Jidda Islands

Native name: جزيرة جدة (Arabic)
Jidda Islands Location of Jidda Island in Bahrain
Geography
Location	Persian Gulf
Coordinates	26°11′35″N 50°24′18″E / 26.193°N 50.405°E / 26.193; 50.405
Archipelago	Bahrain
Adjacent to	Persian Gulf
Total islands	3
Major islands	Jidda Island North Jidda Mini Bahrain
Area	0.5 km2 (0.19 sq mi)
Highest elevation	10 m (30 ft)
Administration
Bahrain
Governorate	Northern Governorate
Largest settlement	Jidda Island (pop. 0)
Demographics
Demonym	Bahraini
Population	0 (2016)
Pop. density	0/km2 (0/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Bahraini, non-Bahraini
Additional information
Time zone	AST (UTC+3)
ISO code	BH-14
Official website	www.bahrain.com

Jidda Islands (Arabic: جزيرة جدة) are a group of three small uninhabited islets in Bahrain, lying to the west of Bahrain Island and just north of Umm an Nasan in the Persian Gulf. They are 17.5 km (10.9 mi) west of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island.

History

In 1930 Jidda became the location of one of Bahrain's prisons.^[1][2] Majeed Marhoon, Abdulhadi Khalaf and several other political activists spent time in the prison in the sixties and seventies. It later became the private property of Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and is currently closed from the public.

Geography

The main island is made of limestone cliffs. It is believed that blocks of rock cut from the island were used in the Barbar temple on Bahrain Island.^[3] The small Mini Bahrain is an artificial island on the south shore made to look exactly like the big Bahrain island.^[4]

Demography

The island has a palace, gardens, a helipad, a mosque^[5] and several other facilities made for the prime minister and his family, although the island is uninhabited and Sheikh Khalifa himself lived in Riffa, Bahrain Island until his death in November 2020.

Administration

The island belongs to the Northern Governorate of Bahrain.

Transportation

It is connected to Umm an Nasan by a 1.75 km (1.09 mi) causeway.

Image gallery

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  Map 1
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  District Map