منتديات مملكة البحرين - شبااااب ضرووووري..!!

عاشقه الاسمر

28-03-2006, 09:45 PM

Bahrain historically has been an important trade way station, linking the Fertile Crescent to South Asia in ancient times and the Persian Gulf to the West in modern times. It has maintained a vibrant free-market economy since gaining its independence from Great Britain in 1971. Petroleum production and processing account for more than half of export revenues. Because of its relatively cosmopolitan outlook, advanced economy, and excellent communications and transportation infrastructure, Bahrain is home to many multinational firms doing business in the Persian Gulf. Since 1994, it has been troubled by civil disturbances among the Shia Muslims, who make up roughly two-thirds of the population. The Shiites suffer from high unemployment rates and claim religious discrimination by the Sunni-dominated government. Bahrain has established a thriving financial center with both onshore and offshore operations. In 1998, the financial sector accounted for 23 percent of GDP—a higher share than that of the oil sector. Bahrain’s banking score has improved; however, the average tariff rate increased last year, and software piracy was considerable. As a result, Bahrain’s overall score is 0.10 point worse this year.
Trade Policy
Score: 3–Worse (moderate level of protectionism)

Bahrain’s average tariff rate has increased to 4.8 percent from 3.7 percent (based on total taxes on international trade as a percentage of total imports). As a result, Bahrain’s trade policy score is 1 point worse this year. The government also maintains strict labeling requirements on imported products, a practice that serves to limit imports because exporters do not wish to spend the extra money to meet these requirements.

Fiscal Burden of Government
Score—Income and Corporate Taxation: 1–Stable
(very low tax rates)
Score—Government Expenditures: 3–Stable
(moderate level of government expenditure)
Final Score: 2–Stable (low cost of government)

Bahrain imposes no taxes on income or corporate profits. Instead, it raises 53.7 percent of its revenues from state-owned enterprises (taken into account below under Government Intervention). In 1998, government expenditures equaled 27.7 percent of GDP.

Government Intervention in the Economy
Score: 3–Stable (moderate level)

Government consumes 20.7 percent of GDP. It also owns significant portions of some industries, including oil, which accounts for most of the country’s GDP. In 1998, Bahrain received 53.7 percent of its revenue from state-owned enterprises and from government ownership of property.

Monetary Policy
Score: 1–Stable (very low level of inflation)

From 1989 to 1998, Bahrain’s weighted average annual rate of inflation was 0.4 percent. Bahrain’s currency, the dinar, is pegged to the U.S. dollar.

Capital Flows and Foreign Investment
Score: 2–Stable (low barriers)

Bahrain maintains a few barriers to foreign investment; however, the new government has said that attracting foreign investment is a high priority. In general, Bahrain promotes foreign ownership, allowing foreigners to own 100 percent of new industrial businesses, although other investments are limited to 49 percent foreign ownership. There are no restrictions on the repatriation of earnings, and foreign companies may set up local branch offices without a local sponsor. The U.S. Department of State notes that companies of 100 or more employees are required to pay a "training levy" of 3 percent for expatriates and 1 percent for Bahrainis. Instances of bias toward local business in violation of transparency of the rule of law have been known to occur, but they remain rare.

Banking and Finance
Score: 1–Better (very low level of restrictions)

Over the past 20 years, Bahrain has established itself as a leading financial center for the Persian Gulf region and the Arab world. It is relatively easy to establish a bank; there are few, if any, restrictions or requirements on new banks; and foreign banks are welcome. As a result, Bahrain’s banking score is 1 point better this year.

Wages and Prices
Score: 2–Stable (low level of intervention)

The market sets most wages and prices. According to the U.S. Department of State, "With the exception of a few basic foodstuffs and petroleum product prices, the government does not attempt to control prices on the local market."

Property Rights
Score: 1–Stable (very high level of protection)

Property is secure, and expropriation is unlikely. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, "The Bahraini legal system adequately protects and facilitates acquisition and disposition of property rights."

Regulation
Score: 2–Stable (low level)

According to the U.S. Department of State, Bahrain generally follows a laissez-faire approach, but "its laws and procedures are not always transparent. Bureaucratic procedures can create significant stumbling blocks, particularly affecting the establishment of manufacturing facilities." The government has a fast-track business application process under which companies can be registered and licensed within seven days; most, in fact, are registered and licensed within only five days. Environmental and occupational health and safety regulations are not burdensome. Despite the existence of anticorruption laws, reports the Department of State, there is occasional high-level corruption in contract bidding and the management of successful investments, but "petty corruption is not a problem here. The bureaucracy is sometimes inefficient but it is honest."

Black Market
Score: 2–Worse (low level of activity)

With few barriers to imports, smuggling is not a problem. However, according to the Business Software Alliance, the rate of software piracy in Bahrain was 82 percent in 1999. As a result, Bahrain’s black market score is 1 point worse this year.

The pre-Islamic period

The main island of Bahrain (there are a total of 33 islands) is thought to have been torn from the Arabian peninsula around 6000BC. It has almost certainly been inhabited since prehistoric times.

The islands of Bahrain first stepped onto the stage of history some 3000 years BC as the centre of one of the great trading empires of the ancient world. This was the civilization of Dilmun, founded during the Bronze Age and lasting in one form or another for over 2000 years.

Dilmun developed as a centre of trade and commerce because of its location along the trade routes (pictured) linking Mesopotamia (southern Iraq) with the Indus Valley (today's India and Pakistan). And its decline dates from the time the Indus Valley civilization fell in the middle of the second millenium BC. This would of course have stripped Dilmun of its importance as a trading centre between Mesopotamia and India.

Once the decline had set in, it continued over the following centuries. There is mention of Dilmun as a vassal of Assyria in the 8th century BC and by about 600BC, it had been fully incorporated into the Babylonian empire.

Though Dilmun enjoyed considerable power and influence, it is difficult to gauge exactly how much. There is no question that at one time, Dilmun controlled a large part of the western Gulf shore (what is now eastern Saudi Arabia). But there is dispute over how far north and inland its influence was felt. At various times in its history, Dilmun probably extended as far north as Kuwait and as far inland as the oasis of Al-Hasa in modern Saudi Arabia.

There is virtually no information about what happened between Dilmun's absorption by Babylon and the arrival of Nearchus, a general in the army of Alexander the Great. He established a colony on the island of Falaika off the coast of Kuwait in the late 4th century BC. It is known that he explored the Gulf at least as far south as Bahrain. From the time of Nearchus until the coming of Islam in the 7th century AD, Bahrain was known by its Greek name of Tylos.

The six hundred years from about 300B.C. to 300A.D. seem to have been relatively prosperous ones. Writing in the first century A.D., Pliny mentioned that Tylos was famous for its pearls. During these years, Bahrain was strongly influenced and often directly ruled by various Persian civilizations; indeed, the islands were formally annexed by the Sassanian Persians in the 4th century A.D.

Interestingly, it was during the 3rd or 4th centuries A.D. that many inhabitants of Bahrain appear to have adopted the new Christian faith. It is a fact that the Nestorian sect of Christianity was well-established in Bahrain and on the Arabian side of the Gulf by the early 5th century. Church records show that Bahrain was the seat of two of the five Nestorian bishoprics existing on the Arabian side of the Gulf at the time of the arrival of Islam. It is uncertain when the two bishoprics were dissolved though they are known to have survived until 835A.D.

Islam's arrival and after

The people of Bahrain are very proud of the fact that they were one of the first territories outside mainland Arabia to accept Islam. And to do so peacefully. About the year 640A.D., the Prophet Mohammed sent a letter to the ruler of Bahrain inviting him to adopt Islam. For whatever reasons he did so fairly soon thereafter and for another two centuries, Christians and Muslims lived peacefully together in Bahrain. Even today in 1996, Bahrain has a tiny community of indigenous Christians.

Bahrain was a part of both the Umayyad and Abbasid empires from the 9th to 11th centuries. It was a staunchly Shiite Muslim community -- once again because of the Persian influences -- and during these years, it appears to have been well-governed and prosperous. It once again became an important port on the trade routes (pictured) between Iraq and India. Bahrain changed hands often during the Middle Ages and was caught in various squabbles and disputes between petty Gulf sheikhs who seem to have been constantly fighting with one another.

In 1487 the Omanis conquered Bahrain and built a fort whose ruins can be seen today. Prior to their arrival, the island had been visited two years earlier by a Portuguese explorer who had commented on both the quality and the number of pearls. The Portuguese were in the Gulf for a little over a century, being driven from Bahrain in 1602 by the Bahrainis themselves. After the expulsion of the Portuguese, the Bahrainis appealed to the Persians for protection and so once again came under their control.

The Al-Khalifa, the ruling family of Bahrain, arrived in the islands in the mid-18th century. They came from Kuwait where they had helped their relatives, the Al-Sabah, to establish power there. At first, the Al-Khalifa had settled on the northwestern coast of Qatar but in the early 1780's, they drove the Persians out of Bahrain and occupied the principal islands. From then until now, the Al-Khalifa have maintained their control of Bahrain

The discovery of oil

In June 1932 oil was discovered in commercial quantities in Bahrain. It was important for two reasons: first, it was the initial discovery of oil on the Arab side of the Gulf and second, it more or less coincided with the collapse of the world pearl market. (The Japanese had been instrumental in this with their manufacture of cultured pearls.)

Because Bahrain was the first Gulf state to discover oil, it was also the first to enjoy the benefits that came with the revenues -- specifically, a marked improvement in the quality of education and health care.

The oil reserves of Bahrain are quite small and, by Gulf standards, it produces only a token quantity of oil. This has proved to be an advantage, however. Without the resources for a boom, Bahrain has moved more slowly and thoughtfully into the technological age. The necessity to diversify their economy as well as their long history as a trading country have proved to be a fortuitous set of circumstances

Modern day Bahrain

Bahrain remained a protectorate of Great Britain until 1968, when the agreement between the two countries was cancelled by mutual consent. In 1971, Bahrain achieved total independence under the rule of sheik Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa who became both Emir (Prince) and Prime Minister of the newly formed state.

