n.
Arabic Al-Man 0101; mah
City (pop., 1999 est.: 162,000), capital of Bahrain .
Situated at the northeastern tip of Bahrain island, it is Bahrain's largest city, with about one-third of the emirate's population, and is one of the Persian Gulf 's most important ports. A commercial and financial centre enriched by Bahrain's oil wealth, it is linked by causeway with the nearby island city of Mu 1E25; arraq. First mentioned in Islamic chronicles 0441; 1345, it was taken by the Portuguese in 1521 and by the 1E62; afavid Persians in 1602. It has been held, with brief interruptions, by the Khal 012B; fah dynasty since 1783. It was the seat of the British political resident for the Persian Gulf (194671), after which it became the capital of independent Bahrain.