deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

Bahrain, small Arab state situated in a bay on the southwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. It is an archipelago consisting of Bahrain Island and some 30 smaller islands. Its name is from the Arabic termal-baḥrayn, meaning “two seas.”

Bahrain was one of the earliest areas to be influenced by Islam, during the lifetime of Muhammad in 628. Following a period of Arab rule, Bahrain was ruled by the Portuguese Empire from 1521 until 1602. In the late 19th century, following successive treaties with the British, Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. In 1971, it declared independence. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a semi-constitutional monarchy in 2002.

Until the late Middle Ages, “Bahrain” referred to the region of Eastern Arabia that included southern Iraq, Kuwait, Al-Hasa, Qatif, and Bahrain. The region stretched from Basra in Iraq to the Strait of Hormuz in Oman.

Bahrain is known as one of the first post-oil economies in the Persian Gulf, the result of decades of investing in the banking and tourism sectors; many of the world’s largest financial institutions have a presence in Manama. Oil revenues still constitute a significant part of its government budget. It is recognized by the World Bank as a high-income economy.

The coat of arms of Bahrain was originally designed in 1932 by Charles Belgrave, the British adviser to the Shaikh of Bahrain. 

The original design had a crown with 5 points, as each ruler, King, came along they touched up the crown, the last one insisting that his crown had 8 points, so the crown should show that. The colors on the shield remained the same and that made it onto the flag.

The flag of Bahrain (Arabic: عَلَم الْبَحرَيْن) consists of a white band on the left, separated from a red area on the right by five triangles that serve as a serrated line. The five white triangles symbolize the five pillars of Islam, the red on the flag represents the blood of the martyrs and the battles of Bahrain, and the white represents peace.

In 2002 the King decreed law Number 4 concerning the flag. The US has a Flag Code, but it has no ‘teeth’ and acts as a suggested ethical way to treat the flag. Here the King says: ‘You better or else…’

• Article I: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall take a rectangular shape, and shall be divided into two main sections; the first in red, and the other in white color.
• Article II: The King shall have his own flag, for which a royal order shall be issued to determine its shape, measures, and places.
• Article III: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall be hoisted on the Royal Court, Palaces, governmental buildings, public establishments, embassies, Bahraini bureaus abroad, and Bahraini ships.
• Article IV: Each non-Bahraini ship entering the territorial waters of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall hoist the Flag of the Kingdom, and shall keep the flag hoisted till it departs from the territorial waters of the Kingdom.
• Article V: The Flag shall be hoisted on governmental buildings, public institutions during public holidays and occasions from sun-rise to sun-set.
• Article VI: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall not be hoisted on vehicles, except on the official protocol vehicles.
• Article VII: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall be hoisted half mast at the state of mourning.
• Article VIII: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall not be used for commercial purposes.
• Article IX: In case the Flag is used otherwise, and not as stipulated in the above law, a punishment of one month of imprisonment as a maximum, or a fine not exceeding than BD 100, or both shall be inflicted.