Bahrain - Opening of Isa Town (1968)
1968 Silver 500 Fils 34mm (18.20 grams) 0.800 Silver (0.4707 oz. ASW)
Reference: KM# 8
Bust of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa facing left.
مدينة عيسى البحرين 1388-1968 ١٣٨٨-١٩٦٨ ٥٠٠ فلس 500 FILS BAHRAIN ISA TOWN, Crowned coat of arms in the center of the octagon. Town name, state name, dates, and denomination in both Arabic and English.

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Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa (Arabic: خليفة بن سلمان آل خليفة‎) er of Bahrain from 1970, taking office nearly two years before Bahrain's independence on 15 August 1971. He is the longest-serving current prime minister in the world. He still retains his post, although under the 2002 Constitution he has lost some of his powers, with the King having the authority to appoint and (along with the Bahraini parliament) dismiss ministers. He is the paternal uncle of the reigning King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Early life and education

Prince Khalifa was born in Bahrain, the second son of Salman ibn Hamad Al Khalifa, Hakim of Bahrain, and wife Mouza bint Hamad Al Khalifa. He was educated at Manama High School and Rifa'a Palace School in Bahrain.

Career

Prince Khalifa was a member of the education council from 1956 to 1957 and chair between 1957 and 1960. Next he became the director of the finance department (1960-1966), president of the electricity board (1961), chair Manama municipality (1962-1967), head of the Bahrain monetary council (1965), chair of the joint committee for economic and financial studies, committee for the register of commerce, administry council (1967-1970), Bahrain monetary agency, president of the state council (1970-1973), head of the state council (1970) and head of the supreme defence council (1978).

Prince Khalifa was appointed as prime minister by his brother Emir Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, in 1971. Therefore, he was assigned the control of government and economy, while his brother, the Emir, involved in diplomatic and ceremonial affairs.

Views

In 2011, reporter Bill Law stated that Prince Khalifa is hardliner, whereas Crown Prince Salman is reformer and the King is somewhere in the middle of them.

Marriage and children

Prince Khalifa married his cousin Sheikha Hessa bint Ali Al Khalifa, the fourth daughter of Ali bin Hamad Al Khalifa in Muharraq. They had three sons and one daughter:

• Sheikh Mohammad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa (died 14 June 1974).
• Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa - Deputy Prime Minister. He married Sheikha Zayn bint Khalid Al Khalifa with whom he has three sons and one daughter:
  • Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali Al Khalifa.
  • Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa.
  • Sheikha Minwa bint Ali Al Khalifa.
  • Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa.
• Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
• Sheikha Lulwa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa - honorary president of the Al Noor beneficence society. She married Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, artist and patron of the arts (born 1952). They have three sons and three daughters.

Isa Town (Arabic: مدينة عيسى‎, Madīnat ʿĪsā) is a middle class town located in Bahrain, in the north central part of the country.

Etymology

The name Isa refers to Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, the ruler of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999.

History

Isa Town largely comprises affluent newly constructed villas, and is home to many members of Bahrain's educated middle classes. In 2002's election it was one of the few areas of Bahrain not to be entirely represented by an Islamist or right wing MP, with Abdnabi Salman of the formerly communist Democratic Bloc winning the seat. In 2006's election, ex-Harvard academic, Dr Munira Fakhro of Waad lost in controversial circumstances to Sunni Islamist Dr Salah Ali of Al-Menbar Islamic Society.

It was one of the twelve municipalities of Bahrain after being split off of the municipality of al Mintaqah al Wusta in 1988, and is now part of the Central Governorate.

Notable sites

Isa Town is famous for the traditional marketplace. Isa Town also houses most of the private schools in Bahrain, with the Indian School, The New Indian School, Pakistan Urdu School, Sacred Heart School, Ibn Khuldoon National School, Pakistan School, The Bahrain Bayan School, the Naseem International School and the St. Christopher's School, all concentrated into a small zone which also includes the Isa Town campus of the University of Bahrain. The National Driving School and the Directorate of Road Traffic have their headquarters in Isa Town. Other offices include the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Information, which includes the Bahrain Radio & TV broadcasting station, in Isa Town. Besides the market, the main landmark is the Bahrain National Stadium. The new Bahrain Polytechnic has also opened on the site of the old Bahrain University.

Pakistan School, Bahrain (PSB; Urdu: پاکستان اسکول بحرین‬‎) is a Pakistan International School located in Isa Town, Bahrain. The school was founded in July 1968 by a group of overseas Pakistanis. Originally the school was housed at a rented building in Manama with 100 students. With a gradual increase in enrollment, the need to construct a school building was deemed necessary, to provide all modern educational facilities. At the request of the managing committee of the school, the Kingdom of Bahrain leased land in Isa Town for the construction of the school. The Minister of Education Ali M. Fakhro, laid the foundation stone of the school on 10 January 1983 while H.E Salman, Crown Prince of Bahrain performed the inauguration of the building on 23 March 1985. The building was again expanded and on 25 September 1993, Jinnah Block was inaugurated. On 5 June 1995, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan inaugurated Sir Syed Block.

