History of Bahrain

Bahrain is an island country in the Persian Gulf. The history of Bahrain dates back to ancient history. Bahrain was the central location of the ancient Dilmun civilization. Bahrain's strategic location in the Persian Gulf has brought rule and influence from mostly the Persians, Sumerians,Assyrians, Babylonians, Portuguese, the Arabs, and the British.
From the 6th century BC to the 3rd century BC Bahrain was a pivotal part of the Persian Empire by the Achaemenids, an Iranian dynasty. From the 3rd century BC to the arrival of Islam in the 7th century AD, Bahrain was controlled by two other Iranian dynasties, the Parthians and the Sassanids. By about 130 BC, the Parthian dynasty brought the Persian Gulf under their control and extended their influence as far as Oman. Because they needed to control the Persian Gulf trade route, the Parthians established garrisons along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf..

It came under Arab rule in the 7th century  AD and Portuguese used as a trading base from 1521 to 1602. Persia ruled Bahrain from 1602 but was driven out by the Arab alKhalifa dynasty in 1783. This dynasty still rules Bahrain as emirs.Britain took Bahrain under  its protection in 1861; The country became completely independent again in 1971.