The Kingdom of Bahrain is an island country situated on the Persian Gulf in West Asia. It is located between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia.
Bahrain is the site of the ancient Dilmun civilization, famous for its pearl fisheries. As a site of one of the world’s oldest trading routes between the East and the West, as well as the earliest areas to be influenced by Islam, Bahrain was the first country in the Persian Gulf to use coins.
Bahrain was colonized by the Portuguese Empire from 1521 to 1602. Because it was a center of commerce, it used many different currencies. The Portuguese were expelled by Shah Abbas the Great. In 1783, the Bani Utbah clan captured Bahrain and the kingdom has been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family since then.
In the late 1800s, Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. As one of the British protectorates in the Arabian Peninsula, Bahrain used the Indian rupee as one of its official currencies.
The Gulf rupee replaced the Indian rupee in 1959. It was pegged to the British pound at a rate of 13 1/3 pounds to a rupee. There were no coins issued during the adoption of the Gulf rupee.
The Bahraini dinar was introduced in 1965, replacing the Gulf rupee at a rate of 10 rupees to 1 dinar. The Bahraini dinar is divided into 1,000 fils. Bahraini coins are in denominations of 1 fils, 5 fils, 10 fils, 25 fils, 50 fils, and 100 fils. The first series of coins were made of bronze (for 1-10 fils coins) or cupro-nickel (for 25-100 fils) and featured palm trees. In 1995, the second series of coins were introduced. These coins are made of brass (5 fils and 10 fils), cupro-nickel (25 fils, 50 fils), or a brass ring with a cupro-nickel center (100 fils). The brass coins feature a palm tree. The 25-fils coin features the Dilmun civilization seal. The 50-fils coin features the dhow, and the 100-fils coin features the national coat of arms. A bimetallic 500-fils coin was issued in 2000 and featured the Pearl Monument. However, the 500-fils coin was discontinued due to the uprising in Bahrain.
