Sitrah:

Sitrah is a town located on Sitrah Island in the Central Governorate of Bahrain, and east of Bahrain Island in Persian Gulf. Manama is located south of Sitrah, while its western boundary is covered by Tubli Bay. Sitrah is a part of 33 islands that constitute one of the smallest nations in the Arab world.

Being an oil port, Sitrah handles petroleum production of Bahrain, and is an export centre for oil fields in north-eastern Saudi Arabia. The town has extensive tank farms, oil refinery located to south east on Bahrain island near Awali.

Majority of inhabitants in Sitrah island live in the seven historic villages including Kharijiya, Wadyan, Mahazza, Qurayya, Sufala, Marguban and Abul Aish. The island is full of groves, farms, and freshwater springs. Agriculture and fishing were the main part of Sitrah’s economy earlier. However, at present, the island suffers deforestation, and the mangroves have disappeared due to this, and environmental pollution.The northern end of the Sitrah island is now converted into an industrial area. The south of the island includes oil storage reservoirs. Sitra is the terminus of the 42-kms natural gas pipeline that links Sitra to Saudi Arabia. The Sitra Causeway links north of Sitra to Nabi Saleh and Manama.Sitrah is a rich town in Bahrain with high per capita income. The population of the town is scattered among the seven villages. Agriculture, date palm farms, fruit farming, animal rearing, are the main earning source for villages. The northern belt of city, however, has got into good industrial progression and expansion. The Sitra Club is the cultural and sports club of the island.Sitra has hot humid summers (June to September) and mild winters (November to February).There are numerous tourist attractions in Sitra, including ancient structures, monuments and museums. As for the main attractions in Sitra, one of the main structures worth visiting here is the $25mn Sitra Mall, located adjacent to the sea, which offers wonderful shopping experience. Apart from shopping there is the Yacht Club with privately-owned boats, the Dhow Harbour that includes traditional Arabian fishing and cruise boats, popular beach resort with hotels and seaside restaurants, and fishing villages located in proximity to the island.The date palm gardens are also enjoyable for visitors seeking to relax and to pick up some fresh dates that is famous for Middle East region. Visitors can also enjoy some typical Arabian cuisine

Riffa:

Riffa is the second largest city in Bahrain, and broadly divided into West Riffa and East Riffa. These two are the largest in the Southern Governorate. Riffa is one of the popular tourist destinations in Bahrain.The East Riffa offers several attractions to visitors including the Riffa Fort (Sheikh Salman Bin Ahmad Al Fateh Fort), apart from numerous shopping malls to choose from. The two main shopping streets here are the Riffa Bazaar and the Bukuwara Street in the Royal Golf Club. The Riffa Views developed by Arcapita, is one of the large residential and commercial centers in East Riffa.The East Riffa has more shops and markets than West Riffa. Arab and Jewellery costumes and perfumes available here are quite popular. The locality also has few Souqs, with Persian Carpets, Arabian perfume and Arabian oil being sold here. Riffa is also a good place to purchase gold, just like in Manama or other localities in Bahrain, and gold is available at good bargain.There is a large shopping mall in Riffa, the Riffa Shopping Mall, wherein one gets to explore all branded items including shoes, glasses, garments, and a variety of other goods.Playing Golf at the Royal Golf Club is one of the top activities for golf-lovers who visit this part of Riffa. Riffa also offers artificial lakes, commercial districts, international school, supermarkets, Lulu Hypermarket, and Royal Women's University. East Riffa also houses Bahrain National Stadium, which hosts several reputed football matches.However, West Riffa is more of a residential locality, and majority of ruling family, including ministers and business investors occupy this area. The famous Clock Tower of Riffa is located at West Riffa. All major sports events are held in West Riffa. You can also take time out to visit the residences of the King of Bahrain, H.H. Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, and the Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

Muharraq Island:

Muharraq Island is the third largest island among all the islands in Bahrain, following Bahrain Island and Hawar Island. It is named after Muharraq City. Muharraq Island includes several towns and villages including Al Muharraq, Arad, AlDair, Busaiteen, Hidd, Halat Bu Maher, Galali, Halat Nuaim, Halat Seltah and Samaheej.Bahrain International Airport, Muharraq Airfield are also located on the island. The causeways that link Muharraq Island to Manama are Shaikh Hammad Bridge, Shaikh Khalifa Bridge and Shaikh Isa bin Salman Causeway.

