Emblem of Bahrain
Encyclopedia
The current emblem of the Kingdom of Bahrain is a coat of arms
that was originally designed in 1932 by Charles Belgrave
, the British governor and adviser to the then-Sheik of Bahrain
. The design has undergone slight modifications since then, namely in 1971 in 2002 when mantling and the indentations of the chief were modified respectively, but the influence of the original design is still clearly visible in the modern blazon.
The arms act as a governmental and national symbol in addition to being the personal arms of the king; only the king, however, may display the royal crown ensigning the coat of arms.
, establishing a long line of British governors and advisers to the sheiks and hakims that ruled over the island nation. In 1932, the then-British governor and advisor to the sheik, Charles Belgrave, assisted with designing a coat of arms for the reigning sheik, Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa
. The original heraldic achievement was red with a white chief dancetée of three ensigned by an heraldic ancient crown of eight points, with five being visible in renditions.
After the United Kingdom withdrew from Bahrain in 1971, red mantling
with a white lining was added to the coat of arms as a symbol of the island nation's newly acquired independent sovereignty. The mantling is displayed around the shield without a helm or torse, in a manner unusual to traditional heraldic practice
. The Princely coat of arms still displayed the Crown when used as the personal arms of Emir, though the Crown was modified to have smaller points displayed between the space of each point. The arms displayed with the mantling sans Crown became the arms of dominion for Bahrain.
The heraldic device has been most recently altered in 2002, when the emirate was declared a kingdom by Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa. The shield remains red, but the white chief dancetée now includes five indentations to represent the five pillars of the Muslim faith
, rather than the three as was originally assumed in 1932.
The design on the shield is nearly identical to the design of the national flag
, the only difference being that the whole of the design is rotated so that the chief of the shield appears as the hoist of the flag.
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
that was originally designed in 1932 by Charles Belgrave
Charles Belgrave
Charles Dalrymple Belgrave was a British citizen and adviser to the rulers of Bahrain from 1926 until 1957. He first served under Shaikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa , and subsequently under Shaikh Salman ibn Hamad Al-Khalifa ....
, the British governor and adviser to the then-Sheik of Bahrain
King of Bahrain
The King of Bahrain is the monarch and head of state of Bahrain. Between 1783 and 1971, the Bahraini monarch held the title of Hakim, and, from 1971 until 2002, the title of Emir...
. The design has undergone slight modifications since then, namely in 1971 in 2002 when mantling and the indentations of the chief were modified respectively, but the influence of the original design is still clearly visible in the modern blazon.
The arms act as a governmental and national symbol in addition to being the personal arms of the king; only the king, however, may display the royal crown ensigning the coat of arms.
History
The General Maritime Treaty of 1820 created Bahrain as a protectorate of the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, establishing a long line of British governors and advisers to the sheiks and hakims that ruled over the island nation. In 1932, the then-British governor and advisor to the sheik, Charles Belgrave, assisted with designing a coat of arms for the reigning sheik, Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa
Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa
Shaikh Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa, KCIE, CSI was the ruler of Bahrain from 1869 until his death. His title was Hakim of Bahrain. He is one the longest reigning monarchs of the region...
. The original heraldic achievement was red with a white chief dancetée of three ensigned by an heraldic ancient crown of eight points, with five being visible in renditions.
After the United Kingdom withdrew from Bahrain in 1971, red mantling
Mantling
In heraldry, mantling or lambrequin is drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. It forms a backdrop for the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering worn by knights from their helmets to stave off the elements, and, secondarily, to decrease the effects of...
with a white lining was added to the coat of arms as a symbol of the island nation's newly acquired independent sovereignty. The mantling is displayed around the shield without a helm or torse, in a manner unusual to traditional heraldic practice
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
. The Princely coat of arms still displayed the Crown when used as the personal arms of Emir, though the Crown was modified to have smaller points displayed between the space of each point. The arms displayed with the mantling sans Crown became the arms of dominion for Bahrain.
The heraldic device has been most recently altered in 2002, when the emirate was declared a kingdom by Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa. The shield remains red, but the white chief dancetée now includes five indentations to represent the five pillars of the Muslim faith
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, rather than the three as was originally assumed in 1932.
The design on the shield is nearly identical to the design of the national flag
Flag of Bahrain
The national flag of Bahrain consists of a white band on the left, separated from a red area on the right by five triangles that serve as a serrated line.Red is the traditional colour for flags of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf...
, the only difference being that the whole of the design is rotated so that the chief of the shield appears as the hoist of the flag.