Riffa

See also: Riffa Fort
Riffa
الرفاع

Riffa Fort
Riffa

Location in Bahrain

Coordinates: 26°7′48″N 50°33′18″E / 26.13000°N 50.55500°E / 26.13000; 50.55500Coordinates: 26°7′48″N 50°33′18″E / 26.13000°N 50.55500°E / 26.13000; 50.55500
Country  Bahrain
Governorate Southern Governorate
Settled 18th century
Population (2010)
  Total 121,566[1]
Time zone UTC + 3

Riffa (Arabic: الرفاع, Ar-Rifāʿ), formerly known in English as Ruffin,[2] is the second largest city in the Kingdom of Bahrain.[3] Riffa is divided into two parts: East Riffa and West Riffa. The city is mainly located in the Central Governorate, while smaller parts are in the Southern Governorate.

The city is growing fast: during the 2001 census, the population was recorded as 79,550 but by 2008 it was estimated as 111,000.[4]

History

Ruffin was formerly the principal settlement on Bahrain Island, before being supplanted by the port of Manama over the course of the 19th century.[2]

East Riffa

East Riffa has many attractions, one such attraction is Riffa Fort, which is also known as Sheikh Salman Bin Ahmad Al Fateh Fort. The city has several shopping malls and two main shopping streets; Riffa Bazaar (سوق الرفاع, Souk ar-Rifa) and Bukuwara Street Market. The former is larger, while the latter is more organised and modernised. Playing golf in the Royal Golf Club is considered as one of the top activities to do in the area.[5] A new development, created by Arcapita, called Riffa Views, is a large residential and commercial center.[6] The project includes artificial lakes, an international school,[7] commercial districts, supermarkets, and will have access to the recently opened Royal Women's University. Lulu Hypermarket is new addition to the rapidly increasing commercial centers in East Riffa.

West Riffa

West Riffa is predominately a residential area. Most of the ruling family, ministers and business investors live in East Riffa. His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain lives there, as well as the Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa. Riffa’s famous clock tower is located in the centre of West Riffa.

East Riffa is home to Bahrain National Stadium, where most football matches and important sports events in Bahrain take place. West Riffa and East Riffa, each has its own football club and stadium.

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This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.