On 15 July 2012, the Isa Town marketplace caught fire, damaging more than 450 shops^[7] and causing damages amounting to hundreds of thousands of dinars. It took dozens of firefighters and around 30 fire engines more than five hours to control the blaze. There were no reported casualties although two firemen were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation. It was estimated that two-thirds of the market was destroyed.

Bahrain's Prime Minister, Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, ordered a probe to be set up to investigate the incident.

Alwalil Hospital Bahrain partners with Prime Sports & Medical Agency of England for recruitment of Nurses, Radiologist,and Laboratory Technician and Medical Assistance for Employment

Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in the Persian Gulf. The sovereign state comprises a small archipelago centered around Bahrain Island, situated between the Qatar peninsula and the north eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the 25-kilometre (16 mi) King Fahd Causeway. Bahrain's population is 1,234,571 (c. 2010), including 666,172 non-nationals. It is 765.3 square kilometres (295.5 sq mi) in size, making it the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore.

Bahrain is the site of the ancient Dilmun civilisation. It has been famed since antiquity for its pearl fisheries, which were considered the best in the world into the 19th century. Bahrain was one of the earliest areas to convert to Islam, in 628 CE. Following a period of Arab rule, Bahrain was occupied by the Portuguese in 1521, who in turn were expelled in 1602 by Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty under the Persian Empire. In 1783, the Bani Utbah clan captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur and it has since been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family, with Ahmed al Fateh as Bahrain's first hakim.

In the late 1800s, following successive treaties with the British, Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. In 1971, Bahrain declared independence. Formerly an emirate, the Arab constitutional monarchy of Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002. In 2011, the country experienced protests inspired by the regional Arab Spring. Bahrain's ruling al-Khalifa royal family has been accused and criticized for human rights abuses, including imprisonment, torture and execution of dissidents, political opposition figures and its Shia Muslim population.

Bahrain had the first post-oil economy in the Persian Gulf. Since the late 20th century, Bahrain has invested in the banking and tourism sectors. Many large financial institutions have a presence in Manama, the country's capital. It has a high Human Development Index and is recognised by the World Bank as a high-income economy. Bahrain is a member of the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

In the early 19th century, Bahrain was invaded by both the Omanis and the Al Sauds. In 1802 it was governed by a 12-year-old child, when the Omani ruler Sayyid Sultan installed his son, Salim, as governor in the Arad Fort. In 1816, the British political resident in the Gulf, William Bruce, received a letter from the Sheikh of Bahrain who was concerned about a rumour that Britain would support an attack on the island by the Imam of Muscat. He sailed to Bahrain to reassure the Sheikh that this was not the case and drew up an informal agreement assuring the Sheikh that Britain would remain a neutral party.

In 1820, the Al Khalifa tribe were recognised by Great Britain as the rulers ("Al-Hakim" in Arabic) of Bahrain after signing a treaty relationship. However, ten years later they were forced to pay yearly tributes to Egypt despite seeking Persian and British protection.

In 1860, the Al Khalifas used the same tactic when the British tried to overpower Bahrain. Writing letters to the Persians and Ottomans, Al Khalifas agreed to place Bahrain under the latter's protection in March due to offering better conditions. Eventually the Government of British India overpowered Bahrain when the Persians refused to protect it. Colonel Pelly signed a new treaty with Al Khalifas placing Bahrain under British rule and protection.

Following the Qatari-Bahraini War in 1868, British representatives signed another agreement with the Al Khalifas. It specified that the ruler could not dispose of any of his territory except to the United Kingdom and could not enter into relationships with any foreign government without British consent. In return the British promised to protect Bahrain from all aggression by sea and to lend support in case of land attack. More importantly the British promised to support the rule of the Al Khalifa in Bahrain, securing its unstable position as rulers of the country. Other agreements in 1880 and 1892 sealed the protectorate status of Bahrain to the British.

Unrest amongst the people of Bahrain began when Britain officially established complete dominance over the territory in 1892. The first revolt and widespread uprising took place in March 1895 against Sheikh Issa bin Ali, then ruler of Bahrain. Sheikh Issa was the first of the Al Khalifa to rule without Persian relations. Sir Arnold Wilson, Britain's representative in the Persian Gulf and author of The Persian Gulf, arrived in Bahrain from Muscat at this time. The uprising developed further with some protesters killed by British forces.

Before the development of petroleum, the island was largely devoted to pearl fisheries and, as late as the 19th century, was considered to be the finest in the world. In 1903, German explorer, Hermann Burchardt, visited Bahrain and took many photographs of historical sites, including the old Qaṣr es-Sheikh, photos now stored at the Ethnological Museum of Berlin. Prior to the First World War, there were about 400 vessels hunting pearls and an annual export of more than £30,000.

In 1911, a group of Bahraini merchants demanded restrictions on the British influence in the country. The group's leaders were subsequently arrested and exiled to India. In 1923, the British introduced administrative reforms and replaced Sheikh Issa bin Ali with his son. Some clerical opponents and families such as al Dossari left or were exiled to Saudi Arabia and Iran. Three years later the British placed the country under the de facto rule of Charles Belgrave who operated as an adviser to the ruler until 1957. Belgrave brought a number of reforms such as establishment of the country's first modern school in 1919, the Persian Gulf's first girls' school in 1928 and the abolition of slavery in 1937. At the same time, the pearl diving industry developed at a rapid pace.