Manama: Lei en bil fra 8€/per dag

Manama is Bahrain's capital and largest city, having a population of around 200,000 people as of 2020. Manama has long been an important commercial city on the Persian Gulf, and it is home to a varied population. After centuries of Portuguese and Persian domination, as well as assaults by the reigning dynasties of Saudi Arabia and Oman, Bahrain declared independence in 1971, after a period of British predominance.

Although the modern twin towns of Manama and Muharraq appear to have been built at the same time in the 1800s, Muharraq rose to prominence owing to its defensive location and served as Bahrain's capital until 1923. Manama became the commercial capital and the major entry point to Bahrain Island. Bahrain's oil riches fueled rapid growth in the twentieth century, and in the 1990s, a deliberate diversification drive led to progress in other industries and helped Manama become an important financial centre in the Middle East. The Arab League named Manama as the Arab League's 2012 capital of Arab culture, and the Globalization and World Cities Research Network classified it as a beta global city in 2018.

Network of roads

Manama is the country's primary transportation center. At the moment, the city's road network is undergoing significant construction in order to improve the city's traffic condition. Because it is the country's capital and main city, where most of the government and business offices and facilities, as well as entertainment areas, are located, and because of the country's rapid expansion, the vehicle population is rapidly rising.

The construction of a national network linking the capital to neighboring towns, as well as the expansion of roads in Manama's historic neighborhoods, began with the introduction of the first vehicle in 1914. The steady growth in the number of automobiles from 395 in 1944 to 3,379 in 1954 and 18,372 in 1970 prompted urban development to focus largely on increasing the road network, widening carriageways, and establishing additional parking places. Many tracks constructed before to the oil period (prior to the 1930s) were resurfaced and enlarged, transforming them into 'road arteries.' The first phase of road widening began in the Manama Souq area, with the main roadways being widened by removing encroaching buildings.

To push back the shoreline and extend the city area in belt-like patterns, a series of ring roads were built (Isa al Kabeer avenue in the 1930s, Exhibition avenue in the 1960s, and Al Fateh highway in the 1980s). To the north, the beachfront used to be around Government Avenue in the 1920s, but in the early 1930s, it was relocated to a new road, King Faisal Road, which became the coastal road. To the east, a bridge has connected Manama with Muharraq since 1929; in 1941, a new causeway was erected to replace the previous wooden bridge. Transit traffic between the two islands peaked with the completion of Bahrain International Airport in 1932.

Roads connected the woods, lagoons, and marshes of Hoora, Adliya, Gudaibiya, and Juffair to the south of Manama. These roads terminated at villages such as Mahooz, Ghuraifa, and Seqaya. To the west, a large roadway was constructed that connected Manama to the remote rural port of Budaiya, passing through the 'green belt' settlements of Sanabis, Jidhafs, and Duraz. To the south, a road was built that connected Manama to Riffa. The discovery of oil accelerated the growth of the city's road network.

The four main islands, as well as all towns and villages, are connected by well-maintained highways. There were 3,164 km (1,966 mi) of roadways in 2002, of which 2,433 km (1,512 mi) were paved. A causeway stretching over 2.8 km (2 mi), connect Manama with Muharraq Island, and another bridge joins Sitra to the main island. A four-lane highway atop a 24 km (15 mi) causeway, linking Bahrain with the Saudi Arabian mainland via the island of Umm an-Nasan was completed in December 1986, and financed by Saudi Arabia. In 2000, there were 172,684 passenger vehicles and 41,820 commercial vehicles.