Editing Manama (section)

===Modern history===
[[File:Aerial view of Manama, 1936.png|thumb|Aerial view of Manama in 1936]]
Following the outbreak of [[World War I]] in 1914, the [[British Raj]] used Manama as a military base of operations during the [[Mesopotamian campaign]].{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=113}} Prompted by the presence of oil in the region, the British political agency in [[Bushire]] concluded an oil agreement with the Hakim to prohibit the exploration and exploitation of oil for a five-year period. In 1919, Bahrain was officially integrated into the [[British Empire]] as an overseas imperial territory following the Bahrain [[order-in-council]] decree, issued in 1913.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=113}} The decree gave the resident political agent greater powers and placed Bahrain under the [[residency of Bushire]] and therefore under the governance of the British Raj. The British pressured a series of [[Bahrain administrative reforms of the 1920s|administrative reforms in Bahrain during the 1920s]] (a move met with opposition from tribal leaders), during which the aging Hakim [[Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa]] was forced to abdicate in favour of his reform-minded son [[Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa (1872–1942)|Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa]]. A municipal government was established in Manama in 1919, the Customs office was reorganised in 1923 and placed under the supervision of an English businessman, the pearling industry was later reformed in 1924. Earnings from the customs office would be kept in the newly created [[Treasury|state treasury]]. [[Civil law (common law)|Civil courts]] were established for the first time in 1923, followed by the establishment of the Department of Land Registration in 1924.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=114}} [[Charles Belgrave]], from the [[Colonial office]], was appointed in 1926 by the British to carry on further reforms and manage administration as a financial advisor to the King. He later organised the State Police and was in charge of the Finance and Land departments of the government.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=115}}

{{multiple image
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| footer            = The newly formed Manama municipality (left) and the reorganised customs office of Manama (right)
| image1            = Manama municipality.png
| image2            = Manama customs office and sea port.jpg
}}

In 1927, the country's pearling economy collapsed due to the introduction of Japanese cultured pearls in the world market. It is estimated that between 1929 and 1931, pearling entrepreneurs lost more than two-thirds of their income. Further aggravated by the [[Great Depression]], many leading Bahraini businessmen, shopkeepers, and pearl-divers fell into debt.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=127-128}} With the [[First Oil Well, Bahrain|discovery of oil]] in 1932 and the subsequent production of oil exports in 1934, the country gained a greater significance in geopolitics. The security of oil supplies in the Middle East was a priority of the British, especially in the run-up to the Second World War.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=119}} The discovery of oil led to gradual employment of bankrupt divers from the pearling industry in the 1930s, eventually causing the pearling industry to disappear.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=163}} During the war, the country served as a strategic airbase between Britain and India as well as hosting [[RAF Muharraq]] and a [[HMS Jufair|naval base]] in [[Juffair]].{{sfn|Ben Hamouche|2008|p=201}} Bahrain was [[Bombing of Bahrain in World War II|bombed]] by the [[Regia Aeronautica|Italian Air Force]] in 1940. In 1947, following the end of the war and subsequent Indian independence, the British residency of the Persian Gulf moved to Manama from [[Bushire]].{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=119}}
{{wide image|Manama View 1945.jpg|700px|align-cap=center|Manama in 1945}}
[[File:View of Manama from the South, 1953.png|thumb|Aerial View of Manama, 1953]]
Following the rise of [[Arab nationalism]] across the Middle East and sparked by the [[Suez Crisis]] in 1956, anti-British unrest broke out in Manama, organised by the [[National Union Committee]]. Though the NUC advocated peaceful demonstrations, buildings and enterprises belonging to Europeans (the British in particular) as well as the main [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] church in the city and petrol stations, were targeted and set ablaze.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=185-186}} Demonstrations held in front of the British political residency called for the dismissal of Charles Belgrave, who was later dismissed by the direct intervention of the [[Foreign Office]] the following year.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=116}} A subsequent crackdown on the NUC led to the dissolution of the body. Another [[March Intifada|anti-British uprising]] erupted in March 1965, though predominately led by students aspiring for independence rather than by Arab nationalists.{{efn|These student protests were led by intellectuals and poets such as [[Qassim Haddad]].{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=227}} }} In 1968, the British announced their withdrawal from Bahrain by 1971.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=226}} The newly independent [[State of Bahrain]] designated Manama as the capital city.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=227}}
[[File:Manama Souq 1965.JPG|thumb|[[Manama Souq]] in 1965]]
Post-independence Manama was characterised by the rapid urbanisation of the city and the swallowing-up of neighboring villages and hamlets into a single urbanised area, incorporating new neighbourhoods such as [[Adliya]] and [[Salmaniya]]. The construction boom attracted large numbers of foreigners from the [[Indian subcontinent]] and by 1981, foreigners outnumbered Bahrainis two-to-one.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=229}} The construction of the [[Diplomatic Area]] district in the city's northeast helped facilitate diversification of the country's economy from oil by exploiting the lucrative financial industry. Financial institutions in the district numbered 187 by 1986. The scarcity of land suitable for construction led to [[land reclamation]].{{sfn|Ben Hamouche|2008|p=206}} Religious activism migrated from Manama to the suburban districts of [[Bani Jamra]], [[Diraz]] and [[Bilad Al Qadeem]], hotspots of unrest in the [[1990s uprising in Bahrain|1990s uprising]] that called for the reinstatement of an elected parliament.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=230}} In 2001, the [[National Action Charter of Bahrain|National Action Charter]], presented by King [[Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa]] was approved by Bahrainis. The charter led to the first [[Bahraini general election, 2002|parliamentary]] and municipal elections in decades.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=230}} Further elections in 2006 and 2010 led to the election of Islamist parties, [[Al Wefaq]], [[Al-Menbar Islamic Society|Al Menbar]], and [[Al Asalah]], as well as independent candidates.{{sfn|Fuccaro|2009|p=230}} In 2011, a [[Bahraini uprising (2011–present)|month-long uprising]] led to the intervention of [[Peninsula Shield Force|GCC forces]] and the proclamation of a three-month [[state of emergency]]. The [[Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry]] published a 500-page report on the events of 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry|url=http://www.bici.org.bh/|access-date=14 September 2013}}</ref>