Muharraq City:

Muharraq is the third largest city in Bahrain, and is located on the Muharraq Island. The city’s origin dates back to the Dilmun era, when people depended on seafaring and trade for their living and worshipped shark god Awal. However, towards the fifth century AD, Muharraq grew to be a major centre of Nestorian Christianity. Names of several villages in Muharraq even now reflect this Christian legacy. The Muharraq Club is one of the most successful football clubs in Muharraq. The major attractions in the city are its souqs or the traditional markets, traditional arts and music. The popular Amwaj Islands, renowned for their large buildings, beaches and hotels are located adjacent to Muharraq. The other items to shop for are the lovely handmade crafts, wherein you get to choose some good buys. Among the other places to visit in Muharraq are the Shaikh Isa Bin Ali House, the house of Abdullah Al Zayed – the renowned journalist, the Arad Fort and the wind towers.Isa Town is a suburb located in the northern central part of Bahrain. The name Isa of Isa Town is referred to Ísa bin Salman Al Khalifa’, who ruled Bahrain from 1961 to 1999.

Isa Town:

Isa Town comprises several newly built villas, with vast majority of residents being the educated middle class. Although a traditional market place, Isa Town houses several good schools in Bahrain including the Indian School, Parkistan Urdu School, Sacred Heart School, Bahrain Bayan School, Naseem International School, Ibn Khuldoon National School, and St. Christopher’s School. In fact, Isa Town is also the Head Quarters for several important departments such as the Directorate of Road Traffic, National Driving School, apart from offices of Ministry of Education, Ministry of Information, and the likes.Another major landmark in Isa Town is the Bahrain National Stadium. The Isa Town Market or the Souq is known by several names such as the Souk Al Haraj, or the flea market, or the Iranian Market. It is a local market used by local residents, rather than the tourists, offering some good second-hand items including carpets, tools, furnishings, household items, textiles and antiques. Ramez Trading is a large discount emporium, which is also a part of this market.Next shopping attractions here for visitors is the Isa Town Mall, which was launched in 1993. The mall is divided into three main sections – the main, the east and the west. The main building has 42 units, while the west and the east has 36 units each. Many renowned brands including Hush Puppies, Charles & Keith, Hang Ten, A II Z, Adams, Indigo Nation, Body Shop, Syed Junaid Alam, and Zain are available in the mall.On the west side of Isa Town are the traditional potteries, and the ancient burial mounds. There is the birth place of former Amir Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, in the village of Al Jasra, located near the west coast. There is also the ‘Heritage Museum’, and when driving down further from Al Jasra, across the Bahrain-Saudi Causeway, you could stopover for a meal at the Tower Restaurant, half-way across.

Madinat Hamad:

Madinat Hamad (also known as Hamad Town), is a city in northern Bahrain, and its territory is in the Northern Governorate. The Hamad Town is so named after the current King of Bahrain, His Highness Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah.

Hamad Town is situated 18kms away from Manama, and 19kms from the Bahrain International Airport, in proximity to Sakheer area, which is home to Formula One, one of the biggest motor racing circuits in the Middle East.

Hamad Town has 22 roundabouts, and the residential addresses here are named after the nearest roundabout. Being a part of Northern Governorate, it is one of the five governorates of Bahrain.Hamad Town is mostly a residential area, and people here mostly commute to Manama for work. However, the large shopping centre called ‘Souq Waqif’ is located here, which offers several shops and offers employment to many within the town.

Although Hamad Town is mostly residential area, there are several facilities including schools, shops, mosques, restaurants, and recreation centres being built to cater to these residents.The Kanoo Mosque and the Shakh Hamad Road are the popular destinations here. The Bahrain Fort is another major tourist destination in Hamad Town. Although the exact date of the construction of the Fort is unknown, it is believed that the fort was built around 2800 B.C.Among the other tourist attractions are the ‘Museum of Pearl Diving’, one of the important and historic buildings in Bahrain, and the first official center for Bahrain courts. There is also another Museum, namely Bait Al Qu’ran, which houses a huge collection of Holy Qu’ran and manuscripts.

The house of Sheikh Isa in the old town of Muharraq is among the most frequented tourist destinations in Hamad Town. The house displays some fine specimen of local architecture. Another popular tourist attraction in Hamad Town is the Tree of Life, located 2kms from Jebel Dukhan.

Awali:

Awali is a small municipality located centrally in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is a small island in the Persian Gulf, and was founded in 1930 by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco). Located north of Awali are Bahrain oil refinery, and located south are the oil wells and desert area of Sakhir.The Awali Municipality was set up to support the growing infrastructure of the area. This was slowly followed by the establishment of government offices, accommodation for expatriate officials of Bapco, and staff headquarters. Awali, therefore, developed as the place where, expatriates from across the world, would come to work in Bapco. In fact, even now, visitors mostly come to Awali only to have a look at the largest oil refinery in the Gulf.Awali also houses few renowned cricket clubs in Bahrain, apart from premier golf clubs. It was one of the first destinations in Bahrain to welcome modern culture, and is soaked in western culture. Awali has several major real estate projects underway at present. The International Hospital of Bahrain in Awali is now a renowned landmark and is the first step towards good healthcare in Bahrain. In fact, Awali is known for its oil refinery, rather than being a tourist destination in Bahrain.

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