Sitra

For the South India Textile Research Association, see SITRA.
Sitra
Native name: <span class="nickname" ">سترة
Sitra

Location of Al Dar Islands in Bahrain

Geography
Location Persian Gulf
Coordinates 26°07′N 50°39′E / 26.12°N 50.65°E / 26.12; 50.65Coordinates: 26°07′N 50°39′E / 26.12°N 50.65°E / 26.12; 50.65
Archipelago Bahrain
Adjacent bodies of water Persian Gulf
Total islands 1
Major islands
  • Sitra    
Area 22.45 km2 (8.67 sq mi)
Length 8.3 km (5.16 mi)
Width 5 km (3.1 mi)
Coastline 36 km (22.4 mi)
Highest elevation 6 m (20 ft)
Administration
Governorate split between Capital Governorate and Southern Governorate
Largest settlement
Marquban
(population 20000)
Demographics
Demonym Bahraini
Population 81000 (2016)
Pop. density 3,600 /km2 (9,300 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups Bahraini, non-Bahraini
Additional information
Time zone
Official website www.bahrain.com
ISO Code = BH-14

Sitra (Arabic: سترة‎‎ or سِتْرَة,[1] As-Sitra),[2] also known as Sitrah[3] (Arabic: Jazīrat Sitrah‎‎)[4] or Sitra Island (Arabic: Jazīrat as-Sitra‎‎),[5] is an island in Bahrain. It has a distance of 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island.

History

Conflict with Al Khalifa in 1782

In 1782, a conflict occurred between locals and a number of Al Khalifa who came from Zubara to buy supplies. The clashes resulted in deaths from both sides.[6]

Modern History

Sitra Island had mixed Shia and Sunni Arab population. The Sunni inhabitants (including the Al Buainain tribe which inhabited the now deserted village of Salba, west of Sitra[7]) eradicated during the early 1920s when most of them died as a result of smallpox or migrated back to their homelands.[8] Masjid al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, the island's last remaining Sunni mosque, shut down in 2011 amid reports of vandalism of the mosque by Shia protesters.[9][10]

Geography

The Island is located just east of Bahrain Island in Persian Gulf. It lies south of Manama and Nabih Saleh. The island's western coast forms the boundary of Tubli Bay. The island used to be covered in date palm groves and farms, watered by several freshwater springs. Mangroves used to line the western coast, however they have almost disappeared due to development.

Demography

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

There is a massive land reclamation project called East Sitra which increased the island size by 50% and has a new city built on it.[11][12]

Sitra's population is largely Bahraini Shia Muslim, with a significant South Asian minority. Sitra used to have a Sunni population until the Arab Spring.

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 pipeline, which connects it to Dahran in Saudi Arabia.[13]

Several car and furniture showrooms also make up the new development on the island. The Sitra Club is a cultural and sports club for the island.

Today Sitra handles Bahrain's entire petroleum production. It is also the export center for the oil fields in northeastern Saudi Arabia. [14]

Education

Sitra is the site of many school campuses such as Al Noor International School and Indian School, Bahrain. The Applied Science University is located here.

Transportation

The Sitra Causeway connects the north of the island to Nabih Saleh and to Umm al Hussam (Manama) on Bahrain Island. Two small bridges on the south west of Sitra also joins Bahrain Island, near the villages of Ma'ameer and Eker.

Administration

The southern part of the island belongs to Southern Governorate and the northern part to Capital Governorate. Between 1990 and 2013 it was part of Central Governorate of Bahrain, but that is now 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: Ma'ameer, Eker and Nuwaidrat.[15]

Bibliography

References

Media related to Sitra at Wikimedia Commons

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