Bahrain

The largest place of worship in Bahrain, built in 1987 in the Juffair district of Manama, accommodating 7,000 worshippers across an area of 6,500 square metres. Its centrepiece is a fibreglass dome described as the largest of its kind in the world, paired with walls of Kufic calligraphy, Indian teakwood doors, and an Austrian chandelier. The complex houses a library, an Islamic institute, and a Qur'an memorisation school, welcoming visitors with multilingual guides.

Al Fateh Highway, Juffair, Manama

Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The largest Catholic church in the Persian Gulf region and the seat of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, erected on a 9,000-square-meter plot in Awali gifted by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, designed by Italian architects Mattia del Prete and Cristiano Rosponi in the form of an octagonal desert tent crowned by a golden mystery dome painted by Kiko Arguello, consecrated on December 10, 2021, and visited by Pope Francis on November 4, 2022.

Cathedral of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia (comprehending Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia) and Largest Roman Catholic Church in the Persian GulfMosque Gate Road, off Sheikh Isa Air Base Highway, Awali Municipality (20 km south of Manama), Southern Governorate, Kingdom of Bahrain

Photo: FactFindersEnigma, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

The oldest Hindu temple in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the entire Persian Gulf region, established in 1817 in the heart of the historic Manama Souq by the Thathai Bhatia merchant community from Sindh as a traditional Pushtimarg Haveli sanctuary dedicated to Lord Shrinathji (the seven-year-old form of Lord Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan), and honored by an official state visit and redevelopment launch in August 2019.

Oldest Historic Hindu Temple in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Persian Gulf Region (over 200 years old) and Multireligious Cultural Heritage Landmark of Manama SouqHindu Temple Alley (Little India Quarter), Manama Souq near Bab Al Bahrain, Manama, Capital Governorate, Kingdom of Bahrain

Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The oldest mosque in the Kingdom of Bahrain and one of the earliest Islamic monuments in the Persian Gulf, situated in the medieval capital district of Bilad Al Qadim with traditions tracing back to the late seventh or early eighth century and standing masonry phases from the eleventh to fifteenth centuries, instantly recognizable by its twin coral-stone minarets and carved Kufic and Naskhi foundation inscriptions.

Oldest Mosque in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Earliest Surviving Islamic Monument in the Archipelago, and National Archaeological Landmark of BahrainShaikh Salman Highway, Tashan / Bilad Al Qadim District, southwest of Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

Photo: Arthur Edward Broadbent Parsons, OGL 2, Wikimedia Commons

A five-thousand-year-old Bronze Age sanctuary of the ancient Dilmun civilization in the village of Barbar in northern Bahrain, comprising three successive limestone temples constructed one atop another between roughly 3000 and 2000 BCE around a natural subterranean freshwater spring sacred to Enki, Lord of Wisdom and the Sweet Waters (Apsu), and his consort Ninhursag, unearthed between 1954 and 1962 by the Danish archaeological expedition led by P. V. Glob and Geoffrey Bibby.

Premier National Archaeological Monument of the Kingdom of Bahrain and UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List Site (Barbar Temple Complex of the Dilmun Civilization)Barbar Village (off Budaiya Highway, 10 km west of Manama), Northern Governorate, Kingdom of Bahrain

Photo: Graeme, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons