed the island's landscape.

Demography

Most of the inhabitants of the island live in nine historic villages: *

Wadyan Wadyan (Arabic: واديان) is a village on the island of Sitra, Bahrain. A branch of the National Bank of Bahrain and the Sitra police station are located in Wadyan. Also, the central market of Sitra island is located in Wadyan. In the past, thi ...

Al Kharijiya Al-Kharijiya (Arabic: الخارجية) is the largest village on the Sitra island of 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 5 ...

Marquban Marquban (Arabic: مرقوبان) is a village on Sitra Island, 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 ...

Al Garrya Al Qaryah () is a residential village located on the island of Sitra 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 isla ...

Mahazza Mahazza (Arabic: مهزة, ''Muhazza'') is a village on the Sitra island of Bahrain. It is located on the eastern coast of the island. The Portuguese consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subord ...

Sufala Sufala (Arabic: سفالة، ''Sfala'') is a village on the Sitra island of Bahrain. The village is located on the eastern coast of the island. References Sitra {{bahrain-geo-stub Populated places in Bahrain ...

Abul Aish Abul Aish (Arabic: ابو العيش) is a village on the island of Sitra, 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 i ...

Halat Um al-Baidh Halat Um al-Baidh (Arabic: حالة أم البيض) is a town in the island of Sitra, Bahrain. The area was inhabited by 150 people in 1905.Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia: Bahraini 1905 census Today it is inhabited by 100 ...

(the location of the yacht club and Al Bandar resort) * Al Hamriya There is a massive land reclamation project called

East Sitra East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...

which increased the island size by 50% and became the site of a new city.

Economy

The island's economy used to be based on agriculture and fishing. The northern section of the island has been turned into an industrial area. Bapco oil storage reservoirs are located in the south. Sitra is also the terminus of the 42-km Dhahran-Sitra

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

pipeline A pipeline is a system of Pipe (fluid conveyance), pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries ...

, which connects it to

Dahran Dhahran (, ) is a city located in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. With a total population of 143,936 as of 2022, it is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Together with the nearby cities of Dammam and Khobar, Dhahra ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. Several car and furniture showrooms also make up the new development on the island. The

Sitra Club Sitra Club () is a sports club based in Sitra, Bahrain. The club was established in 1957. It is best known for their football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball ...

is a cultural and sports club for the island. Today Sitra handles Bahrain's entire petroleum production. It is the location of Port of Sitra. It is also the export center for the oil fields in northeastern

Education

Sitra is the site of many school campuses such as Al Noor International School and

Indian School, Bahrain The Indian School () is a CBSE–affiliated community school in Bahrain. Founded by three Indian women as an elementary school for the children of Indian nationals in Bahrain, it is currently one of the largest co-ed schools in the Persian Gulf ...

. The Applied Science University is also located here.

Transportation

The Sitra Causeway connects the north of the island to

and to

Umm al Hussam Umm Al Hassam () (trans. ''Mother of Sea Shells'') is a middle-class neighbourhood on the southern coast of Manama, the capital of Bahrain. The neighborhood is home to the majority of Bahrain's local History of the Jews in Bahrain, Jewish communit ...

(

) on

. Two small bridges on the south west of Sitra also join Bahrain Island, near the villages of

Ma'ameer Ma'ameer () is a village in Bahrain. Nationally, the village is known for its Industrial Area, which consists of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) refinery and a large number of factories, production units such as Awal Ready-mixed Concrete (AR ...

and Eker.

Administration

The southern part of the island belongs to

Southern Governorate The Southern Governorate () has the largest area of the four governorates of Bahrain. It includes parts of Bahrain's old municipalities – Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, and Juzur Hawar (the Hawar Islands). ...

and the northern part to Capital Governorate. Between 1990 and 2013 it was part of Central Governorate of

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 ...

, but that has since been dissolved. Between 1920 and 1990 it was part of Sitra Municipality.

Sitra Municipality

This was a municipality in Bahrain before they were re-organized as Governorates. The Sitra Municipality consisted of the island of Sitra and three villages close to it on the main island of Bahrain:

, Eker and

Nuwaidrat Nuwaidrat (Arabic: النويدرات) is a village located in Bahrain, close to Sitra; it was formerly part of the Sitra Municipality. History 1990s uprising During the 1990s Bahraini uprising, a policeman named Ibrahim al-Saeedi was killed in ...

Image gallery

File:Un-bahrain.png, Map 1 File:Bahrain, administrative divisions 2014 - de - colored.svg, Map Districts File:Capital Governorate in Bahrain 2014.svg, District Map File:Southern Governorate in Bahrain 2014.svg, District Map File:BapcoTanks-SitraBahrain.jpg,

Bapco Bahrain The Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) is an integrated petroleum company that is the national oil company of Bahrain. It was founded in 1929 and discovered the first oil field in the Persian Gulf outside of Iran in 1932. Shipments of crude oil co ...

oil reservoirs in Sitra File:Sitra Wharf, 1940.jpg, Berth number 4 in Sitra

Wharf A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

in 1940 File:Bahrain-Sitrah.png, Map of Bahrain showing Sitrah municipality File:Sitra_cemetery_-_Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English.jpg, Cemetery File:Women taking part in a pro-democracy sit in in Sitra.jpg, Women taking part in a pro-democracy sit-in in Sitra File:Bahrain map.png, Sitra (Sitrah), east of Manama, in Bahrain

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sitra Populated places in Bahrain Islands of Bahrain Artificial islands of Bahrain Former municipalities (regions) of Bahrain Islands of the Persian Gulf