The Most Thorough British Intelligence Maps of Bahrain - 1937

In 1937, elements of the British Admiralty's intelligence division published a series of map of the Arabian Peninsula providing a survey of significant urban locations. These maps typically covered British protectorates and especially locations with military installations such as Bahrain (which hosted bases for the Royal Navy, Airforce and Army respectively).

As a result, these maps provide some of the most comprehensive surveys of Bahrain prior to the unsustainable land reclamation that engulfed the island nation in the latter half of the 20th century and the present day. Particular highlights include the shallow reefs (now largely reclaimed), representation of villages outside the urban hubs of Manama and Muharraq which are rarely represented.

Double click for a larger size (original file here enables better zoom via QDL)

Accompanying this is another map surveying pre-independence Manama, in particular when the city was host to its own harbour (the Manama pier) before it was relocated in the 1960s to Mina Salman in the south. This map also highlights notable sites in the city including the two hospitals of Victoria and Mason Memorial Hospitals as well as the houses of many contemporary notables in Manama.

Higher resolution image from the QDL