Arabic Al-Manāmah
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 Muḥarraq. First mentioned in Islamic chronicles с 1345, it was taken by the Portuguese in 1521 and by the Ṣafavid Persians in 1602. It has been held, with brief interruptions, by the Khalīfah dynasty since 1783. It was the seat of the British political resident for the Persian Gulf (1946–71), after which it became the capital of independent Bahrain.