Al-Sakhir Palace

Al-Sakhir Palace, also known as Sakhir Palace, is a palace in the Sakhir desert region of western Bahrain. The palace lies off the Zallaq Highway, northeast of the Bahrain International Circuit, the town of Zallaq and the Gulf University. It lies southwest of Sadad, Shahrakan and Dar Kulaib, the nearest town to the palace.

History

Built in 1870 or 1901 according to different sources, it is one of the most eminent buildings in the country. The extensive complex was once the residence of the ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad, who moved into the palace around 1925. He was very fond of the palace and lived there with his wife Hosha and regularly invited prominent noblemen and political figures from the United Kingdom and elsewhere to dine at the palace. However, the building was abandoned after his death at the palace in 1942, and remained locked and the windows shuttered for decades afterwards as a sign of respect. For years the palace stood isolated, although after the discovery of oil in 1928 in Bahrain the island developed considerably in other areas. Painter Christine Rollitt visited Bahrain in the 1970s and painted the palace in 1977. Still vacant in 1983, the palace underwent restoration to its former glory in the mid-1990s. The palace is approached passing a camel farm along Highway 105. Two kilometres from the palace, towards Zallaq, is an oil-pumping well which is decorated as a hoopoe bird. The Arabian Gulf University was built near the palace around 1985.