Bahrain's modern day history was an example of stability, despite the fact that the Parliament was dissolved in 1975. At the end of 1994, "foreign backed" militants caused unrest in the state by attacking hotels and restaurants using explosive devices, the situation was contained and stability returned to Bahrain.

On 6 March 1999, the ruling prince, sheik Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, died of natural causes at the age of 65. His son, sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa ascended to the throne in a smooth transition

عاشقه الاسمر

28-03-2006, 09:48 PM

,وهاي تقرير ثاني عن تاريخ البخرين

The pre-Islamic period

The main island of Bahrain (there are a total of 33 islands) is thought to have been torn from the Arabian peninsula around 6000BC. It has almost certainly been inhabited since prehistoric times.

The islands of Bahrain first stepped onto the stage of history some 3000 years BC as the centre of one of the great trading empires of the ancient world. This was the civilization of Dilmun, founded during the Bronze Age and lasting in one form or another for over 2000 years.

Dilmun developed as a centre of trade and commerce because of its location along the trade routes (pictured) linking Mesopotamia (southern Iraq) with the Indus Valley (today's India and Pakistan). And its decline dates from the time the Indus Valley civilization fell in the middle of the second millenium BC. This would of course have stripped Dilmun of its importance as a trading centre between Mesopotamia and India.

Once the decline had set in, it continued over the following centuries. There is mention of Dilmun as a vassal of Assyria in the 8th century BC and by about 600BC, it had been fully incorporated into the Babylonian empire.

Though Dilmun enjoyed considerable power and influence, it is difficult to gauge exactly how much. There is no question that at one time, Dilmun controlled a large part of the western Gulf shore (what is now eastern Saudi Arabia). But there is dispute over how far north and inland its influence was felt. At various times in its history, Dilmun probably extended as far north as Kuwait and as far inland as the oasis of Al-Hasa in modern Saudi Arabia.

There is virtually no information about what happened between Dilmun's absorption by Babylon and the arrival of Nearchus, a general in the army of Alexander the Great. He established a colony on the island of Falaika off the coast of Kuwait in the late 4th century BC. It is known that he explored the Gulf at least as far south as Bahrain. From the time of Nearchus until the coming of Islam in the 7th century AD, Bahrain was known by its Greek name of Tylos.

The six hundred years from about 300B.C. to 300A.D. seem to have been relatively prosperous ones. Writing in the first century A.D., Pliny mentioned that Tylos was famous for its pearls. During these years, Bahrain was strongly influenced and often directly ruled by various Persian civilizations; indeed, the islands were formally annexed by the Sassanian Persians in the 4th century A.D.

Interestingly, it was during the 3rd or 4th centuries A.D. that many inhabitants of Bahrain appear to have adopted the new Christian faith. It is a fact that the Nestorian sect of Christianity was well-established in Bahrain and on the Arabian side of the Gulf by the early 5th century. Church records show that Bahrain was the seat of two of the five Nestorian bishoprics existing on the Arabian side of the Gulf at the time of the arrival of Islam. It is uncertain when the two bishoprics were dissolved though they are known to have survived until 835A.D.

Islam's arrival and after

The people of Bahrain are very proud of the fact that they were one of the first territories outside mainland Arabia to accept Islam. And to do so peacefully. About the year 640A.D., the Prophet Mohammed sent a letter to the ruler of Bahrain inviting him to adopt Islam. For whatever reasons he did so fairly soon thereafter and for another two centuries, Christians and Muslims lived peacefully together in Bahrain. Even today in 1996, Bahrain has a tiny community of indigenous Christians.

Bahrain was a part of both the Umayyad and Abbasid empires from the 9th to 11th centuries. It was a staunchly Shiite Muslim community -- once again because of the Persian influences -- and during these years, it appears to have been well-governed and prosperous. It once again became an important port on the trade routes (pictured) between Iraq and India. Bahrain changed hands often during the Middle Ages and was caught in various squabbles and disputes between petty Gulf sheikhs who seem to have been constantly fighting with one another.

In 1487 the Omanis conquered Bahrain and built a fort whose ruins can be seen today. Prior to their arrival, the island had been visited two years earlier by a Portuguese explorer who had commented on both the quality and the number of pearls. The Portuguese were in the Gulf for a little over a century, being driven from Bahrain in 1602 by the Bahrainis themselves. After the expulsion of the Portuguese, the Bahrainis appealed to the Persians for protection and so once again came under their control.

The Al-Khalifa, the ruling family of Bahrain, arrived in the islands in the mid-18th century. They came from Kuwait where they had helped their relatives, the Al-Sabah, to establish power there. At first, the Al-Khalifa had settled on the northwestern coast of Qatar but in the early 1780's, they drove the Persians out of Bahrain and occupied the principal islands. From then until now, the Al-Khalifa have maintained their control of Bahrain.